03rd NOV, 2022

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APEDA LOOKS TO BOOST MILLET EXPORTS TO ₹2,000 CR BY FY26
Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export

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Development Authority (APEDA) intends to achieve this by
exporting value-added and processed organic millet

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products to at least 100 countries.
India ranks fifth in global millet trade and exports of
millet is less than 1% of domestic production.
In 2021-22, millet exports were estimated at ₹460 crore.
About Millets

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Millets are collective group of small seeded annual
grasses that are grown as grain crops, primarily on
marginal land in dry areas of temperate, sub-tropical and
tropical regions.
About APEDA
It was established under Agricultural and Processed Food
Products Export Development Authority Act, 1985.

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India is a major producer of Millets, accounting for 80% of It is an autonomous body under Ministry of Commerce and
Asia’s production and 20% of global production. Industry.

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Major Millets crops grown in India are Pearl Millet (Bajra) APEDA has been actively engaged in the development of markets
(highest share), Jowar (Sorghum), and Finger Millet besides upgradation of infrastructure and quality to promote
(Mandua/Ragi). the export of agro products.
Major producers include Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Haryana.

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Does not require high mechanization and it can withstand drought.
Initiatives taken for promotion of Millet

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2023 declared as International Year of Millets (IYOM) by UNGA on India’s proposal.
National Year of Millets celebrated in 2018.
Millets notified as nutri-cereals and included under POSHAN Mission Abhiyan.

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REINVIGORATING INDIA'S ECONOMIC ENGAGEMENTS WITH SOUTHERN AFRICA
Released by Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank), working paper highlights need for
strategic alliances between India and South African Development Community
(SADC) countries.
In existence since 1980, SADC includes 16 member countries, comprising 35.4% of
Africa’s total land area, 28.4% of its GDP and 28.2% population (refer image).
SADC shares strong and deep ties and is an important trade partner for India with
total trade of USD 30.8 billion in 2021 and USD 69.9 billion investment from India in
SADC in last 26 years.
Strategies to Enhance India’s Engagements with SADC
Rare Earth Elements (REE): SADC region is richly endowed in lithium, graphite,
cobalt, nickel, copper, and other REE.
Strategic Alliance for sourcing other Critical Minerals for Electric Vehicle value
chain though joint exploration activities.
Maritime and Defense Cooperation: SADC is home to India’s major defense exports
countries and includes 9 Indian Ocean Littoral countries (IOLC) in Africa.
Both sides can work on ensuring a safe and secure maritime environment based on cooperative framework of SAGAR (Security
and Growth for All in the Region).
Developing Manufacturing Value Chains in SADC by increased FDI in manufacturing from Indian companies.

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CABINET APPROVES NUTRIENT BASED SUBSIDY (NBS) RATES FOR PHOSPHATIC AND
POTASSIC FERTILIZERS
Cabinet has approved NBS for various Nutrients that is Nitrogen (N),
Phosphorus (P), Potash (K) and Sulphur (S) for Phosphatic and Potassic (P&K)
GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES
fertilizers for 2022-23 Rabi Season. TO REDUCE SUBSIDY BURDEN
Cabinet decision will help in absorbing volatility in international prices of Introduction of high efficiency Nano Urea
fertilizers and raw materials and will provide smooth availability of fertilizers to (Liquid) Fertilizer.

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farmers at subsidised / affordable prices. One Nation, One Fertilizer (ONOF) Scheme.
Commercial prices of fertilisers had almost doubled due to Ukraine-Russia Soil Health Card for wise Fertilizer use.
conflict and logistics issues due to pandemic.
Government is making available fertilizers, namely Urea and 25 grades for P&K WORLD SLIPS ON

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fertilizers to farmers at subsidized prices through fertilizer
manufacturers/importers. DEFORESTATION, LOSES COVER
EQUAL TO IRELAND'S AREA IN

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Subsidy on P&K fertilizers is being governed by NBS Scheme.
About NBS 2021: FOREST DECLARATION
Introduced in 2010, in continuation of erstwhile Concession Scheme (1992).
ASSESSMENT (FDA)
It covers fertilizers with primary nutrients (N, P, K and S) as well as any variant
of fertilizers with secondary and micronutrients (except S). FDA is an independent, civil society-led

