The Daily Brief – 10th January 2020

MILAN 2020 (Multilateral Naval Exercise) will be hosted by Indian Navy in March 2020 in Visakhapatnam, the city of destiny. The exercise being conducted under the theme ‘Synergy Across the Sea’ will witness the participation of several countries. Milan 2020 is a week-long multilateral exercise aimed at enhancing professional interaction and learn from one an other’s strengths and best practices in the maritime domain.

Indian Railways announced that it will source 1000MW of solar power and 200 MW of wind power by 2021-22 across zonal railways and production units. Of this, 500 MW solar plants are to be installed on the roof top of Railway buildings which will be used to meet non-traction loads at Railway Stations while 500 MW land based solar plants will be used to meet both traction and non-traction requirements. Also, the project that aims at linking Kashmir with rest of India through Railway links will be completed by December 2021.

India Pulses and Grains Association on 9^th January, 2020 announced that the fifth edition of the ‘Pulses Conclave’, their biennial global pulses conference will be held from 12^th to 14^th February, 2020 in Lonavala, Maharashtra. Around 1500 stakeholders from India and other countries are expected to participate in the conference. The conference aims at increasing exports, processing efficiencies, protein extraction, value addition and post-harvest management. India is the largest producer of pulses in the world.

The World Bank released its Global Economic Prospects report on 8^th January, 2020. As per the report, India’s growth rate for the financial year 2020 is predicted to be 5%, the lowest in 11 years. The multilateral lender expects the country’s growth to recover only slightly to 5.8% in the next fiscal year. It cited a lingering weakness in credit from non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) as the main cause for the downgrade. As per the report, the world is expected to grow economically at the rate of 2.5%.

Forbes list of ‘20 people to watch in the 2020s’ has been released recently. The list featured Prashant Kishor, a Janata Dal (United) national Vice President, and Kanhaiya Kumar, former President of Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union. Kanhaiya ranked 12^th in this list and Prashant is ranked 16^th. A US-based political commentator and comedian Hassan Minhaj is on the first position in the list. Environmental Activist Greta Thunberg was ranked 15^th on the list. Other Indians who found a place in the list are Aditya Mittal, The Godrej family, Dushyant Chautala, Mahua Moitra, Garima Arora.

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is celebrated every year on 9^th January to recognize the contribution of overseas Indians in the development of India. The day commemorates the return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa to Ahmedabad in 1915. The day is being celebrated every year since 2003.

Union Cabinet approved the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the Department for International Development, Government of the United Kingdom for Enabling Energy Self-Sufficiency for Indian Railways. The Cabinet also appraised the Agreement on cooperation in polar science between Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India and Ministry of Education and Research, Sweden, signed during the visit of King and Queen of Sweden to India. The Cabinet also gave its approval for the ratification of Migration and Mobility Partnership Agreement between India and France that was signed in March 2018 during the State visit of the French President to India.