GUJARAT
Suzuki’s Gujarat plant hits 1 million production milestone
Maruti Suzuki announced that its Hansalpur plant in Gujarat has rolled out 1 million units
over a span of 3 years and 9 months.
Out of all three Maruti Suzuki plants in India, the Gujarat plant becomes the fastest to
achieve this feat. The Hansalpur plant In Gujarat began production in February 2017, under
the Indian government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative.
In January 2019, the second production site, B Plant, and the Powertrain Plant started the
operation to meet the growing needs in India and abroad. In FY2019, Maruti Suzuki
produced around 1.58 million units in India, out of which the Gujarat plant accounted for
25% of the total production.
The Maruti Suzuki Gujarat plant has approximately 1,800 employees (as of March 2020) and
it was set up with a total investment of Rs 126.8 billion.
INTERNATIONAL
UAE delegation reaches Israel for first time in history
In an historic first visit by a Gulf Arab nation, a United Arab Emirates delegation reached
Israel.
It was accompanied by top US officials to cement the normalisation of ties between the two
nations.
As part of the US-brokered deal, four agreements were signed relating to investment,
scientific cooperation, civil aviation and visa exemptions, during the visit.
India to host third India-US 22 Ministerial Dialogue on Oct 27
India will be hosting the Third India-US 22 Ministerial Dialogue on 27th of October in New
Delhi.
United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defence Mark T. Esper will
be visiting India to participate in the dialogue.
From the Indian side, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister Dr. S.
Jaishankar will lead the delegation.
The first 22 Ministerial Dialogue was held in New Delhi in September 2018 and followed by
the second in Washington DC in 2019.
The agenda for the third dialogue will cover all bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual
interest.
India ranks 94 out of 107 nations on the Global Hunger Index 2020
India took place 94th place among 107 nations in the Global Hunger Index 2020 and is in the
'serious' hunger category with experts blaming low implementation processes, lack of
effective monitoring, siloed approach in tackling malnutrition and poor performance by
large states behind the low ranking.
In 2019, India's rank was 102 out of 117 countries.
The neighbouring countries, Bangladesh ranked 75th, Myanmar ranked 78th and Pakistan
ranked 88th is in the 'serious' hunger category.
Nepal took 73rd and Sri Lanka in 64th position are in 'moderate' hunger category.
17 nations, including China, Belarus, Turkey, Cuba, Ukraine, and Kuwait, shared the top
rank with GHI scores.
According to the report, 14% of India's population is undernourished.
The country recorded a 37.4% stunting rate among children under five and a wasting rate of
17.3 %. The under-five mortality rate is at 3.7 %.
GHI score is calculated on four indicators
1. Undernourishment;
2. Child Wasting=children under the age of five who have low weight for their height
reflecting acute undernutrition;
3. Child Stunting = children under the age of five those have low height for their age
reflecting chronic undernutrition.
4. child mortality = mortality rate of children under the age of five.
NATIONAL
Police Commemoration Day: 21 October
The Police Commemoration Day is observed on 21st October every year to honor the loyalty
and supreme sacrifice of police personnel for the nation.
It was on this day in 1959 when CRPF led a saga of valour and sacrifice in the inaccessible,
inhospitable terrain of Hot Springs in Ladakh.
A patrol party of twenty personnel of CRPF and Intelligence Bureau had gone to search for a
missing reconnaissance party when it was ambushed by the Chinese Army.
In spite of the sudden attack and disadvantageous tactical position, they fought valiantly
against the Chinese army personnel who were in large numbers and heavily armed.
In this battle, ten CRPF men were martyred in defense of the country.
Maharashtra becomes first state in country to cap prices of masks
Maharashtra has become the first state in the country to cap the prices of masks.
N95 masks will now be available at Rs 19 to Rs 49, while two-layer and three-layer masks
will be available for Rs 3 to 4.
This maximum selling price limit will be applicable to all mask manufacturing companies /
distributors / retailers in the state.
All mask manufacturers / distributors / retailers in the state will be required to display the
quality of the mask and its fixed maximum selling price.
Scientists identify new potential groundwater 'arsenic hotspots' in India
Scientists, including those from the National Institute of Hydrology (NIH), have found an
increased probability of high arsenic levels in well waters in parts of India where previously
arsenic hazard was generally not considered to be a major concern.
Arsenic in drinking water obtained from wells is the cause of severe health outcomes,
including premature deaths from cancers and cardiovascular disease in many parts of the
world and particularly in the Indian subcontinent.
Based on recent reported rates of household groundwater use for rural and urban areas,
they estimate that about 18–30 million people in India are currently at risk of high exposure
to arsenic through their drinking water supply.
Their model confirms the known high probability of finding hazardous high arsenic well
waters in northern India in the river basins of the Ganges and Brahmaputra.
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