ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Finance
Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman attends 4th G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors  Meeting in Washington D.C.
Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman participated in the 4th G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors  Meeting under the Italian Presidency held on 13th October, 2021 in Washington D.C. on the sidelines of the IMF-World Bank Annual Meetings.
The meeting was the final FMCBG Meeting under the G20 Italian Presidency and saw discussions and agreements on various issues concerning global economic recovery, pandemic support to vulnerable countries, global health, climate action, international taxation and financial sector issues.
For a sustained recovery from the pandemic, the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors agreed to avoid any premature withdrawal of support measures, while preserving financial stability and long-term fiscal sustainability, and safeguarding against downside risks and negative spillovers.
Smt. Sitharaman noted that for transitioning from crisis to recovery, one of the major challenges is ensuring equitable access to vaccines for all. The Finance Minister suggested that keeping up the support, building resilience, enhancing productivity and structural reforms should be our policy goals.
The Finance Minister appreciated the role of G20 in rallying pandemic response and supporting vulnerable countries through debt relief measures and the new SDR allocation. Going forward, Smt. Sitharaman suggested on focusing efforts on making the benefits reach the intended countries.
The Finance Minister joined the G20 Ministers and Governors in agreeing on the need for strengthening efforts to counter climate change. Smt. Sitharaman emphasised that considering the varied policy spaces and different starting points of countries, the centrality of climate justice based on United Nations’ Framework Convention on Climate Change and principles of Paris Agreement would be critical for taking forward discussions towards successful outcomes.
For addressing tax challenges arising from the digitalisation of the economy, the G20 FMCBGs endorsed the final agreement as set out in the Statement on a two-pillar solution and the Detailed Implementation Plan released by the OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting  on 8th October, 2021.
The meeting concluded with the G20 FMCBGs reaffirming their commitment to advance the forward-looking agenda set in the G20 Action Plan to steer the global economy towards a strong, sustainable, balanced and inclusive growth.
Ministry of Road Transport & Highways
Shri Nitin Gadkari to lay foundation stone for a Flyover in Jabalpur today
Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Shipping and Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Shri Nitin Gadkari will lay the foundation stone for a flyover project at Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh today. The 5.9 km long flyover from Damoh Toll Plaza to Ranital Madan Mahal Chowk, Medical College Road is estimated to cost Rs 758.54 crore.
Ministry of Finance
Exchange Rate of Foreign Currency Relating To Imported and Export Goods Notified
In exercise of the powers conferred by section 14 of the Customs Act, 1962 , and in supersession of the notification of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs No.60/2018-CUSTOMS , dated 5th July, 2018 except as respects things done or omitted to be done before such supersession, the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs hereby determines that the rate of exchange of conversion of each of the foreign currencies specified in column  of each of Schedule I and Schedule II annexed hereto, into Indian currency or vice versa, shall, with effect from 20th July, 2018, be the rate mentioned against it in the corresponding entry in column  thereof, for the purpose of the said section, relating to imported and export goods.
SCHEDULE-I
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Sl.No.
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Foreign Currency
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Rate of exchange of one unit of foreign currency equivalent to Indian rupees
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1.
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Australian Dollar
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52.40
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50.10
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2.
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Bahrain Dinar
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187.80
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175.85
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3.
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Canadian Dollar
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53.25
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51.35
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4.
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Chinese Yuan
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10.35
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10.05
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5.
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Danish Kroner
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10.95
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10.55
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6.
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EURO
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81.60
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78.60
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7.
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Hong Kong Dollar
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8.90
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8.60
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8.
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Kuwait Dinar
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234.60
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219.60
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9.
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New Zealand Dollar
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48.05
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45.85
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10.
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Norwegian Kroner
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8.60
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8.25
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11.
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Pound Sterling
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91.55
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88.30
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12.
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Qatari Riyal
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19.45
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18.40
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13.
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Saudi Arabian Riyal
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18.95
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17.75
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14.
