PM to inaugurate Golden Jubilee celebrations of Agradoot group of newspapers on 6th July

Why is it in news?

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Golden Jubilee celebrations of the Agradoot group of newspapers on 6th July, 2022 at 4:30 PM via video conferencing. Assam Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is the chief patron of Agradoot’s Golden jubilee celebration committee, will also be present on the occasion.

Highlights

Agradoot was started as an Assamese bi-weekly. It was established by Kanak Sen Deka, senior journalist of Assam. In 1995, Dainik Agradoot, a daily newspaper, was started and it has developed as a trusted and influential voice of Assam.

Indian Navy's INS Satpura and P8I Participate in the RIMPAC Harbour Phase

Why is it in news?

Both INS Satpura and P8I LRMRASW would participate in the Rim of the Pacific exercise, also known as the RIMPAC at the Pearl Harbour. RIMPAC is one of the largest multilateral Naval Exercises.

Highlights

·       The Naval exercise spans over six weeks of intense operations and training. The activity aims at the enhancement of interoperability and building trust among Navies of the friendly foreign countries.

·       The sea phase of the exercise commences on 12 Jul 22 and will culminate with the closing ceremony on 04 Aug 22.

·       Indian Navy's P8I LRMRASW aircraft arrived at AFB Hickam, Joint Base Pearl Harbour, Hawaii, USA to participate in the 28th edition of the biennial Rim of Pacific (RIMPAC-22), the world's largest international maritime exercise.

·       The P8I Detachment led by Cdr Puneet Dabas was received by Wg Cdr Matt Stuckless  (RAAF), Head of MPRA operations from Hickam airfield.

·       P8I will be participating in coordinated multinational, multiplatform advanced Anti Submarine Warfare operations along with 20 MPRAs from seven participating nations.

 CEO of French aircraft engine maker SAFRAN Group calls on Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh in New Delhi

Why is it in news?

The company announces plans to set up a Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul facility in India. The Raksha Mantri invites SAFRAN for more of the co-development & co-production projects that align with the theme of ‘Make in India, Make for the World’.

Highlights

·       SAFRAN is among the leading original equipment manufacturers of advanced aircraft engines for civil and fighter jets.

·       CEO of Safran briefed the Raksha Mantri of their company’s plans to set up a Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility in India for overhauling LEAP-1A & LEAP-1B engines used by the Indian and foreign commercial airlines.

·       The MRO facility through direct foreign investment of $US 150 million in Hyderabad is expected to create 500-600 highly skilled jobs. 

Dr. Jitendra Singh announces setting up of Dr. Rajendra Prasad Memorial Award in public administration in the field of academic excellence

Why is it in news?

Dr. Rajendra Prasad Memorial Award in public administration aims at acknowledging academic excellence, in memory of the first President of India who had also laid the foundation stone of the IIPA building complex in the national capital.

Highlights

·       Dr. Jitendra Singh expressed satisfaction on the enthusiastic number of serving and former civil servants and eminent academicians taking membership of the IIPA.

·       The IIPA’s Executive Council has the Hon’ble Vice President of India, Shri M Venkaiah Naidu as its President and Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh, as chairman.

·       The meeting was attended by members of IIPA’s Executive Council, including, Shri Shekhar Dutt, former Governor, Chhattisgarh, Shri Srinivas R. Katikithala, Director, LBSNAA, Shri GP Prasain, Shri GR Kurup, Shri KK Pandey, along with Shri Surendra Nath Tripathi, DG, IIPA and Member-Secretary, EC and Shri Amitabh Ranjan, Registrar, IIPA. Several regional branches also attended the meeting virtually.

Toy imports down by 70% and exports up 61% over last three years as Make in India yields positive results for the sector

Why is it in news?

Government interventions in the Toy Sector after Prime Minister’s call have helped the industry: Shri Anil Agrawal, Additional Secretary, DPIIT.

Highlights

TOY BIZ attracts 96 exhibitors with ‘Made In India’ product manufactured domestically by small, medium and large enterprises.

Highlights

·       Interventions by the government for the Toy Sector

     i.        Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) vide Notification No.33/2015-2020, dated 02.12.2019 mandated sample testing of each consignment and no permission for sale unless the quality testing is successful. In case of failure, the consignment is either sent back or destroyed at the cost of the importer.

   ii.        Basic Custom Duty (BCD) on Toys-HS Code-9503 has been increased from 20% to 60% in February, 2020.

 iii.        The Government issued Toys (Quality Control) Order, 2020 on 25/02/2020 through which toys have been brought under compulsory Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) certification with effect from 01/01/2021. As per the Quality Control Order (QCO), every toy shall conform to the requirements of relevant Indian Standard and bear the Standard Mark under a licence from BIS as per Scheme-I of BIS (Conformity Assessment) Regulations, 2018. This QCO is applicable to both domestic manufacturers as well as foreign manufacturers who intend to export their toys to India.

 iv.         QCO on Toys was amended on 11.12.2020 to exempt goods and articles manufactured and sold by artisans registered with Development Commissioner (M/o Textile) and also by registered proprietor and authorized users of a product registered as Geographical Indication by the Office of Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trademarks (CGPDTM).

   v.        BIS made special provisions on 17.12.2020 so as to grant license to micro scale units manufacturing toys without testing facility for one year and not to insist on establishing in-house facility.

 vi.        BIS has granted 843 licenses to domestic manufacturers from safety of toys, out of these, 645 licenses have been granted for non-electric toys and 198 licenses granted for electric toys. In addition to this, 6 licenses have been granted to international toy manufacturers.

·       All the 96 exhibitors have showcased the diverse product category ranging from traditional plush toys, construction equipment toys, dolls, building block toys, board games, puzzles, electronic toys, educational toys, ride-ons, etc. All the toys products were ‘Made In India’ product manufactured domestically by small, medium and large enterprises. The Toys bearing GI tag such as Chennapatna, Varanasi etc. are also being displayed. The exhibition is showcasing toys based on Indian ethos & value system duly endorsing ‘Vocal for Local’ theme. Each toy category has affordable and high-end versions. This is a major shift from the 12th edition of the exhibition held in 2019, wherein of 116 stalls, 90 stalls exhibited only imported toys. This exhibition witnessed a footfall of over 3,000 visitors from India and international buyers’ delegation from Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bhutan, USA etc.