GUJARAT
Gujarat in bottom three in wages
Be it construction, agriculture or non-agriculture wages in rural areas, Gujarat remains
among the bottom three states in the country. Daily wages in rural Gujarat range from Rs
208 to 268.
The payment per day for labourers in the state has been on the lower side in comparison to
the other states. According to the Reserve Bank of India data released recently, in the year
2019-20, states like Kerala paid Rs 700 to an agricultural labourer and Rs 839 to a
construction worker, which was followed by Jammu & Kashmir where an agricultural
labourer was paid Rs 453 and the construction labourer was paid Rs 468.
The wages in Gujarat were lower even than the national average which was Rs 286 for
agriculture and Rs 341 for construction labourers.
INTERNATIONAL
Japan to Join Five Eyes Network
The Five Eyes Network consists of five countries: Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, United
States and New Zealand. Japan has now joined the "Five Eyes" network, becoming the sixth
eye.
Five Eyes cooperates to respond to the increasing threats from China and North Korea. The
Five Eyes countries are parties to the multilateral Anglo-American Agreement. This is a
treaty for joint cooperation in signals intelligence.
This is an intelligence alliance. The Five Eyes Alliance's origin can be traced back to the
"Atlantic Charter" issued in August 1941. It set goals for the post-war world.
The Atlantic Charter is a statement issued on August 14, 1941. It clarified the goals of Britain
and the United States towards the world after the Second World War.
The United States is trying to add three democracies India, South Korea and Japan to the
"Five Eyes Network." The United States believes that its intelligence should be used for both
economic and strategic purposes.
NATIONAL
Centre lifts ban on export of all varieties of Onions
The Centre has lifted the ban on the export of all varieties of Onions with effect from 1st
January 2021.
In a notification Directorate General of Foreign Trade, DGFT said, exports of all varieties of
onion will be allowed.
In September, the government had prohibited exports due to a spurt in prices.
The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) is the agency of the Ministry of Commerce
and Industry of the Government of India responsible for administering laws regarding
foreign trade and foreign investment in India.
India unfurls Blue Flags on its beaches
India unfurled the 8 Blue Flags on its beaches which once again showcases a national level
campaign to safeguard its coastal region.
The certification is a global recognition of India's conservation and sustainable development
efforts.
India, which has become the first country in the world to receive the Blue Flag Certification
for 8 beaches in a single attempt, hosted the Blue flags in all its beaches .
Blue Flag certification is a globally recognised eco-label accorded by Foundation for
Environment Education in Denmark based on 33 stringent criteria.
ISRO Is Developing Green Propulsion Technology
ISRO is developing "Green Propulsion Technology". This technology is being developed for
the Indian human space mission Gaganyaan, which will launch in December 2021. In rockets
and airplanes, propulsion is generated by the application of Newton's third law, "There has
an equal and opposite response to every action." The working fluid or gas accelerates the
engine.
ISRO started to develop green propulsion technology in 2018. ISRO developed an
environmentally friendly solid propellant glycidyl azide polymer GAP in 2018 as a fuel, and
ammonium dinitro ammonium as an oxidant.
ISRO has been conducting technology demonstration projects, which involve a combination
of green propellants, such as kerosene, hydrogen peroxide, liquid oxygen, AND-glycerol-
water, AND-methanol-water.
ISRO has begun testing liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen propulsion systems for launch
vehicles.
ISRO has used green propulsion technology in its mission. However, these techniques are
only used in some tasks. For example, in the low temperature upper limit state of the GSLV
Mk-III launch vehicle, a combination of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen is used.
Sonu Sood's autobiography 'I am no Messiah' out now
Actor Sonu Sood recently published his autobiography titled 'I am no Messiah' book, which
recounts his experience of helping migrant workers reach their hometowns during the
COVID-19 lockdown.
Sood grabbed the headlines this year due to his philanthropic efforts to help migrants and
those in need.
The book that has been co-written by Meena Iyer was released earlier this month under the
Ebury Press imprint.
