20th June, 2024 Current Affairs

Sakshi Education

NATIONAL

Government Approves Increase In Minimum Support Prices For 14 Kharif Crops

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi today approved the increase in the Minimum Support Prices (MSP) for all mandated Kharif Crops for Marketing Season 2024-25.
Government has increased the MSP of Kharif Crops for Marketing Season 2024-25, to ensure remunerative prices to the growers for their produce. The highest absolute increase in MSP over the previous year has been recommended for oilseeds and pulses viz. nigerseed (Rs.983/- per quintal) followed by sesamum (Rs.632/- per quintal) and tur/arhar (Rs.550/- per quintal).
In the recent years, Government has been promoting the cultivation of crops, other than cereals such as pulses and oilseeds, and Nutri-cereals/ Shree Anna, by offering a higher MSP for these crops.
During the period 2003-04 to 2013-14 for 14 crops covered under Kharif Marketing Season, the minimum absolute increase in MSP was Rs.745/- per quintal for Bajra and maximum absolute increase was Rs.3,130/- per quintal for Moong while during the period 2013-14 to 2023-24, the minimum absolute increase in MSP was Rs.780/- per quintal for Maize and maximum absolute increase was Rs.4,234/- per quintal for Nigerseed. Details are at Annexure-I.
During the period 2004-05 to 2013-14, the procurement of 14 crops covered under Kharif Marketing Season was 4,675.98 Lakhs Metric Ton (LMT) while during the period 2014-15 to 2023-24, procurement of these crops was 7,108.65 LMT. The year-wise details are at Annexure-II.
As per the 3rd Advance Estimates of production for 2023-24, total foodgrain production in the country is estimated at 3288.6 Lakhs Metric Ton (LMT), and oilseeds production is touching 395.9 LMT. During 2023-24, kharif production of rice, pulses, oilseeds and nutri-cereals/Shree Anna and cotton is estimated to be 1143.7 LMT, 68.6 LMT, 241.2 LMT, 130.3 LMT and 325.2 Lakh bales, respectively.

Cabinet approves ‘Development of an all-Weather Greenfield deepdraft Major Port at Vadhavan in Maharashtra'

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, today approved setting up a Major Port at Vadhavan near Dahanu in Maharastra.
The Project will be constructed by Vadhavan Port Project Limited (VPPL), an SPV formed by Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) and Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) with a shareholding of 74% and 26%, respectively.
The Vadhavan Port will be developed as an all-weather Greenfield deep draft major port in Vadhavan, Palghar District, Maharashtra.
The total project cost, including the land acquisition component is Rs.76,220 Crore. This will include development of Core infrastructure, Terminals and other commercial infrastructure in public-private partnerships (PPP) mode.
The Port will comprise nine container terminals, each 1000 meters long, four multipurpose berths, including the coastal berth, four liquid cargo berths, a Ro-Ro berth, and a Coast Guard berth.
The Project involves the reclamation of 1,448 hectares of area in the sea and the construction of 10.14 km of offshore breakwater and container/cargo storage areas. The Project will create a cumulative capacity of 298 million metric tons (MMT) per annum, including around 23.2 million TEUs (Twenty-foot equivalents) of container handling capacity.
The capacities created will also aid EXIM trade flow through IMEEC (India Middle East Europe Economic Corridor) and INSTC (International North South Transportation Corridor).
The world-class maritime terminal facilities promote public-private partnerships (PPP) and leverage efficiencies and modern technologies to create a state-of-the-art terminals capable of handling mainline mega vessels plying on international shipping lines between the Far East, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the Americas. Vadhavan Port, on completion, will be one of the top ten ports of the world.

CERT-In & Mastercard India Collaborate To Enhance Cybersecurity In Financial Sector

Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) and Mastercard India have signed a MoU for collaboration in cyber security to enhance India’s cyber-resilience in the financial sector. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology said the two entities will leverage their shared expertise to strengthen the financial sector’s cybersecurity incident response.
Mastercard and CERT-In will hold training programs and workshops for cyber capacity building, the latest market trends and best practices to enhance the cyber security of financial sector organizations. The two entities will also share relevant cyber threat trends, technical information, threat intelligence, and vulnerability reports to strengthen the financial sector information security of India.