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Singapore Dollar
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51.20
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49.40
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15.
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South African Rand
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5.35
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5.00
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16.
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Swedish Kroner
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7.90
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7.60
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17.
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Swiss Franc
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70.30
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67.40
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18.
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UAE Dirham
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19.35
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18.15
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19.
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US Dollar
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69.60
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67.90
SCHEDULE-II
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Sl.No.
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Foreign Currency
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Rate of exchange of 100 units of foreign currency equivalent to Indian rupees
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1.
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Japanese Yen
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62.20
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59.85
Ministry of Commerce & Industry
Fibre & protein rice ‘village rice’ from Tamil Nadu exported to Ghana & Yemen
Non-basmati rice exports witnessed an impressive growth of 146 per cent during 2020-21
In a major boost to India’s non-basmati rice exports potential, two consignments 4.5 MT of patented ‘village rice’ sourced from Kumbakonam, Thanjavur district, Tamil Nadu by a start-up Udaya Agro Farm was exported today to Ghana & Yemen via air & sea routes.
Enriched with protein, fibre, and a variety of minerals, ‘village rice’ is sourced directly from farmers of Thanjavur, also known as rice bowl of Tamil Nadu. APEDA assisted Udaya Agro Farm plans to increase volume of exports of ‘village rice’ in the coming months.
During the 2020-21, the shipment of non-basmati rice witnessed an impressive spike. The non-basmati rice exports were Rs 35,448 crore  during April-March, 2021 against Rs 14,400 crore  reported during April-March, 2020 period. The exports of non-Basmati have witnessed a growth of 146 % in Rupee terms and 137 % Dollar terms in 2020-2021.
Earlier this month, a consignment of rice was exported from the Paradip International Cargo Terminal, Odisha to Vietnam. This was for the first time in recent years, non-basmati rice was exported from Paradip Port.
In March, 2021, the first consignment of ‘red rice’ from Assam was exported to the USA. Iron rich ‘red rice’ is grown in Brahmaputra valley of Assam, without the use of any chemical fertilizer. The rice variety is referred as ‘Bao-dhaan’, which is an integral part of the Assamese food.
Non-basmati rice exports to African and Asian countries are undertaken from various ports of India such as Kakinada, Vishakhapatnam, Chennai, Mundra and Krishnapatnam. Paradip will soon emerge as one of the major rice-exporting port of the country.
The sharp spike in rice exports especially during a phase where globally the COVID19 pandemic has disrupted supply changes many commodities, has been attributed to the government taking prompt measures to ensure exports of rice while taking all the COVID19 related safety precautions.
APEDA is working with various stakeholders such as farmers, entrepreneurs, exporters and importers across the globe to harness India’s non-basmati rice exports potential.
APEDA has promoted rice exports through collaborations with various stakeholders in the value chains. The government had set up the Rice Export Promotion Forum , under the aegis of the APEDA. REPF has representations from rice industry, exporters, officials from APEDA, ministry of commerce and directors of agriculture from major rice producing states including West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh and Odisha.
Ministry of Defence
Navy Children School  student becomes the youngest girl to summit Mount Aconcagua in South America
Kaamya Karthikeyan, a class VII student of Navy Children School , Mumbai, became the youngest girl in the world to summit Mt. Aconcagua, the highest peak in South America and outside of Asia.
She summited the mountain peak of 6962 m height on 01 Feb 2020 and unfurled the Indian tricolour. Years of physical and mental preparation alongwith regular participation in adventure sports combined with strong character, helped the young girl in overcoming many administrative hurdles and extreme climbing conditions to achieve this rare feat.
Special Service and Features
CMFRI extends support to Andaman for data collection of marine fish catch
The ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute  has extended support to Andaman and Nicobar Islands to launch online data collection of marine fish catch from the fish landing centres in the archipelago. The data collection was formally launched on Wednesday following a Memorandum of Understanding between the CMFRI and the Department of the Fisheries of the Andaman and Nicobar Administration.