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initiative to assess progress toward global
Subsidy is released directly to fertilizer companies at approved rates (based goals of halting deforestation and restoring
on Inter-Ministerial Committee) recommendation. 350 million hectares of degraded land by
Companies make fertilizers available to farmers at an affordable price. 2030.
These goals are set out in international

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MINISTRY OF HEAVY INDUSTRIES (MHI) MANDATED declarations such as New York Declaration

NEW SAFETY TESTS FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLES (EVS)

on Forests (2014) and Glasgow Leaders’

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Declaration on Forests and Land Use (2021).
RECIEVING SUBSIDIES Key Findings

MHI announced a list of World is not on track of stopping forest

safety tests that will be loss and degradation goals by 2030.

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mandatory for EVs Deforestation rates worldwide declined
manufacturers from April only modestly in 2021 by 6.3% compared to

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2023 to receive subsidies 2018-20 baseline.
under following EV
promotion schemes: Brazil was world’s largest contributor to
deforestation in 2021.
Production Linked
Incentive (PLI) Scheme Global demand for commodities such as

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for Automobiles and beef, fossil fuels and timber, and for mined
Auto Components. commodities such as fossil fuels drive much
PLI Scheme for Advance Chemistry Cell (ACC). of forest loss.
FAME (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles) II. Nations lagging behind in fiscal support
These tests, carried at 3 levels (Battery Pack, Battery Management System (BMS) for forest protection and restoration as total
and Cell Level), are accepted internationally for safeguarding Human Safety. mitigation finance for forests averages $2.3
billion per year.
Currently, there are no centralised testing facilities for EVs in India and
manufacturers have their own benchmarks. Major Recommendations
In recent months, safety concerns have been raised due to multiple instances Governments, companies, and civil society
of fires in EVs. must collaborate to accelerate forest action.
Possible reasons for fire incidents include manufacturing defects, external
Incorporate forest risks and impacts into
damage, faults in the deployment in BMS, faulty charging etc.
public budgeting frameworks.
Initiatives taken for EV Safety
200 times more funding for forests
Automotive Research Association of India to set up infrastructure for
required to meet 2030 goals.
testing, certification.
Issuance of performance norms for lithium-ion battery packs and traction Redirect harmful agricultural subsidies
systems (in line with broader ISO norms) by Bureau of Indian Standards. and other incentives (domestic and
international) that drive deforestation and
Ministry of Road Transport and Highways released additional safety
forest degradation.
requirements for EV batteries under Central Motor Vehicles Rules of 1989.

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CABINET APPROVES MECHANISM FOR PROCUREMENT OF ETHANOL BY PUBLIC SECTOR

OIL MARKETING COMPANIES (OMCS) UNDER ETHANOL BLENDED PETROL (EBP)
PROGRAMME
Cabinet has approved higher ethanol price derived from different sugarcane based
raw materials (molasses and sugarcane juice/sugar/sugar syrup) under EBP
MEASURES TAKEN TO IMPROVE
Programme for 2022-23 sugar season. ETHANOL BLENDING
An ethanol blend is defined as a blended motor fuel containing ethyl alcohol that is at Union Budget 2022-23 announced an

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least 99% pure, derived from agricultural products, and blended exclusively with additional differential excise duty on
gasoline. unblended fuel.
Apart from sugarcane-based raw materials, ethanol production from surplus rice Interest subvention scheme extended
with Food Corporation of India and Maize is also allowed. to grain-based distilleries.

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Government has been implementing EBP Programme wherein OMCs sell petrol Simplified Environmental Clearance
blended with ethanol up to 10%. procedures.

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It has been extended to whole of India except UTs of Andaman Nicobar and Use of automotive fuel E12 (12%
Lakshadweep islands. ethanol with 88% petrol) & E15 notified.
Target of achieving average 10% blending was achieved in June, 2022 and target
Amendments to National Policy on
of 20% ethanol blending in petrol is advanced to 2025 from earlier target of 2030.
Biofuels to allow more feedstocks for the
India is world’s fifth largest producer of ethanol after US, Brazil, EU and China. production of biofuels.

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Significance
Less polluting fuel, and offers equivalent efficiency at lower cost than petrol.
Achieving energy security, lowering crude oil import bill and transitioning to a low carbon economy.
Enable local enterprises and farmers to participate in energy economy.

