Goa Affairs
Goa gets Rs 213 crore GST compensation
Goa received Rs 213 crore from the Centre as compensation for GST shortfall, as part of the Rs 40,000 crore released to various states under the Centres back-to-back loan facility to meet the shortfall in GST collection and compensation. A similar amount was released in mid-July as the Centre helps states and union territories meet the shortfall in tax revenues.
This is in addition to the normal GST compensation being released every two months out of the actual GST cess collection. The Centre advised states to used the funds to meet their public expenditure particularly improvement of Health and completion of infrastructure projects through proper planning.
Goas GST collections have improved over the last two months. Aided by resumption in tourism and industrial activity, the tax collections in September hit pre-Covid levels.
Goa has agreed to the Centres funding arrangements to meet the GST compensation shortfall. The Centre has borrowed the funds through five-year and two-year Bonds. No additional market borrowing by the Central Government is envisaged on account of this release.
National and International Affairs
DART Mission To Be Launched by NASA
NASA is set to launch the Double Asteroid Redirection test (DART) spacecraft on November 24, 2021.
Highlights:
NASAs Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft will be launched in SpaceXs Falcon 9 rocket
The Mission is set to launch on November 24, 2021, from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California.
NASA aims to build advanced technologies to protect the Earth from dangerous asteroid collisions.
There had been numerous warnings from astronomers and scientists that there might be an asteroid Collision without a proper DEFENCE system.
The DART mission is based on the idea of developing a defence system against asteroid collisions. It is in the final stages of advancement.
Under the mission, spacecraft will be sent towards the Didymos asteroid system, approximately 109.4 kilometres away from Earth.
Indian Council of Medical Research (Icmr) released Multilingual Dementia Research and Assessment (MUDRA) toolbox in five Indian Languages.
Toolbox was launched in order to expand the care and outreach to people suffering from dementia.
Toolbox has been launched in languages including Hindi, Bengali, Kannada, and Malayalam.
MUDRA Toolbox project is led
by the ICMR Neuro-Cognitive Tool Box (ICMR-NCTB) PARTNERSHIP. It seeks to improve dementia and mild cognitive impairment research & therapeutic practices in India. To implement this project, ICMR-NCTB has collaborated with Aiims (New Delhi), NIMHANS (Bengaluru), NIMS (Hyderabad), SCTIMST (Thiruvananthapuram), Manipal Hospital (Bengaluru), Apollo Hospital (Kolkata) and Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College.Toolbox comprise of several cognitive tests which can be used to examine several aspects of Cognition such as executive functioning, speech, memory, and visuospatial functions. It is sensitive to the Elements affective cognitive test performance like language, Education, and culture.
Wada Kolam Rice Gets GI Tag
The Wada Rice is also known as Zini or Jhini rice, which is grown in Wada tehsil of Palghar.
The traditionally grown rice is off white in color, which gives it the GI Tag for having a unique identity.
The Wada Kolam rice costs Rs 60-70 per kg in the local market and has its demand overseas too.
It is known for its small grain, aroma, taste and for being Light for digestion.
It is gluten-free but a low yielding crop.
Anshu Malik The First Indian Women Wrestler To Reach World Championship Final
Anshu Maliki reached the world wrestling championship finals on 6 October to become the first Indian woman to reach the finals.
Highlights:
Anshu, a 19-year-old wrestler from India, is the ruling Asian champion.
She won by technical superiority within the 57 kg category.
Only four Indian Women wrestlers have won medals at the Worlds and have held the trophy.
World Cotton Day Is Observed On 7 October
launched World Cotton Day on 7 October 2019 at the Cotton-4 initiative.
World Cotton day was initiated by Cotton 4 countries Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad and Mali.
This day is aimed at celebrating many advantages of cotton as a natural fibre, how beneficial it is to people, trade and Consumption.
Cotton Sustains 28.67 million growers and benefits more than 100 million families in 75 countries all over 5 continents.
The World Cotton Day theme for 2021 is Cotton for Good
India is the largest producer of cotton in the world accounting for about 26% of the world cotton production.
According to WHO, <a href="https://exam.pscnotes.com/Climate-change”>Climate Change increases the risk of water-related hazards such as floods and droughts.
Climate change will also increase the number of people affected by water scarcity.
As per report, in 2018, 3.6 billion people worldwide had inadequate access to water at least one month per year.
This number is expected to exceed five billion by 2050.
Report also notes that, this situation is worsening as only 0.5 per cent of water on the Earth is useable and available freshwater.
Water-related hazards have increased in past 20 years.
Flood-related disasters have increased by 134 per cent since 2000, as compared to past two decades. However, number & duration of droughts have increased by 29 per cent during the same period.
In Africa, about two billion people live in water-stressed countries. They suffer a lack of access for Safe drinking water and sanitation.