Headlines at a Glance – 13th March 2021
ECs in any state must be independent persons, not appointed by govt: SC
The Supreme Court recently said that a person serving state or Central Government cannot be appointed as Election Commissioner (EC) as it sacrifices independence of the election and makes a mockery of law. A bench of Justices Rohinton F Nariman and BR Gavai gave the verdict in a case related to Goa where the law secretary was given the charge as State Election Commissioner for conducting municipal elections. The bench observed that independent persons, who do not hold an office of profit under the Central or any state Government, could be appointed as ECs.
SOURCE: The Hindu
Mera Ration mobile app for migratory ration card holders launched
The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution on Friday launched Mera Ration Mobile App for the benefit of those ration card holders who move to new places in search of livelihood. Addressing media in New Delhi Secretary Sudhanshu Pandey said that at present 32 States and Union Territories are covered under One Nation One Ration Card- ONORC and integration of remaining four States and UTs is expected to be completed in next few months. He also informed that at present, the system covers nearly 69 Crore National Food Security Act- NFSA beneficiaries in the country. Mr. Pandey informed that the ONORC has proved to be a tremendous value-added service to each NFSA beneficiary during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly migrants, which allowed them to avail the benefit of subsidised foodgrains.
SOURCE: The Indian Express
IIP (Index of Industrial Production) for January contracts 1.6%
India’s industrial output, measured by the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), contracted 1.6 per cent year-on-year in January, according to the data released by the Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation (MoSPI) recently. The first revised figure for industrial output data for December 2020 and final revised number for October 2020 were also released. While IIP rose 4.5 per cent in October 2020, it grew 1.6 per cent in December. Industrial output had contracted 2.1 per cent in November 2020. In January 2020, industrial production had grown 2.2 per cent. Mining and manufacturing output declined 3.7 per cent and 2 per cent, respectively, in January 2021. However, electricity generation rose 5.5 per cent in the month. The country’s industrial output contracted 12.2 per cent in the April-January period of the current fiscal, the data showed. Industrial production was hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic and the nationwide lockdown imposed to curb the spread of infections.
SOURCE: Business Standard
First Meeting of the BRICS Contact Group on Economic and Trade Issues held
The first Meeting of the BRICS Contact Group on Economic and Trade Issues (CGETI) was held under India’s Chairship from 9th till 11th of this month. The theme of BRICS this year is -“BRICS at 15: Intra BRICS Cooperation for Continuity, Consolidation, and Consensus”. India presented the calendar of events for BRICS CGETI 2021, which included the priority areas for deliverables, schedule and scope of the MSME roundtable conference workshop on Services Statistics, and the BRICS Trade Fair.
Till September, inter sessional deliberations will be carried out to reach consensus amongst the BRICS countries.
SOURCE: Hindustan Times
PMs India, Australia, Japan & US President participate in 1st Quad Leaders’ Summit
The First Quad Leaders’ Summit will be held virtually today. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of Australia, Scott Morrison, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and US President Joseph R Biden will participate in the first Leaders’ Summit of the Quadrilateral Framework. The Leaders will discuss regional and global issues of shared interest and exchange views on practical areas of cooperation towards maintaining a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region. The Summit will provide an opportunity to exchange views on contemporary challenges such as resilient supply chains, emerging and critical technologies, maritime security and climate change. The Leaders will also discuss ongoing efforts to combat Covid-19 pandemic and explore opportunities for collaboration in ensuring safe, equitable and affordable vaccines in the Indo-Pacific region.
SOURCE: The Hindu
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