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ALSO IN NEWS

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In the face of enhanced ransomware attacks globally, CRI has decided to deepen its institutional
collaboration.
CRI is a grouping of 36 countries (including India) and European Union that aims to disrupt
ransomware attacks and strengthen international cybersecurity agenda.

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International Counter India, along with Lithuania, leads the network resilience working group of CRI.
Ransomware Initiative In the recent summit, CRI also decided to establish an International Counter Ransomware Task

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(CRI) Force (ICRTF) to coordinate resilience, disruption, and counter illicit finance activities.
CANSO Asia Pacific Conference was inaugurated in Goa.
CANSO is the global voice of air traffic management industry. Its members support over 90% of
the world’s air traffic.

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CANSO has five regions which support members: Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America
Civil Air Navigation and Caribbean and Middle East.
Services Organization Organization looks on global Air Traffic Management performance by connecting the industry to
(CANSO) share knowledge, expertise and innovation.
SBTi is a partnership between CDP (a global non-profit), United Nations Global Compact, World
Resources Institute (WRI) and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).
SBTi drives climate action in private sector by enabling organizations to set science-based
emissions reduction targets.
SBTi is also the lead partner of Business Ambition for 1.5°C campaign.
Science Based Targets
Campaign is a call from a global coalition of UN agencies, business and industry leaders
initiative (SBTi)
mobilizing companies to set net-zero science-based targets.
Russia has emerged as the biggest exporter of pig iron to India for April-September period of
FY23.
Pig iron, also known as crude iron, is produced by smelting Iron ore or ilmenite.
Smelting is a form of extractive metallurgy which is used to produce a metal from its ore.
Pig Iron has a very high carbon content (3.5-4.5%) along with silica, Manganese, Sulphur,
Phosphorus, Titanium and other trace elements.
Pig Iron High carbon content makes it brittle and not useful directly except for limited applications.
It is refined to produce steel, wrought iron, alloys etc.

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Processed steel slag railway rack was flagged off to Border Road Organisation’s (BRO) ‘Project
Arunank’ in Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh.
It is a joint initiative of CSIR- Central Road Research Institute (CRRI), TATA steel and BRO.
Steel slag is a by-product of steel making, produced during the separation of the molten steel
from impurities in steel-making furnaces.
Slag occurs as a molten liquid melt and is a complex solution of silicates and oxides that solidifies
upon cooling.
Steel Slag
Applications: In agricultural sector due to its ability to correct soil acidity, Transportation,

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construction, cement production etc.

Twin Transition
A twin transition approach recognizes that
there is a huge and largely untapped

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opportunity for technology and data to
drive sustainability goals.

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Need for Twin transition arises in the
backdrop of Fourth Industrial Revolution
or Industry 4.0
Rather than treating digital and sustainability
in isolation, it combines them to unlock
Terms in News

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huge benefits in terms of efficiency and
productivity.
By adopting this approach, leaders can bring
the digital and sustainability agendas
together to future-proof their organizations.

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Ela Bhatt (1933-2022)

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Ela Bhatt, leading women’s empowerment activist, passed away.
Major contribution/achievements
Founded Self-Employed Women’s Association in India (SEWA)- one of the largest cooperatives
working for women.

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Set up cooperative bank to provide micro loans to women.
Co-founded Women’s World Banking, a global network of microfinance organisations.

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Part of a group of world leaders called Elders, founded by Nelson Mandela to promote human
rights and peace.
Personalities in News
Recipient of several awards including Padma Bhushan, Ramon Magsaysay Award, Indira
Gandhi Peace Prize.
Personality Traits: Selfless service, Gandhian, leadership, women empowerment role model.

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Ethiopia (Capital: Addis Ababa)
A peace deal between Ethiopian
Government and Tigray People’s Liberation
Front (TPLF) has been signed.
Situated at Horn of Africa, it is a landlocked
country.
Bordering nations: Eritrea to the north,
Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the
east, Kenya to the south, and South Sudan
and Sudan to the west.
Geographical features:
Places in News Climate: Varies from temperate in the
highlands to hot in the lowlands.
Highest point: Mount Ras Dejen.
Biggest Lake: Lake Tana (Source of the Blue Nile).
Lowest point: Danakil Depression.
Major rivers: Blue Nile, Omo, Awash etc.

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