Top GKToday’s News Headlines-16 May 2020

INDIA

• Indian Coast Guard Ship Sachet, interceptor boats C-450 and C-451 commissioned in Goa by Defence Minister
• National Book Trust’s 7 titles on “Psycho-Social Impact of Pandemic & Lockdown and How to Cope With” launched by HRD Minister
• Sahitya Akademi award winning Bengali author Debesh Roy dies at 84 in Kolkata

ECONOMIC PACKAGE ON AGRICULTURE

• Economic package focusing on agriculture and allied activities announced
• Operation Greens to be extended from TOP (Tomatoes, Onion and Potatoes) to ALL fruits and vegetables
• Rs 4000 crore outlay has been made to promote herbal cultivation with a target of covering 10 lakh hectares in 2 years.
• An 800-hectare corridor of medicinal plants will be developed along the banks of Ganga
• Essential Commodities Act will be amended to enable better price realisation for farmers.
• Agriculture foodstuffs, including cereals, edible oils, oilseeds, pulses, onions and potato, will be deregulated.
• Rs 1 lakh crore agri infrastructure fund will be set up for funding creation of infrastructure such as cold chains, post-harvest management infrastructure.
• Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund worth Rs. 15,000 crores will be set up
• Rs. 13,343 crore National Animal Disease Control Programme to be launched for 100% vaccination of cattle, buffalo, sheep, goat and pig population in India.
• 10,000 crore Fund for Micro Food Enterprises (MFEs) Marketing assistance will be set up for agri products
• Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana will be launched for development of marine and inland fisheries
• Scheme launched for interest subvention @ 2% per annum to dairy cooperatives for 2020-21
• For beekeepers, a Rs 500-crore scheme was announced for infrastructure development and post-harvest facilities

SERVICES TRADE DATA: 2019-20

• Data on India’s services trade in 2019-20 released
• Trade surplus moved up 2.1% to US$ 80.07 billion.
• Exports increased by 7.8% to US$ 220.73 billion.
• Imports moved up 11.3% to US$ 140.65 billion.

ECONOMY & CORPORATE

• Defence minister approves launch of Rs. 400 crore Defence Testing Infrastructure Scheme (DTIS)
• ONGC awards 49 marginal oil and gas fields to 7 successful bidders
• World Bank approves USD 1 billion ‘Accelerating India’s COVID-19 Social Protection Response Program’
• Foodgrains production to touch an all-time high of 295.67 million tonnes (+3.67%) in 2019-20 crop year: Govt.
• Rajesh Goel appointed Director General of NAREDCO (National Real Estate Development Council)

WORLD

• WTO Director General Roberto Azevedo to step down on August 31, one-year before the completion of his 8-year term
• International Day of Families celebrated on May 15; theme: ‘Families in Development: Copenhagen & Beijing + 25’