Also Read: May 9th Current Affairs GK quiz: Top 15 GK Questions Quiz on Major International Organizations and Their Headquarters

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INTERNATIONAL
Canada Declares Iran’s IRGC A Terrorist Entity

Canada has declared Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a branch of the Iranian Armed Forces, as a terrorist entity. Canadian Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc announced it yesterday, saying that Canada will use all of the tools at its disposal to combat the terrorist activity of the IRGC. Thousands of senior Iranian government officials, including top IRGC members, are now banned from entering Canada, and those already inside the country may be investigated and removed.
As an immediate consequence of the listing, Canadian financial institutions, such as banks and brokerages, are required to immediately freeze the property of a listed entity, and it is a criminal offence for anyone in Canada and Canadians abroad to knowingly deal with property owned or controlled by a terrorist group.
Charitable organisations can lose their status if they maintain their connections to terrorist groups, and people found to be associated with those groups can be denied entry into Canada.

North Korea And Russia Sign Mutual Defense Pact, Strengthen Military Cooperation

North Korea and Russia have signed an agreement to strengthen their military cooperation, including a mutual defense pledge in case of an attack. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un described the enhanced relationship as an alliance during a press conference following his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Pyongyang today.
This is Putin’s first visit to North Korea in 24 years. He said, the comprehensive partnership agreement signed today includes provisions for mutual assistance in the event of aggression against either party.

NATO Chief Calls For Indo-Pacific Alliance Amid Putin’s North Korea Visit

In Washington, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg underscored the need to expand cooperation between the Western military alliance and partners in the Indo-Pacific region. He was attending a joint press conference with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday. The statement coincided with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to North Korea.
Stoltenberg stated that Putin’s visit to North Korea demonstrates and confirms the very close alignment between Russia and authoritarian states like North Korea, but also China and Iran. Stoltenberg also highlighted concerns about Moscow’s potential support for Pyongyang when it comes to supporting their missile and nuclear programmes.
Putin arrived in North Korea on Tuesday evening for a two-day state visit against the backdrop of Russia’s war with Ukraine. The Kremlin leader was received at the airport by North Korean ruler Kim Jong Un. Both the leaders will discuss arms deliveries from Pyongyang, among other things.

EAM S Jaishankar Arrives In Colombo For Bilateral Talks, Reinforces India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ Policy

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar reached Colombo as part of his official visit to Sri Lanka. During the visit, Dr. Jaishankar will have meetings with the leadership of Sri Lanka on wide-ranging issues of the bilateral partnership.
This will be the External Affairs Minister’s first bilateral visit after the formation of the new government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Reaffirming India’s Neighbourhood First Policy, the visit underlines India’s continued commitment to Sri Lanka as its closest maritime neighbour and time-tested friend. The visit will add momentum to connectivity projects and other mutually beneficial cooperation across sectors.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Cabinet approves Central Sector Scheme “National Forensic Infrastructure Enhancement Scheme” (N.F.l.E.S.)

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi today approved the proposal of Ministry of Home Affairs for Central Sector Scheme “National Forensic Infrastructure Enhancement Scheme (NFIES) with a total financial outlay of Rs. 2254.43 crore during the period from 2024-25 to 2028-29. Financial outlay of the Central Sector Scheme will be provisioned by the Ministry of Home Affairs from its own budget.

The Cabinet has approved the following components under this Scheme:
i.        Establishment   of Campusesof the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU) in the country.
ii.        Establishment of Central Forensic Science Laboratories in the country.
iii.        Enhancement of existing infrastructure of the Delhi Campus of the NFSU.

The Government of India is committed to put in place an effective and efficient criminal justice system, based on scientific and timely forensic examination of evidence. The scheme underscores the importance of high quality, trained forensic professionals in the timely and scientific examination of evidence for an efficient criminal justice process, leveraging the advancements in technology & evolving manifestations and methods of crime.
With the enactment of the New Criminal Laws which mandates forensic investigation for offences involving punishment of 7 years or more, a significant increase in the workload of forensic science laboratories is expected. Further, there is a significant shortage of trained forensic manpower in the Forensic Science Laboratories (FSL) in the country.

Published date : 21 Jun 2024 09:37AM