MAHARASHTRA

• Agri courses get 25% more applicants in state

 

• The number of applicants for seven ‘technical’ undergraduate (UG) agriculture courses has jumped from 51,822 in 2017 to 64,619 this year, which marks an increase of 25%. More than four students are vying for each seat as the combined intake for these courses at 173 agricultural institutes is 14,557.

 

• Agriculture students find employment in new ventures in the farming sector and allied industries, which are reportedly thriving even as traditional farming faces an uncertain future. India’s agriculture sector hasn’t been generating enough revenue to keep farmers profitable for nearly two decades now, according to a study by the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER).

 

• The rising popularity for agriculture courses stands in the contrast to the decreasing demand for engineering programmes, which have traditionally been the most popular professional courses. Data from the state’s Directorate of Technical Education (DTE) shows that around 1.06 lakh students registered for the centralised admission process for undergraduate engineering courses. 

  INTERNATIONAL

   

  ·        Scientists discover world’s oldest colours from Sahara desert in Africa

   

  • 1 billion-year-old bright pink pigmentsextracted from rocks deep beneath the Sahara desert in Africa.
  • The pigments taken from marine black shales of the Taoudeni Basin in Mauritania, West Africa, were more than half a billion years older than previous pigment discoveries.
  • The fossils range from blood red to deep purple in their concentrated form, and bright pink when diluted.

   

  ·        UN Security Council adopted a resolution 2427 to protect children in armed conflict

   

  • By the terms of resolution 2427(2018), the 15‑member UN Security Council committed to taking concrete action in response to serious abusesand violations of human rights – including those of children – which could constitute early indications of descent into conflict.
  • The Council strongly condemned attacks against schools and hospitals, which impede children’s access to education and health care, as well as violations involving the recruitment and use of children, rape, sexual violence and abductions, among other crimes.

   

   

  ·        PM Modi became third most followed world leader on Twitter

   

   

  • BCW’s (Burson Cohn & Wolfe) Twiplomacy study 2018 identified PM Narendra Modi as the third most followed world leader on Twitter with 42 million followers on his personal account @NarendraModi, while Sushma Swaraj is the most followed female world leader, with 11 m followers.
  • US President Donald Trumpis the most followed world leader on Twitter, with 52 million followers on his @realDonaldTrump account.
  • Facebook is the second most popular platform among government leaders followed by Instagram.

  NATIONAL

   

  • India unveils world’s largest visa centre in Bangladesh

   

  • Visiting Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the world’s largest state-of-the-art visa centre in Dhaka with modern facilities.

   

  • Singh inaugurated the integrated centre at Jamuna Future Park (JFP) along with his Bangladeshi counterpart Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal.

   

   

  • Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation Launches the Swachh Survekshan Grameen 2018

   

  • The Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation launches the Swachh SurvekshanGrameen 2018 (SSG 2018) in the capital.

   

  • An independent survey agency will conduct the survey in all districts from 1^stto 31^st August 2018, and the results will be announced in the form of a ranking of all districts and states on the basis of quantitative and qualitative sanitation (Swachhata) parameters.

   

  • The top performing states and districts are expected to be awarded on 2^ndOctober 2018.

   

   

  • Odisha constitutes ‘Heritage Cabinet’ to preserve culture

   

  • The Odisha government has constituted a ‘Heritage Cabinet’ to preserve the Odia language and the state’s culture.

   

  • The cabinet comprises eight members and will be headed by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

   

  • It will also prepare policies and prepare and approve short-term and long-term plans.

   

   

  • MP govt to appoint girls as district Brand Ambassador

   

  • In Madhya Pradesh, in a first of its kind initiative, the state govt will appoint girls as a district Brand Ambassador who have  recorded significant achievements in any field under the Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao scheme.

   

  • Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao is a personal campaign of the Government of India that aims to generate awareness and improve the efficiency of welfare services intended for girls.

   

  • The scheme was launched with an initial funding of Rs 100 crore.

   

  ·        Delhi’s Connaught Place ranked world’s 9th most costliest office location

   

  • According to American property consultant CBRE, New Delhi’s Connaught Placeis the 9th most expensive location globally to set up or rent an office, with an annual rent of ₹10,512 per square feet.
  • Hong Kong (Central) is at the first position with an annual rent of $306.57 per square feet, followed by London (West End), Beijing (Finance Street) in China, Hong Kong (Kowloon) and Beijing (CBD) in China.
  • Mumbai’s Bandra Kurla Complex(BKC) slipped to 26th position with an annual prime rent of USD 96.51 per sq ft from 16th rank.

   

  ·        Centre to introduce fortified rations in 118 target districts

   

  • Government will introduce fortified rations (vitamin- and supplement-added wheat and rice) in 118 so-called ‘aspirational districts’ to improve nutrition outcomes among children and women in the first initiative under the National Nutrition Mission, designed by Niti Aayog.

   

  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Cabinet cleared the National Nutrition Mission in December last year with a threeyear budget of ₹9,046.17 crore, starting 2017-18. The programme’s targets are to reduce stunting levels, under-nutrition, anaemia and low birth weight.

   

  • As per National Family Health Survey (NFHS) 2015-16, 35.7% of children below five years are underweight, while 38.4% are stunted, meaning they have low height for their age.

   

  • Iron and folic acid have been identified as two main nutrients to be added to foodgrains supplied under the public distribution system, according to the official.

   

  • The so-called aspirational districts are areas with a set of 49 “low-baseline socio-economic indicators”, such as in nutrition, infrastructure, health and education. “Low-baseline indicators” mean these districts have historically performed poorly on these counts. The proportion of stunted kids fell from 48% in 2005-06 to 38.4%.

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