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EDITORIAL:
Modi-Morrison summit can help plug a gap in India’s diplomatic tradition.
Context: Digital summit between PM Modi and Australian PM Moorison.
What the writer intends to say:
In its preoccupation with the perennial challenges in the neighbourhood and its enduring aspiration to dance with the great powers, India has in the past missed out on the opportunities for productive partnerships with the middle powers. Thursday’s virtual summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Australian premier, Scott Morrison, is an important part of Delhi’s current diplomatic effort to plug that big gap in India’s diplomatic tradition.
Why Australia matters:
Slow Progress in India –Australia relationship:
New scope of growth:
What needs to be done:
Besides Indonesia, three other powers present themselves as natural partners for India and Australia — Japan, France and Britain.
It is only by building a series of overlapping bilateral and multilateral platforms for regional security cooperation that Delhi and Canberra can limit the dangers of the growing geopolitical imbalance in the Indo-Pacific.
Govt. to boost infrastructure in areas along China border
Infrastructure
Kolkata Port Trust renamed as Syama Prasad Mookerjee Trust
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval to rename Kolkata Port as Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port.
Background:
The Kolkata Port is the first Major Port as well as the only riverine port of the country. It came to be governed by a Trust on 17th October, 1870 on appointment of the Commissioners for Improvement of the Port of Calcutta as per Act V of 1870. It features at Serial Number 1 in The First Schedule, Part I—Major Ports of the Indian Ports Act, 1908 and is governed by the Major Port Trusts Act, 1963.
Generally, the Major Ports in India are named after the city or the town in which they are situated. Some ports, however, in special cases or in due consideration of contribution made by eminent leaders have been re-named after great national leaders in the past.
Reference: https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1629041
Health
Cabinet approves re-establishing of Pharmacopoeia Commission for Indian Medicine & Homoeopathy
Context: In a bid to improve the standardization outcomes and effective regulation and quality control of Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and Homoeopathy drugs, the Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi gave its approval to re-establish Pharmacopoeia Commission for Indian Medicine & Homoeopathy (PCIM&H) as Subordinate Office under Ministry of AYUSH by merging into it Pharmacopoeia Laboratory for Indian Medicine (PLIM) and Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia Laboratory (HPL)- the two central laboratories established at Ghaziabad since 1975.
Other Facts:
Economy
GLOBAL ECONOMIC PROSPECTS REPORT
Context: World Bank released its Global Economic Prospects (GEP) June 2020 report.
Highlights:
Agriculture/Economy
Agricultural Market Reforms
Context: The Union Cabinet has approved an amendment to the 65-year-old Essential Commodities Act, removing cereals, pulses, oilseeds, edible oils, onion and potatoes from the list of essential commodities. The amendment will be made effective immediately via an ordinance, according to the Agriculture Ministry.
Background:
At its meeting, the Cabinet also approved ordinances to remove restrictions on farmers selling their produce outside notified market yards, as well as to facilitate contract farming and allow farmers to engage in direct marketing.
All these measures were promised in the Aatma nirbhar package
Essential Commodities Act (ECA):
The amendment to the ECA
The Farming Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance, 2020
Benefits:
Not all States have been on board with these reforms, especially as State governments will not be allowed to levy fees on these sales.
The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Ordinance, 2020 is aimed at facilitating contract farming, where a private buyer contracts to purchase a crop at a certain price at the beginning of a season, transferring the risk of market unpredictability from the farmer to the corporate sponsor. However, farmers groups have expressed concern that corporateswill benefit more than small farmers from such direct marketing measures, and wish to see the specificprovisions of the ordinance before welcoming it.
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