1 State Food Security Index 2022- 2023
The State Food Security Index (SFSI) 2022-2023 released by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) highlights the performance of Indian states in ensuring food security. The 2022-2023 index introduced a new parameter, ‘ Improvement in SFSI Rank ‘, which assesses the state’s progress compared to the previous year. The weights of other parameters were modified to accommodate this change. It is an annual assessment that evaluates the performance of states and union territories on food security. The Index is a dynamic benchmarking approach that combines quantitative and qualitative analysis to provide an unbiased framework for assessing food security across states and territories. SFSI was launched in the year 2018-19 to bring competitiveness and positive change in the food safety ecosystem in the country. Over the past five years, 19 of the 20 largest Indian states, including Maharashtra, Bihar, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh, have experienced a decline in their SFSI scores for 2022-2023 compared to 2019 . After adjusting for a new parameter introduced in the index for session 2022-2023, 15 out of 20 states earned a lower SFSI score in 2022-2023 compared to 2019 . The ‘ Food Testing Infrastructure ‘ parameter measures the availability of adequate testing infrastructure with trained personnel in each state for testing food samples. This parameter saw the biggest decline, with the average score across all large states falling from 13 out of 20 in 2019 to 7 out of 17 in 2022 – 2023. In the year 2022-2023 , Gujarat and Kerala performed best in this parameter while Andhra Pradesh performed worst. This parameter measures the licensing and registration of food businesses, inspections conducted, special drives conducted, camps and other such compliance-related work done by the food safety authority of each state. Along with this, there was also a decline in the score of ‘Compliance’ parameter. In this parameter, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh got the highest marks and Jharkhand got the least marks.
2 India will be among the top five global bio-manufacturing hubs by 2025 – Minister of State for Science and Technology Dr. Jitendra Singh
Minister of State for Science and Technology Dr Jitendra Singh has said that India will be among the top five global bio-manufacturing hubs by 2025 . Biotechnology has the potential to become an important means of global trade, he said. This will contribute to the overall economy of India. Launching the website of Global Bio-India-2023 to be held in New Delhi next month, Dr Singh said, in the last nine years under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Indian bio-economy has seen double digit growth rates year after year . . He said, India is now being included among the top 12 biotechnology countries of the world. He said that in 2014, India’s bioeconomy was about $10 billion and today it is $80 billion. It has increased eight times in just nine years, he said. It is likely to reach three billion dollars by the year 2030. Dr. Singh said, bio-economy is going to become a huge source of livelihood for the people in the coming times.
3 Prestigious Kerala Jyoti Award to renowned writer T. Padmanabhan
The Government of Kerala has selected renowned writer T. Padmanabhan as the recipient of the prestigious Kerala Jyothi Award . The Government of Kerala has selected renowned writer T. Padmanabhan as the recipient of the prestigious Kerala Jyothi Award. This highest civilian honor of the state was awarded to Padmanabhan for his extraordinary contribution to Malayalam literature.
4 Reserve Bank said that more than 97% of the notes of Rs 2 thousand have been returned.
The Reserve Bank has said that more than 97 percent of the Rs 2,000 notes have been returned to it . In a statement issued on Wednesday, the apex bank said that Rs 2,000 notes worth Rs 3,56,000 crore were in circulation in May 2023, and if transactions are stopped by October 31, 2023, now people are left with only Rs 10,000 crore. The Reserve Bank had announced the withdrawal of Rs 2,000 notes on May 19, 2023 and requested people to deposit or exchange them in any bank by October 7, 2023 . The Reserve Bank has said that Rs 2,000 notes will remain legal tender and the facility to deposit or exchange them will be available in 19 issue offices of the Reserve Bank. He said that whoever wants to avail this facility can send notes to these offices through the Indian Postal Department.
5 Center for Telecommunications Engineering and Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology signed MoU for cooperation in the field of reliable and responsible artificial intelligence systems
Telecom Engineering Center (TEC) , the technical arm of the Department of Telecommunications (DOT) , Ministry of Communications, Government of India, and Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology, Delhi (IIITD) have come together to pursue innovation in the field of reliable and responsible artificial intelligence systems . A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on November 3, 2023, reflecting their commitment to leading developments in Responsible AI. The collaboration focuses on promoting impartiality assessment in line with the objectives of the Government of India, specifically addressing bias in AI systems and promoting public trust in these technologies.
