Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority
Why in news?
- To promote exports from agriculture produce rich regions of India, Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) is sending the first trial shipment of vegetables by sea route from Varanasi to Dubai.
News summary
- APEDA is an organization under Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India situated at New Delhi.
- It is responsible for promoting exports of Agriculture and Processed Food Products from India.
- It was established under the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority Act passed by the Parliament in 1985.
Indian Pharmacopoeia
Why in news?
- Afghanistan has become the first country to formally recognize Indian Pharmacopoeia (IP).
News summary
- The Indian Pharmacopoeia (IP) is an officially recognized book of standards as per the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and Rules 1945 thereunder.
- The IP specifies the standards of drugs manufactured and marketed in India in terms of their identity, purity and strength.
- In order to ensure the quality of medicinal products, the legal and scientific standards are provided by Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC) in the form of Indian Pharmacopoeia (IP).
MDRs in Madhya Pradesh
Why in news?
- The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India signed a $490 million loan for public-private partnership (PPP) project to upgrade about 1,600 km of state highways and major district roads (MDRs) in Madhya Pradesh.
News summary
- The project will upgrade 750 km of state highways and 850 km of MDRs to two-lane and all-weather standards with road safety features.
- This will open a new partnership by introducing PPP through the hybrid-annuity model (HAM), thereby leveraging government financing and improving sustainability of capital investments.
- ADB was established in 1966. It is owned by 68 members 49 from the region.
Snapshots of the insurance sector
Why in news?
- The annual report of the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) for 2018-19 was released recently.
Key highlights of report:
- The insurance density of the life insurance sector in 2018 was $55, unchanged from the life insurance density of the previous year.
- Life insurance penetration for 2018 was 2.74%, slightly lower than the 2.76% of 2017. Life insurance penetration increased from 2.15% in 2001 to 4.60% in 2009, and has thereafter showed a generally decreasing trend.
- The insurance density of the non-life insurance sector has risen from $2.4 in 2001 to $18 in 2017 and to $19 in 2018. The non-life insurance penetration has risen from 0.56% in 2001 to 0.97% in 2018, shows the report.
US military Space Force
Why in news?
- US President Donald Trump today officially launched US military ‘Space Force’ at an army base near Washington.
- Mr Trump described space as the world’s newest war-fighting domain.
News summary
- Amid grave threats to the US national security, American superiority in space is absolutely vital.
- He said the Space Force will help to deter aggression and control the ultimate high ground.
- The launch of the Space Force, the first in more than 70 years, falls under the US Air Force.
- It will be funded by an initial 40million Dollar for its first year.
Cambridge Five
Why in news?
- Russia honoured two members of the British “Cambridge Five” spy ring that passed information to the Soviet Union during World War II.
News summary
- The Cambridge Five was a KGB group of British spies who passed information to the Soviet Union during World War II and the early stages of the Cold War.
- The KGB, translated in English as Committee for State Security, was the main security agency for the Soviet Union from 1954 until its break-up in 1991.
- The group comprised Donald Maclean (1913-83), Guy Burgess (1911-63), Harold ‘Kim’ Philby (1912-88), Anthony Blunt (1907-83) and John Cairncross (1913 – 1995). None was ever prosecuted for spying.
- All of the five were convinced that the Marxism–Leninism of Soviet Communism was the best available political system, and especially the best defence against the rise of fascism.
How was the group formed?
- According to the UK’s National Archives, the formation of the spy group began with the Cambridge University Socialist Society (CUSS), where Philby was elected Junior Treasurer in March 1932.
Curtain Raiser: Army Technology Seminar
Why in news?
- ARTECH Seminar was launched in 2016 as part of overall vision of ‘Make in India’ of Hon’ble Prime Minister and is conducted every year as part of events leading to Army Day celebrations.
- The seminar is the flagship event of Indian Army which sets the agenda for focus areas of harvesting indigenous capabilities in the Defence sector.
News summary
- ARTECH platform provides an opportunity to practitioners of military operations, policy makers in Ministry of Defence, industry and academia to put forth their contemporary Defence related capabilities. It is also a forum for innovators in uniform to showcase their products and offer these to industry to refine & productionise.
- The fifth edition of ARTECH is being organised by Indian Army on ‘Technologies for Non Contact Warfare’ which will be organised on 23 December 2019 at Manekshaw Centre, Delhi Cantonment.
- There is a select equipment display planned during the seminar by industry, academia, innovators in uniform and startups, DRDO and DPSUs.