Notes:
The Telangana government has launched Rythu Bandhu (friend of farmers) scheme at Dharmarajupalle-Indiranagar village in Karimnagar district on May 10, 2018. The scheme is a first-of-its-kind initiative providing investment support to farmers, who own land. It is expected to provide the much needed breather to the marginal and small farmers who constitute a major chunk of land owners in the State. Under the scheme, each eligible farmer will get at least Rs 4,000 per acre for two crops in a year — kharif in May and rabi in October. The farmers can utilize the assistance either for purchase of seeds, fertilizers, pesticides or any other input requirement as per their requirement. The scheme will cover both agriculture and horticulture crops and benefits all farmers irrespective of the size of their land holdings.

Notes:
Pawan Kumar Agarwal, a 1985-batch IAS officer of West Bengal cadre, has been given 3 months extension beyond May 15, 2018 as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). He was appointed as the CEO of the FSSAI in December 2015. The FSSAI is an autonomous body established under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare. It is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the regulation and supervision of food safety.

Notes:
After topping the chart for four years, India has been slipped to the 6th position globally on the Global Optimism Index in the first quarter of 2018, as per survey by Grant Thornton’s International Business Report (IBR). The report says the business optimism in India has deteriorated while entering the last year of the current regime. Austria topped the index followed by Finland, Indonesia, the Netherlands and the US. The report was prepared on a quarterly global business survey of 2,500 businesses in 37 economies. With regard to India, Grant Thornton stated that the underlying pessimism is reflected in other parameters as well including revenue, selling prices, profitability, employment and exports expectations. Indian businesses have been citing regulations and red tape, availability of skilled workforce, lack of ICT infrastructure and shortage of finance as the biggest growth constraints.

Notes:
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Tourism Ministers’ conference was held in Wuhan, China on 9th May 2018. From India, the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Tourism and Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, K. J. Alphons attended the conference. The meeting approved an action plan that will serve as a guideline for tourism cooperation between SCO member states from the year 2019 to 2020.The joint action plan specifies cooperation among the national tourism administrations, as well as measures the member states could take to improve tourist experience and safety, develop tourist products and promote smart tourism. It was the first meeting of SCO tourism ministers since the organization was established in 2001 in Shanghai.

Notes:
The Sikkim government has nominated Bollywood singer Mohit Chauhan as the Green Ambassador of the state for promoting Sikkim as a Green Destination, nationally and internationally, on voluntary basis. He is a playback singer and singer of a band known as ‘Silk Route’. Earlier, the state government had roped in AR Rahman as its official brand ambassador to promote tourism in Sikkim. The tiny Himalayan state of Sikkim is an example of tolerance, compassion, peace, integrity and communal harmony for the rest of the country. The state is known for its rich biodiversity and abundant natural resources due to environment-friendly policies being followed by the state government for more than two decades.

Notes:
G Sathiyan, India’s top table tennis player, has officially signed with German Bundesliga’s top division club ASV Grunwettersbach Tischtennis for 2018/19 season. He won three medals at his Commonwealth Games debut on April 2018. Sathiyan won a team gold, a silver in men’s doubles alongside Sharath Kamal, and a bronze in mixed doubles with Manika Batra at the 2018 Gold Coast Games. Sathiyan will start playing in the Bundesliga from September after the Asian Games in Jakarta.

Notes:
On May 11, the parliamentary panel headed by veteran BJP MP Murali Manohar Joshi has decided to study the recovery of black money and performance of public sector banks among a host of subjects. The 30-member Estimates Committee has decided to study a host of subjects related to various ministries in the year 2018-19. As per the memorandum of the committee, the panel will look into the import of uranium for nuclear plants, mining activities and environment, upgrading of India Post offices and the drought situation in the country among other matters. The panel on estimates, which is also called the continuous economy committee, suggests changes in policy or administrative framework to bring efficiency in expenditure. Besides the panel on estimates, the Public Accounts Committee has been looking into the issue of black money after the implementation of demonetisation.

Notes:
In its latest report “Asia and Pacific Regional Economic Outlook”, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has reaffirmed that India will be the fastest-growing major economy in 2018, with a growth rate of 7.4% that rises to 7.8% in 2019 with medium-term prospects remaining positive. As per report, India was recovering from the effects of demonetisation and the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), and the recovery is expected to be underpinned by a rebound from transitory shocks as well as robust private consumption. The report said, Medium-term consumer price index inflation is forecast to remain within but closer to the upper bound of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)’s inflation-targeting band of 4% with a plus or minus 2% change. It said, the consumer price increase in 2017 was 3.6% and projected it to be 5% in 2018 and 2019. Overall, the report stated that Asia continues to be both the fastest-growing region in the world and the main engine of the world’s economy.

Notes:
The National Technology Day (NTD) is celebrated every year in India on May 11. On this day in 1998, India successfully tested its nuclear bombs in Pokhran, Rajasthan. The tests were conducted under the leadership of Former President Dr A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, who was then DRDO Chief, and Dr R Chidambaran, then Chairman of Atomic Energy Commission. A team of more than 100 scientists, technicians and soldiers were involved in the successfully conducted tests.

Notes:
The Kakolat waterfall is located in the Nawada district of Bihar and is one of the most visited and renowned Bihar getaway, where tourists come from all over the state and adjoining areas to witness the sheer beauty of Mother Nature cascading marvelously. According to legend, during the Treta Yuga epoch a king was cursed by a rishi and had to take the shape of a python and lived in Kakolat. The place was visited by the great Pandavas during their exile and the accursed king got salvation from damnation. The king after getting rid of the curse proclaimed that one who would bath in the waterfall will not take the yoni of snake, and that is why a large number of people from far and near bathe in the falls.