6 NTPC Renewable Energy Limited announces commercial operation of its first project – 50 MW Dayapar Wind Project – located in Kutch, Gujarat
NTPC Renewable Energy Limited , a wholly owned subsidiary of NTPC , has announced the commercial operation of its first project – a 50 MW wind project located at Dayapar in the Kutch region of Gujarat on November 4, 2023. With this, the total installed capacity of NTPC Group has increased to 73,874 MW and the total RE operating capacity of NTPC Group now stands at 3,364 MW. Dayapar Wind is the first project of NTPC REL and is the first capacity in India to be declared commercial under the new Indian Electricity Grid Code and Common Network Access regime.
7 GPS will be fitted on the feet of terror accused granted bail, Kashmir Police is the first force in the country to do so.
Jammu and Kashmir Police has started using GPS tracker anklet , which will be like a band and will be worn on the leg of the terrorist. This is the first time that the police has arrested Ghulam Mohammad Butt, accused of working as an OGW for various terrorist organizations including Hizbul Mujahideen. The court has released him on interim bail. GPS trackers are being used in many countries including the United States, England, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand to monitor the movements of accused released on bail and parole and elements under house arrest. In India, Jammu and Kashmir Police was the first to start using it .
8 Severe food insecurity set to increase in 18 hunger hotspots by April 2024: FAO and WFP report
According to a recent report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Food Program (WFP) , acute food insecurity is increasing in 18 hunger hotspots . These hotspots include 22 countries and territories , with the report covering the period from November 2023 to April 2024 . The selection of these hotspots is based on expert consensus and analysis of various factors. The countries and territories identified in the report include Burkina Faso, Mali, Sudan, South Sudan, Niger, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Palestine, Syrian Arab Republic, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Djibouti, Yemen, Somalia, Ethiopia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Haiti, Includes El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. In all these regions, food security is expected to decline significantly over the next six months.
9 Indian farmers face $169 billion in implicit taxes due to export measures in 2022: OECD
In 2022 , Indian farmers faced implicit taxation totaling $169 billion as a result of export restrictions, duties and permits on various commodities such as wheat and rice . This taxation was imposed to stabilize prices for consumers, as shown by the latest assessment by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on global agricultural policy and support. India’s negative MPS policy taxation constitutes more than 80% of such taxes globally in 2022, making it a significant contributor to this phenomenon. Of the 54 countries analyzed in the report, the implicit taxation imposed on farmers was approximately $200 billion globally.
10 Bhutan completes sterilization and vaccination of stray dog population
In a significant milestone for animal welfare and public health, Bhutan has become the first country in the world to successfully sterilize and vaccinate its entire stray dog population . The achievement comes after a 14-year long dog population control programme. The National Dog Population Management and Rabies Control Project, launched in 2009, aimed to address the problem of stray dogs in Bhutan. In collaboration with the global animal charity, Humane Society International (HSI), the program has sterilized and vaccinated more than 150,000 stray dogs and microchipped 32,000 pet dogs. Across Asia, an estimated 300 million stray dogs face challenges such as starvation, parasitic infections, untreated diseases, injuries from road traffic accidents and contagious cancers. These dogs often suffer direct persecution and inhumane killing. Successful efforts in Bhutan have set an example for addressing this widespread issue.
11 Ecological Threat Report 2023 released
A recent report from the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) warns that the number of people living in countries facing serious ecological threats is expected to increase from the current 1.8 billion to 2.8 billion by 2050. These worrying findings come as a result of increasing environmental challenges and climate-related events. The IEP’s Ecological Threats Report 2023 highlights that more than half of the countries facing serious threats are located in Sub-Saharan Africa. The report assesses global ecological threats and pinpoints countries and regions most susceptible to conflict, civil unrest and displacement due to environmental degradation.