As part of the MoU, CMFRI introduced its sampling methodology for the estimation and analysis of the catch data through Fish Catch Survey and Analysis  software from landing centres of the islands by using electronic tablets. The institute also trained the enumerators, deployed by the Andaman Administration, to collect the catch data using CMFRI methodology. This is the first time the marine fish catch data is collected from the archipelago with statistically supported software.
While inaugurating the initiative, G Sudhakar, IAS, Fisheries Secretary to the Administration said that introduction of CMFRI’s methodology would help the islands generate a reliable database on marine fish catch and fishing efforts which will help fix various developmental plans in the island’s marine fisheries sector. “CMFRI’s support will help estimate both resource-wise and fishing gear-wise fish landings”, he said.
He also sought CMFRI’s technical support in the development of deep-sea fishing, seaweed farming and cage fish farming in the Andaman Islands.
CMFRI Director Dr A Gopalakrishnan said that CMFRI has been regularly collecting marine fish catch data from all the fish landing centres in the country using this software, which is recognised by the Food and Agriculture Organisation  of the UN. “Though the data is collected for research purposes, CMFRI shares the information with the government of India and the coastal states who have inked MoU with the institute”, he said. CMFRI already signed MoU with Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu in collecting marine fish catch data.
He also said that the Andaman Islands are highly prospective for the marine ornamental fishery, seaweed farming and cage fish farming. Harminder Singh, Director of Fisheries, Andaman & Nicobar Administration, Dr J Jayasankar, Principal Scientist of CMFRI and Dr K Gopal, Joint Director of Fisheries, Andaman & Nicobar Administration spoke on the occasion.
President's Secretariat
Prime Minister of Norway calls on the President
Ms Erna Solberg, the Prime Minister of Norway, called on the President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, at Rashtrapati Bhavan today .
Welcoming the Norwegian Prime Minister to India, the President said that India and Norway share warm and friendly relations. As two vibrant democracies, with deep respect for the rule of law, cultural diversity and human rights, we are natural partners.
The President said that India-Norway bilateral trade has been growing but there is potential for expansion. Energy, IT, health and technology sectors present opportunities. Norwegian capability in shipping, port management, fishing, defence and energy is globally known. India seeks Norwegian partnerships in these areas to support its own programmes such as Make in India, Smart Cities, Clean India, Start-up India and the Sagarmala project.
Cabinet
Cabinet approves extension of President's Rule in J&K for six months with effect from 3rd July, 2019
Resolution to be moved in the forthcoming Parliament session
Based on the prevailing situation in the state as stated in the report of Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, the Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the extension of President's Rule in Jammu and Kashmir for a further period of six months with effect from 3rdJuly, 2019, under article 356 of the Constitution of India.
Implications:
The decision implies that the President’s rule in Jammu and Kashmir will be extended for a further period of six months with effect from 3rd July, 2019.
The present term of President's Rule is expiring on 2nd July, 2019and the Governor has recommended that the President Rule in the State may be extended for a further period of six months with effect from 3rd July, 2019.
Implementation:
A resolution seeking approval of parliament for the same will be moved in both the houses of parliament during the forthcoming session.
Background:
The Governor of Jammu & Kashmir issued a proclamation on 20.6.2018 under Section 92 of the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir with the concurrence of the President of India, thereby assuming to himself the functions of the Government and Legislature of the State and making some incidental and consequential provisions. The State Assembly, initially kept in suspended animation was dissolved by the Governor on 21.11.2018.
The proclamation issued by the Governor on 20.6.2018 ceased on 19.12.2018 after six months. Under Section 92 of the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir, there is no provision for further continuation of such Proclamation after six months. Hence, on the recommendation of Governor and having regard to the prevailing situation in the State, President issued a proclamation promulgating President's Rule in J&K under article 356 of the Constitution of India. Subsequently, a Resolution approving the subject Proclamation by President was passed in the Lok Sabha on 28.12.2018 and in the RajyaSabha on 3.1.2019.
