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- The Union Cabinet on 13 Sep approved new Umbrella Scheme 'Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan, PM-AASHA.
- The Scheme is aimed at ensuring remunerative prices to the farmers for their produce as announced in the Union Budget for 2018.Briefing media in New Delhi, Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said, the step is a major boost to the pro-farmers initiative of the Government.
- Radha Mohan Singh said, the new Umbrella Scheme includes the mechanism of ensuring remunerative prices to the farmers and is comprised of Price Support Scheme, Price Deficiency Payment Scheme and Pilot of Private Procurement and Stockist Scheme.
- This is a step aims at protecting the farmers’ income which is expected to go a long way towards the welfare of farmers.
- The Cabinet also decided that participation of private sector in procurement operation needs to be piloted so that on the basis of learnings the ambit of private participation in procurement operations may be increased.
- The government has already increased the MSP of kharif crops by following the principle of 1.5 times the cost of production. It is expected that the increase in MSP will be translated to farmer’s income by way of robust procurement mechanism in coordination with the State Governments.
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- Technology giant Apple has unveiled new iPhones, including one that is its largest and the most expensive one, and the products will be available in India next month.
- In one of the company's signature launch events at its headquarters in Cupertino, California 12 Sep Apple CEO Tim Cook unveiled the iPhone Xs and iPhone Xs Max, the most advanced iPhones ever.
- The 5.8-inch iPhone Xs and 6.5-inch iPhone Xs Max feature Super Retina displays, a faster and improved dual camera system, the first 7-nanometer chip in a smartphone among other features.
- The company said the new iPhones would start at USD 750, USD 1,000 and USD 1,100.Last year, the starting prices were USD 700, USD 800 and USD 1,000. iPhone Xs and iPhone Xs Max will be available for pre-order beginning Friday, September 14 and in stores beginning Friday, September 21.
- "iPhone Xs is packed with next-generation technologies and is a huge step forward for the future of the smartphone," Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing Philip Schiller said. He said iPhone Xs is not one, but two new iPhone models, and iPhone Xs Max offers the biggest display ever in an iPhone with the biggest battery ever in an iPhone, delivering up to an hour and a half more battery life.
- iPhone XR will be available in 64GB, 128GB and 256GB models in white, black, blue, yellow, coral and red starting at Rs 76,900 through Apple authorised resellers.
- Customers will be able to pre-order iPhone XR beginning October 19 with availability beginning October 26 in more than 50 countries and territories including Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, New Zealand and US.
- iPhone Xs and iPhone Xs Max build on the all-screen design of iPhone X and feature the sharpest displays with the highest pixel density of any Apple device, the company said. iPhone Xs and iPhone Xs Max come with iOS 12, the world's most advanced mobile operating system.
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- Poultry consumption in Vietnam, India, Indonesia and the Philippines (VIIP) has outperformed global growth in the past five years and is expected to continue growing through 2022, found Rabobank’s industry report “Foodservice is the new growth driver” launched on 13 Sep.
- The report, which analysed poultry consumption trends in the four countries, found the growing demand for poultry chicken in particular is primarily driven by its relatively lower price point and acceptability across different cultures in VIIP. It also identified the key factors that will drive further growth in poultry consumption in the next five years.
- Umesh Madhavan, Analyst of Consumer Foods at Rabobank, said, “In Vietnam, India, Indonesia and the Philippines, consumption preferences are increasingly gearing towards snacking and convenience. The growing acceptance of eating out and food delivery are proof of the changing consumer behaviour.
- This growth pattern is supported by the significant millennial population in VIIP, who not only have a comparatively higher income but also are more likely to dine out and try different food options. These preferences will further boost the growth in foodservice.”
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- President Ram Nath Kovind has appointed Justice Ranjan Gogoi as the next Chief Justice of India, law ministry notification confirmed on 13 Sep. Taking the baton from CJI Dipak Misra, Justice Gogoi will assume office on October 3, 2018, as the 46th CJI. His tenure will end in November 2019.
- CJI Misra on September 4 had recommended Justice Ranjan Gogoi, the senior most judge present in the Supreme Court, as his successor. The recommendation was processed to President Kovind to issue the warrant of appointment, which was confirmed on 13 September
- Earlier, Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar had said that government’s intention on the appointment of the next CJI should not be questioned and that the executive would take a Speculation over Justice Gogoi’s appointment as the next CJI arose after the court’s four most senior judges, including Justice Gogoi, called a press conference in January this year and criticised Justice Misra on various issues, especially the manner of allocation of cases to certain benches.
- Justices J Chelameswar (since retired), Madan B Lokur and Kurian Joseph were among those who addressed the press conference, perhaps a first in the history of the Indian judiciary.
- According to the Memorandum of Procedure, which governs the appointment of members of the higher judiciary, “appointment to the office of the Chief Justice of India should be of the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court considered fit to hold the office”.
- Who is Justice Ranjan Gogoi?Born on November 18, 1954, Justice Gogoi was enrolled as an advocate in 1978. He practised in the Gauhati High Court on constitutional, taxation and company matters and was appointed as a Permanent Judge of the Gauhati High Court on February 28, 2001. On September 9, 2010, he was transferred to the Punjab & Haryana High Court and was elevated as the Chief Justice of Punjab & Haryana High Court on February 12, 2011. He was appointed as a Judge of the Supreme Court of India on April 23, 2012.
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- The health ministry pruned a list of banned combination medicines and added restrictions to the dosages or uses for six more types of such drugs, saying their ingredients had no therapeutic value and were risky for consumption.