12 Philippines announces withdrawal from China’s Belt and Road Initiative
The Philippines has announced its withdrawal from China ‘s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) . According to Asia Times report, the Philippines government has ended all the BRI projects and has decided to hand over the work related to the project to Japan and Western countries . The Senate of the Philippines has said that every investment by China is under suspicion due to economic and political reasons. Relations between the Philippines and China have further soured after the decision to withdraw from BRI. The Philippines had very cordial relations with China during the tenure of former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte.
13 New technology to convert CO2 into CO will increase carbon emission reduction and energy saving potential in the steel sector.
Through a newly developed energy-efficient carbon dioxide capture technology, carbon dioxide can be converted into carbon monoxide under electro catalytic conditions under ambient temperature in the presence of water. This technology has been developed with the potential for use in the steel sector . In efforts to support India’s goal of net-zero emissions by 2070 , the DST- supported National Center of Excellence in Carbon Capture and Utilization (NCoE-CCU) at IIT Bombay is exploring new diverse emission sources for CO2 capture and Active work is being done to develop scalable and affordable means of converting them into usable chemicals or permanent storage, representing an important route to greenhouse gas mitigation. In a significant development, a team of researchers led by Dr. Arnab Dutta and Dr. Vikram Vishal along with dedicated research experts at the National Center have been granted a patent for CO2 to Carbon Monoxide (CO) conversion technology . This innovation has also been accepted for publication in the international journal, Nature Communications.
14 Shiv Nadar tops Hurun India Philanthropy List 2023
HCLTech founder Shiv Nadar and his family have topped the Edelgive Hurun India Philanthropy List 2023 . For the financial year 2022-23, he donated a substantial amount of Rs 2,042 crore , making it the fifth consecutive year that Nadar has claimed this distinguished rank. Wipro’s founding chairman Azim Premji and his family came second with a noteworthy donation of Rs 1,774 crore . Notably, Premji’s philanthropic contributions saw a significant increase of 267% compared to the previous year. Additionally, the name of the youngest philanthropist , Nikhil Kamath , was also added to the list, he made a generous donation of ₹110 crore during FY 22-23 .
15 Deepesh Nanda becomes CEO and MD of Tata Power Renewable Energy
Tata Power has appointed Dipesh Nanda as President-Renewables, CEO and MD of its subsidiary Tata Power Renewable Energy Limited (TPREL) . Tata Power, one of India’s leading integrated power companies, announced a significant leadership change as it appointed Deepesh Nanda as President-Renewables and CEO and MD of its subsidiary, Tata Power Renewable Energy Limited (TPREL). The move, effective from November 1, 2023, is a strategic step in Tata Power’s journey towards becoming a leading force in the renewable energy sector.
16 Mumbai ranks fourth in global housing price growth
According to Knight Frank ‘s Prime Global Cities Index , Mumbai recorded the fourth highest year-on-year growth in prime residential prices among global cities , with Manila taking the top spot . Knight Frank’s Prime Global Cities Index in its latest report has revealed that for the quarter ending September 2023, Mumbai has achieved the fourth highest year-on-year growth in prime residential prices among global cities. This significant surge has reshaped the real estate dynamics of the city, taking it up 18 places from the September 2022 ranking. Mumbai’s real estate market recorded a substantial growth of 6.5% in prime residential prices.
17 Mohammed Shami becomes India’s highest wicket-taker in the World Cup
The ODI World Cup match was played between India and Sri Lanka . In this match, Team India, batting first, scored 357 runs losing 8 wickets in 50 overs. Team India’s dominance continued in the second innings of the match also. Team India all out Sri Lanka on the score of only 55. During this, Mohammed Shami took five wickets . With this, Shami also became the bowler who took the highest wicket for India in the history of ODI World Cup. Mohammed Shami has taken 45* wickets in 14 innings . He broke the records of Zaheer Khan (44) and Javagal Srinath (44) . Whereas, Jasprit Bumrah has taken 33 wickets in his World Cup career.
18 England’s David Willey retires from international cricket
England cricket team ‘s all-rounder player David Willey has retired from international cricket . He has announced his decision on social media. England’s performance in the ODI World Cup 2023 has not been anything special. He is almost out of the race for the semi-finals. Willie has taken this decision in view of poor performance. Willie is just 33 years old and has stopped playing for England.