The present term of President's Rule is expiring on 2nd July, 2019and the Governor has recommended that the President Rule in the State may be extended for a further period of six months with effect from 3rd July, 2019.
Ministry of Commerce & Industry
APEDA organizes virtual buyer-seller-meet with Nepal for harnessing and strengthening agri-exports potential
In a bid to strengthen the foot-print of India’s agricultural and processed food products export to Nepal, APEDA organized a virtual Buyer Seller Meet  in association with Indian Embassy, Kathmandu.
The BSM was organised yesterday on 23rd March 2021 where key stakeholders such as officials and trade representatives from India and Nepal came on a common platform to discuss the strategic cooperation in the field of agriculture and allied sector.
The BSM with Nepal is the seventeenth in the series of such virtual meets organized by APEDA in last few months. The focus of BSMs have been to engage with all potential countries for providing a platform to connect exporters and importers in the agriculture and allied sectors.
Officials from APEDA, Indian Embassy, Kathmandu, Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, Nepal and Nepal Chamber of Commerce and other stakeholders participated in the virtual meet.Exporters from India and importers of Nepal had interactions with each other during BSM.
Since the COVID19 pandemic, there was a shift of focus towards India &neighboring trade partners creating new opportunities for alliance between various countries. Since the two countries enjoy a long-term association, India continued to ensure the food and nutrition supplies to Nepal during the COVID19 difficult times.
In 2019-20, India’s- total merchandise trade with Nepal stood at USD 7.87 billion. APEDA products export to Nepal was worth of USD 670.6 million .
India’s principal exports items during 2019-20 included Non-Basmati Rice, Cereal Preparations, Miscellaneous Preparations, Maize and Ground nuts etc. During the same period, India’s agricultural import from Nepal were processed items, cereal products, processed fruits & juices, alcoholic beverages and processed vegetables etc.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
India witnesses an Unprecedented Surge in Daily Testing
More than 11.7 lakh COVID tests conducted in the last 24 hrs
More than 4.5 cr Total Tests conducted
Continuing the spree of conducting more than 10 lakh tests per day from the last two days, India has witnessed an unprecedented surge in daily testing today.
Over 11.7 lakh  tests were done in the last 24 hours. With this achievement, the cumulative tests are more than 4.5 crore .
This demonstrates an exponential increase in the daily COVID-19 testing in the country. From conducting merely 10 tests per day on 30th January, the daily average has crossed more than 11 lakhs today.
India’s daily testing numbers are one of the highest in the world. Such high levels of testing on a sustained basis over a period of time in widespread areas enables early diagnosis, and in turn facilitates seamless isolation and effective hospitalisation. This eventually leads to lower mortality rate. Higher numbers of testing also subsequently result in lowered positivity rate.
This surge in testing has been made possible by an equally speedy expansion in the testing lab network across the country. India has today 1623 labs in the country; 1022 labs in the government sector and 601 private labs. These include:
• Real-Time RT PCR based testing labs: 823 
• TrueNat based testing labs: 678 
• CBNAAT based testing labs: 122 
Also, state-of-the-art high throughput machines including Cobas 6800/8800 are installed at 5 sites: ICMR-Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna; ICMR-National Institute for Cholera & Enteric Diseases, Kolkata; National Centre for Disease Control, Delhi; ICMR-National Institute for Research in Reproductive Health, Mumbai; and ICMR-National Institute for Cancer Prevention & Research, Noida. These can test around 1000 samples per day with minimum human intervention.
The testing capacity was augmented gradually with RT-PCR is the gold standard test in the phase-1 covering Large cities / Urban areas, followed by Molecular assays with short turn-around-time at the district level in the second phase. In phase-3, Antigen tests are recommended in containment zones and hospital tests where no molecular tests are available.
For all authentic & updated information on COVID-19 related technical issues, guidelines & advisories please regularly visit: https://www.mohfw.gov.in/ and @MoHFW_INDIA.
Technical queries related to COVID-19 may be sent to technicalquery.covid19[at]gov[dot]in and other queries on ncov2019[at]gov[dot]in and @CovidIndiaSeva .
In case of any queries on COVID-19, please call at the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare helpline no.: +91-11-23978046 or 1075 . List of helpline numbers of States/UTs on COVID-19 is also available at https://www.mohfw.gov.in/pdf/coronvavirushelplinenumber.pdf .
Prime Minister's Office
PM chairs review meeting in Morbi
Officials brief PM on rescue ops and assistance provided to those affected
Authorities must stay in touch with affected families and ensure that they receive all possible help: PM
Need of the hour is to conduct a detailed and extensive inquiry which will identify all aspects relating to this mishap: PM
PM says key learnings from the inquiry must be implemented at the earliest
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi chaired a meeting in Morbi, Gujarat to review the situation in the wake of the unfortunate bridge mishap there.
Prime Minister said that the authorities must stay in touch with the affected families and ensure that they receive all possible help in this tragic hour.
Officials briefed the Prime Minister on the rescue ops and the assistance provided to those affected.
Prime Minister said the need of the hour is to conduct a detailed and extensive inquiry which will identify all aspects relating to this mishap. He also added that the key learnings from the inquiry must be implemented at the earliest.
Those present at the meeting were CM Bhupendrabhai Patel, MoS Home Harsh Sanghavi, Minister in the Gujarat Government Brijesh Merja, Chief Secretary of Gujarat, State DGP, local Collector, SP, Inspector General of Police, MLAs and MPs and other officials.
Earlier, upon reaching Morbi, the Prime Minister visited the site of the bridge mishap. He went to the local hospital where the injured are recovering. He also interacted with those involved in rescue and relief work and lauded their fortitude.
Prime Minister's Office
PM condoles demise of veteran actress, Sulochana
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has expressed deep grief over the demise of veteran actress, Sulochana and said that her cinematic legacy will live on through her works.
The Prime Minister tweeted;
“The passing of Sulochana Ji leaves a big void in the world of Indian cinema. Her unforgettable performances have enriched our culture and have endeared her to people across generations. Her cinematic legacy will live on through her works. Condolences to her family. Om Shanti.”
Ministry of Labour & Employment
Improving Employability has been the priority concern of the Government
As per the results of available labour force surveys on Employment-Unemployment conducted by Labour Bureau, Ministry of Labour and Employment, the estimated unemployment rate for persons aged 15 years and above on usual status basis in the country in 2011-12, 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 was 3.3%, 4.0%, 3.4% and 3.7% respectively.
According to the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy Pvt Ltd. , unemployment rate is in the range of 3.39% to 5.67% during July, 2017 to June, 2018.
Employment generation and improving employability has been the priority concern of the Government. The Government is implementing various programmes in this direction like encouraging private sector of economy, fast tracking various projects involving substantial investment and increasing public expenditure on schemes like Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme , Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme , Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana  and Deendyal Antodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission .
In order to improve the employability of youth, around 22 Ministries/Departments run skill development schemes across various sectors. MUDRA and START UPS schemes are initiated by the Government for facilitating self-employment.
Government has implemented the National Career Service  Project which comprises a digital portal that provides a nation-wide online platform for the job seekers and employers for job-matching in a dynamic, efficient and responsive manner and has a repository of career content.
Pradhan Mantri Rojgar Protsahan Yojana has been launched by the Ministry of Labour and Employment in the year 2016-17 for incentivising industry for promoting employment generation. Under this scheme, Government is paying entire employer’s contribution  towards EPF and EPS for all eligible new employees for all sectors for 3 years.
This information was given by Shri Santosh Kumar Gangwar Union Minister of State  for Labour and Employment in written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.