- The ban on 328 such drugs compared with 344 earlier is effective immediately and may shave off over Rs 1,500 crore from India’s Rs 1.18 lakh crore pharmaceutical industry.
- Brands going off pharmacy shelves include Saridon, Panderm Plus and Taxim AZ, according to market research firm AIOCD Awacs PharmaTrac.
- Such drugs, known as fixed dose combinations (FDCs), are cocktails of two or more therapeutic ingredients. The ministry’s decision was taken after its Drugs Technical Advisory Board (DTAB) said the ingredients of these FDCs have no therapeutic justification and they may be risky to consume.
- “The Board recommended that it is necessary to prohibit the manufacture, sale or distribution of these FDCs… in the larger public interest,” the ministry said in a release on 12 Sep
- The ministry had considered the recommendations of DTAB as well as an expert committee it had set up a few years ago to look into the safety and rationality of these medicines.
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- Citing health hazards, the Tamil Nadu government has banned the manufacturing, sale distribution and use or possession of e-cigarettes under the category of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS).
- The decision follows the ban of manufacturing and sale of ENDS in at least 6 other states including Karnataka, Kerala, Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir (J&K).
- Reportedly, a recent government order was issued to prohibit manufacturing, sale, distribution, import and possession of e-cigarettes. According to the government officials, the decision has been taken considering the health hazards as products have heavy metals and nicotine and can even cause burns and explosion.
- Association of Vapers India, an organisation representing smokers and vapers in India, have begun protesting the move and are taking legal advice to approach the judiciary against the order.
- The group recently submitted research papers with the State Health Administration to show that e-cigarettes are up to 95 per cent safer than smoking.
- Samrat Chowdhery, director, Association of Vapers India, said, "The Tamil Nadu government has hit a new low in anti-people policy by banning use and possession of e-cigarettes along with their sale.
- Meanwhile, a far more harmful product, cigarette, continues to be sold freely and according to the national GATS-2 survey, the number of smokers in the state are rising, which the government has failed to curb.”
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- The first ever Bus Service between Nepal and Bihar was flagged off by the Nepal's Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transportation Raghubir Mahaseth and Indian Ambassador Manjeev Singh Puri from Kathmandu this evening.
- The 45 seater air conditioned delux bus will complete 660 KM journey between Kathmandu and Bodhgaya in 16 hours.
- The bus will leave Kathmandu daily at 7 PM and reach Bodhgaya next day at around 11 AM. The bus fare would be Rs. 1,250.
- During Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Nepal visit in 2014 a Motor Vehicle Agreement for Passenger Traffic was signed to facilitate seamless and hassle-free movement of people of both countries, further enhancing people to people contact and promoting tourism.
- The agreement envisages regular bus services between the two countries as per agreed routes, trips and time-table.
- The Kathmandu-Bodhgaya is the 5th bus service from Nepal side. The bus services from Kathmandu to Delhi and Varanasi, Mahendranagar to Delhi and Pokhara to Delhi had already been commenced.The 6th service between Janakpur and Patna is scheduled to start from 15sep.
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- GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd 13 September said it has received the Airports Council International Airport Service Quality World no.1 airport award trophy in the 5-15 Million Passengers Per Annum (MPPA) category for the second consecutive year.
- The airport was adjudged World no 1 Airport in its category in 2016 as well, a press release from GMR said.
- GMR, which operates the Rajiv Gandhi International airport here, said S G K Kishore, CEO, GHIAL on Wednesday received the trophy from Joyce Carter, President and CEO, Halifax Stanfield International Airport, Nova Scotia at the ASQ awards ceremony, organised at the '2018 ACI Customer Excellence Global Summit' at Halifax in Canada.
- Kishore said the award was a recognition of the airport's relentless efforts towards service excellence and customer delight. "It will be our endeavour to continuously raise the bar and exceed passenger expectations.
- We are thankful to all our stakeholders, including the Ministry of Civil Aviation, CISF, Immigration, Customs and our service partners, including airlines, concessionaires, housekeeping and other support stafffor their constant support in helping us achieve this recognition," he said.
- This year's ACI ASQ Award marks the ninth consecutive year of Global Top 3 ranking by RGIA in its size category, the release said.
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- In a major shot in the arm for paramilitary and police forces, scientists at a central research institute claim to have developed India’s first indigenous medical kit that may ensure protection from serious injuries and faster healing of wounds resulting from nuclear warfare or radioactive leakage.
- The kit, developed after two decades of work by the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS) here, has over 25 items, including radio-protectors that provide 80-90 per cent protection against radiation and nerve gas agents, bandages that absorb radiation as well as tablets and ointments.
- Developed in India for the first time, it’s a potent alternative to similar kits that were till now being procured from strategically advanced nations such as the US and Russia at much higher prices, INMAS Director A K Singh told PTI.
- The contents include an advanced form of Prussian blue tablets, highly effective in incorporating Radio Cesium (Cs-137) and Radio Thallium, among the most feared radioisotopes in nuclear bombs that destroy human body cells.
- The tablet provides 100 per cent absorption from the gut and other portals of entry to the human body, according to documents inside the medical kit accessed by PTI.
- According to INMAS, the kit has been developed for the armed, paramilitary and police forces only as they are the first ones likely to get exposed to radiation be it during nuclear, chemical and biomedical (NCB) warfare or a rescue operation after a nuclear accident.
- The kit also has an Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) injection that traps uranium in the guts and blood of victims during a nuclear accident or warfare.
- The kit also has Ca-EDTA Respiratory Fluid, which is the inhalation formula for chelation, or grabbing, of heavy metals and radioactive elements deposited in lungs through inhalation at nuclear accident sites.
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