1.‘Country of origin’ must on e-marketplace platform, says government
News: The Union government has made it mandatory for all sellers on the Government e-Marketplace(GeM) to list the Country of Origin while registering new products.
Facts:
- Government e-Marketplace(GeM): It is a National Public Procurement portal launched in 2016 for procurement of common use Goods & Services required by various Government Departments / Organizations / PSUs.
- Aim: To enhance transparency, efficiency and speed in public procurement.
- Nodal agency: It functions under the Directorate General of Supplies and Goods(DGS&D), Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
Additional Facts:
- SWAYATT: It stands for Start-ups, Women and Youth Advantage Through eTransactions on Government e Marketplace(GeM).
- It is an initiative to promote women and young entrepreneurs through e-transactions on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM).
- Saras Collection: It showcases daily utility products made by rural self-help groups.
- It is an initiative of Government e Marketplace (GeM) and the DeenDayalAntyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM).
2.HRD Minister launches YUKTI 2.0 to encourage innovation
News: Union Minister of Human Resource Development(MHRD) has launched ‘YUKTI 2.0’ (Young India Combating COVID with Knowledge, Technology and Innovation) Portal.
Facts:
- YUKTI 2.0: It is an online portal that aims to bring together technologies from students, faculties and startups from higher education institutions so that they can be showcased to the investor community such as businessmen, farmers and industrialists.
- However, preliminary innovations won’t be showcased on this platform but only those which have commercialisation potential.
- The portal is an improvement on the existing YUKTI portal which was launched with an aim to monitor and record the initiatives of MHRD which have been taken in the wake of COVID-19.
3.Indonesia’s Mount Merapi erupts twice
News: Mount Merapi in Indonesia has erupted twice on 21st June, 2020.
Facts:
- Mount Merapi: It is an active stratovolcano located on the border between Central Java and Yogyakarta provinces,Indonesia.
- It is the most active volcano in Indonesia and has erupted regularly since 1548.
4.KVIC starts reviving ancient glory of Pokhran potteries
News: The Khadi and Village Industries Commission(KVIC) has launched its flagship Kumhar Sashaktikaran Yojana in Rajasthan’s Pokhran to restore the lost glory of the pottery site.
Facts:
- Kumbhar Sashaktikaran Program: It is an initiative of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission(KVIC) for empowerment of the potters community in the remotest of locations in the country.
- Target Beneficiaries: The program reaches out to the potters in : U.P., M.P., Maharashtra, J&K, Haryana, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Assam, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Telangana and Bihar.
- Benefits Provided:
- Training for advanced pottery products
- Latest, new technology pottery equipments like the electric Chaak
- Market linkages and visibility through KVIC exhibitions.
Additional Facts:
- KVIC: It is a statutory body established under the Khadi and Village Industries Commission Act, 1956.It functions under the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.
5.At RIC Meet, India Talks of Need to Respect Legitimate Interest of Partners
News: Indian Foreign minister has attended the virtual foreign minister level meeting of the trilateral group of Russia-India-China(RIC).
Facts:
- Russia-India-China(RIC): It is a strategic grouping that was founded in the late 1990s under the leadership of Yevgeny Primakov, a Russian politician as a counterbalance to the Western alliance.
- Aim: To end its subservient foreign policy guided by the USA and renew old ties with India and foster the newly discovered friendship with China.
- Significance: Together, the RIC countries occupy over 19% of the global landmass and contribute to over 33% of global GDP.
- All the three countries are nuclear powers and the two countries namely Russia and China are permanent members of the UN Security Council, while India aspires to be one.
6.China launches last satellite for its BeiDou Navigation Satellite System
News: China has successfully launched the last satellite of its BeiDou Navigation Satellite System(BDS).
Facts:
- BeiDou Navigation Satellite System(BDS): It is a Chinese satellite navigation system.
- Type: Military and commercial
- Coverage: Global
- Total satellites: 35 (2020)
Additional Facts:
- Global Navigation Satellite System: GPS (US), GLONASS (Russia), Galileo (EU), BeiDou (China).
- Additionally, there are two regional systems – QZSS (Japan) and IRNSS or NavIC (India).
- NavIC: It is an independent regional navigation satellite system developed by the Indian Space Research Organization(ISRO).
- It provides accurate position information service to users in India as well as the region extending up to 1500 km from its boundary.
