RAJASTHAN

• Unemployment rate higher in state than national average, says report

• Rajasthan has higher unemployment than the national average, according to data released by centre for sustainable employment.

• The percentage of unemployment rate within the state was 7.7% whereas the national average was 5.6% in August 2018.

• The unemployment rate among women in the state was 36.7% which is almost triple of the national average of 13.6%,The data showed only 29 women out of every 100 men are employed in Rajasthan. Among the women of age group 20-24, the unemployment rate is 93% whereas among men of the same age group, the percentage is 35%.

• The national average for the same age group amounts to be 23% and 55% for women and men, respectively.

INTERNATIONAL

·        World Bank Human Capital Index: Singapore Tops, India Ranks 115th

• World Bank released the Human Capital Index (HCI) as part of the World Development Report 2019. Broader theme of the World Development Report (WDR) this year is“The Changing Nature of Work”. 
• The World Bank has launched a Human Capital Project (HCP). 
• The HCI has been constructed for 157 countries. The HCI for India has been estimated at 0.44.
• The Index was released at the World Bank-IMF Annual Meetings in Bali, Indonesia.
• Singapore topped the poll after it was highly rated for its universal health care system, education exams results and life expectancy figures.

·        Delhi, Moscow signed Twin-City Agreement

• The agreements in the fields of environment, culture and educationare updated for the next 3 years.
• The agreement was signed by Minister of the Moscow City government and head of its international relations Sergey Cheremin and Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia.

NATIONAL

• First India-Israel Innovation Centre opens in Bengaluru

• The first India-Israel Innovation Centre (IIIC), an entrepreneurial technology hub, was launched in Bengaluru.
• The IIIC is a significant step towards facilitating penetration of Israeli companies in India and aims to forge local partnerships and joint ventures between companies from the two countries.

• It will provide an ecosystem to support entrepreneurship, partnership with vendors, mentoring and non-formal community development that will assist the growth of the companies in different verticals and covers business, technology, investors and customers.

• Sikkim’s 100% organic farming wins FAO’s Future Policy Gold Award

• Sikkim has won the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation’s (FAO) Future Policy Gold Award for its achievement in becoming the world’s first totally organic agriculture state.

• Uniquely, the state has totally banned the sale and use of chemical pesticides.

• Sikkim beat out 51 other nominees from around the world for the award.

·        Union Government sanctions 5 new battalions of Rapid Action Force (RAF)

• Five new battalions of Rapid Action Force (RAF) were sanctioned by the central government in January 2018 and their new bases have been sanctioned now.

Key Points:

• The 5 new Rapid Action Force (RAF) battalions will be based in:

Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh

Jaipur in Rajasthan

Mangalore in Karnataka

Hajipur in Bihar

Nuh in Haryana

·        Special Central Government Package for Footwear and Leather Sector

• Central Government has approved a special package for generation of employment in leather and footwear sector.
• The package consist of implementation of Central Sector Scheme  Indian Footwear, Leather & Accessories Development Programme (IFLADP) with approved expenditure of Rs. 2600 Crore for 2017-20.
• Under IFL ADP 4 projects worth 107.33 crore have been approved in Tamil Nadu by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP).