RAJASTHAN

India, ADB sign 190 million dollar loan agreement for improving road connectivity in Rajasthan

India and Asian Development Bank, ADB have signed 190 million dollar loan agreement for improving road connectivity in Rajasthan.

The agreement was signed to upgrade 754 kilometres of state highways which will benefit about 26 million people in 14 districts of Rajasthan.

For the benefit of commuters and pedestrians, particularly women and children, the project provides for constructing more than 200 bus stops.

The Tranche 2 roads pass through the rural areas of Rajasthan mostly. These areas lack reliable connectivity. Hence the move will help to improve access to health, education facilities, and markets, leading to increased job opportunities.

The Tranche 1 loan of$220 millionwas signed in July 2017. The loan upgraded about 1,000km of state roads.

INTERNATIONAL

· India ranked 7th most valuable nation brand in the world

Indiabecame theseventh most valuable nation brand in the world. The annual report on the world’s most valuable nation brands was compiled by Brand Finance. The report showed India’s brand value increased by 19% in the year 2018-2019 to $2,562 billion. The Indian economy recovered quickly after the global financial crisis. The economic growth of India has now reduced by a recent slowdown in both the manufacturing and construction sectors.

TheUS topped as the most valuable nation brand, with a brand value of $27,715 billion. It is followed by China and Germany ranked third.

International Day of Rural Women: 15 October
International Day of Rural Women is celebrated every year on 15 October.

The day recognizes rural women’s importance in enhancing agricultural and rural development worldwide.

The first International Day of Rural Women was observed on 15 October 2008.

2019 Theme: Rural Women and Girls Building Climate Resilience

NATIONAL

· National Postal Week observed from October 9 to October 15

World Post Day marks the anniversary of the establishment of Universal Postal Union in 1874 and is celebrated on October 9 every year.
Department of Posts is celebrating National Postal Week from October 9 to October 15.
There are 3,067 post offices consisting of 13 head post offices, 380 sub post offices and 2,674 branch post offices. The total staff strength of the region is 7,705 as on March 31, 2019.
The region has 76,109 PLI and 1,03,945 RPLI policies. The premium collected against these policies during the year 2018-19 was Rs 146.45 crore.

· Union Govt may restrict palm oil import from Malaysia over Kashmir stand

India is restricting imports of some products from Malaysia including palm oil in reaction to the Southeast Asian country’s leader criticizing New Delhi for its actions in Kashmir.

India’s government was angered after Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said last month at the United Nations that India had “invaded and occupied” Jammu and Kashmir and asked New Delhi to work with Pakistan to resolve the issue.

India, the world’s biggest importer of edible oils, is planning to substitute Malaysian palm oil with supplies of edible oils from countries such as Indonesia, Argentina, and Ukraine. The Palm oil accounts for nearly two-thirds of India’s total edible oil imports. India buys more than 9 million tonnes of palm oil annually, mainly from Indonesia and Malaysia.

Less than 7% of under-2 kids in India get adequate diet: Survey

The first Comprehensive National Nutritional Survey (CNNS) has shockingly found that only 6.4% of Indian children aged less than two years get a “minimum acceptable diet”. This proportion varies widely across states from barely 1.3% in Andhra Pradesh to 35.9% in Sikkim and it isn’t a case of the ‘usual suspects’ being at the bottom of the heap.

Indeed, at the very tail end of the list, Andhra has Maharashtra (2.2%), Gujarat, Telangana and Karnataka (all 3.6%) and Tamil Nadu (4.2%) for company among the states seen as developed by most yardsticks. At the other end of the spectrum, while Kerala in second spot (32.6%) is no surprise, states like Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Assam are above the national average despite being viewed as ‘backward’ on most counts.

In the 5-9 year age group, 22% were stunted, 10% underweight and 4% overweight or obese.

In the adolescents, 10 to 19 years old, 24% were too thin and 5% were overweight or obese.

Indian Railways launched Sahyatri app

The Indian Railways has launched a website and mobile app that will facilitate the passengers to register their complaints online. The website was launched by the Union minister Nityanand Rai.

The passengers can login to the website www.railways.delhipolice.gov.in and the mobile app Sahyatri can file their complaints regarding the issues they face in the railway. This will facilitate the railway police to address the complaints of passengers from across India and crime detection by integrating the criminal database online.

Using the app, the passengers can not only share information among GRP but will certainly benefit as citizen services have also been provided on the website.

India to shift to BS-VI vehicular emission norms by April 2020

The Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Prakash Javadekar Minister informed that the country will shift to BS-VI vehicular emission norms from BS-IV by April 2020.

Bharat Stage Six (BS-VI), is a revolutionary step in the transformation of fuels.

He added that there has been an 80% reduction in Particulate Matter emissions and a 30% reduction in Nitrogen Oxides emissions in BS-IV heavy-duty diesel vehicles compared with BS III norms.

Nearly ₹60,000 Cr were spent on switching over to BS-VI fuels.

Government to introduce POSHAN atlas

The government is to introduce POSHAN atlas under POSHAN Abhiyan, a mission introduced to ensure the attainment of malnutrition free India by 2022. The announcement was made by Union Minister of WCD Smriti Irani at the 5th National Council on India’s Nutrition Challenges.

POSHAN atlas is developed by the Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) in association with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Deendayal Research Institute.

POSHAN atlas aims to tackle malnutrition. The government is developing the Atlas to map the crops and food grains that are grown in different regions of the country so that nutritious protein-rich food in local areas can be promoted.

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