Headlines at a Glance – 7th September 2020
Govt expands support to artisans for boosting agarbatti production
The government has expanded the support to artisans involved in agarbatti making as part of a programme aimed at making India self-reliant in the production of incensed sticks, an official release said The MSME Ministry had recently approved the ‘Khadi Agarbatti Atma Nirbhar Mission’ towards creating employment for the unemployed and migrant workers in different parts of the country, hand holding artisans and supporting the local agarbatti industry. “Further to its launching the support programme on July 30, 2020, the Ministry has looked at all aspects of the industry, beyond just supply of machines for making agarbatti. This includes ensuring supply of inputs and raw materials, the demand for which has increased hugely in the last one year,” an official statement said. The current consumption of agarbatti in the country is approximately 1,490 MT per day. However, per day production of agarbatti in India is just 760 MT. The deficit is met through imports primarily from China and Vietnam.
SOURCE: Livemint
Govt releases draft guidelines for ads; disclaimers must be clearly visible
The government has come out with a comprehensive set of draft guidelines on advertising under which ‘disclaimers’ that are not easily noticeable by or legible or easily understandable to an ordinary consumer will be treated as misleading advertisements under the Consumer Protection Act. The violation of these guidelines would face action by the recently established Central Consumer Protection Authority. The draft guidelines, on which the Consumer Affairs Ministry has sought public comments by September 18, are applicable to companies whose products or services are advertised as well as to advertisement agencies and endorsers. According to the draft guidelines, a disclaimer should be clear, prominent enough and legible. The disclaimers used in advertisements should be in “same language” as the claim of the advertisement, the font should be in the “same font” as the claim and place disclaimers on packaging in a “prominent and visible space”.
SOURCE: Business Standard
Education Ministers of G-20 nations resolve to work together to ensure ‘inclusive and equitable quality education’
A virtual meeting of G20 Education Ministers was held on Saturday to discuss and share experiences of member countries in the three identified areas of education continuity in times of crises, early childhood education and internationalization in education, Ministry of Human Resource Development said. Yesterday’s meeting was the culmination of ongoing discussions on these themes, conducted virtually due to the Covid 19 pandemic, said the Ministry. Representing India, Union Minister of Education Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank said that these themes are also priority areas that the government of India has been pursuing.According to the release, the Minister said India will continue the efforts it has taken to reform and transform its education system and mitigate the challenge posed by the Covid 19 pandemic. He also said India is committed to collaborate with G 20 member countries in the area of education.The communique, as per the release, expresses the resolve to encourage internationalization in education by sharing of best practices in education and the adaptation of such practices at the local, national, and international levels, as appropriate.
SOURCE: Hindustan Times
Rajnath Singh meets his Iran counterpart, discusses bilateral issues
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said he had a “very fruitful” meeting with his Iranian counterpart Brigadier General Amir Hatami and discussed ways to enhance bilateral cooperation and regional security issues, including Afghanistan. Singh arrived in Tehran from Moscow on Saturday after concluding his three-day visit to Russia where he attended a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) defence ministers. He also held bilateral talks with his counterparts from Russia, China and the Central Asian countries. The meeting between the two ministers took place in a “cordial and warm atmosphere,” it said, adding that the leaders emphasised upon the age-old cultural, linguistic and civilisational ties between India and Iran. Singh said that the issue of regional security was also discussed in the meeting which included the issue of restoring peace and stability in Afghanistan. In this meeting, the two leaders stressed on strengthening the cultural, linguistic and social relations between India and Iran. During this time, ways to take the relationship of the two countries to the next level were also discussed.
SOURCE: The Hindu
FM Sitharaman launches State Business Reform Action Plan 2019
Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Telangana top the rankings for states in the State Business Reform Action Plan 2019 Ranking, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in a conference on September 5. She acknowledged their effort in continuously implementing the schemes under the action plan, which helps in the ease of doing business in the country. This ranking is based on the implementation of the business reform action plan. Some of the key focus areas are access to information and technology, the setting up of a single window system, construction permit enablers and land administration, according to the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade. Sitharaman, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal, and Cabinet Minister Hardeep Singh Puri released the ranking list on September 5. According to the Press Information Bureau of India, 36 states/Union Territories have participated in the implementation of State Business Reform Action Plan 2019. This ranking has been taking place since 2015 on the basis of implementation of the State Business Reform Action Plan, PIB said in a tweet, adding that India is one of the few countries where sub-national ranking takes place.
SOURCE: Financial Express
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