The Daily Brief – 4th January 2020

The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) inaugurated its first silk processing plant at Surendranagar in Gujarat on 3^rd January, 2019 which would help cut down the cost of production of silk yarn and increase availability of raw material used in production of Patola sarees locally. Patola is the trademark saree of Gujarat. Patola is considered to be expensive as the silk yarn is purchased from Karnataka or West Bengal. KVIC was set up under the Act of Parliament, ‘Khadi and Village Industries Commission Act of 1956’. In April 1957, it took over the work of former All India Khadi and Village Industries Board. The current chairman of KVIC is Vinai Kumar Saxena.

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced the setting up of a new division called ‘New, Emerging and Strategic Technologies’ (NEST) that will act as the nodal point in India’s foreign ministry for all matters connected to new and emerging technologies. It will help in collaboration with foreign partners in the field of 5G and artificial intelligence. It will also help assess foreign policy and international legal implications of new and emerging technologies and technology-based resources, and recommend appropriate foreign policy choice.

For the first time in four years, Maharashtra saw the highest increase in farmer suicides with 300 such cases in November 2019. Last time, farmer suicides had crossed 300 cases in a month in the state in 2015. The unseasonal rains in the state from October destroyed around 70% of the kharif crop. The maximum cases were from drought-prone Marathwada, which recorded 120 cases, followed by 112 cases in Vidarbha, which usually records the maximum number of farmer suicides.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid his tribute to Savitribai Phule on 3^rd January, 2020. This day marks the 189^th birthday of the 19^th century social reformer. She and her husband Jyotirao Phule had opened India’s first school for women in Pune, Maharashtra in 1848. Savitribai is considered as the first woman teacher of India. She is also regarded as ‘Mother of Indian Feminism’.

The Khelo India Youth Games, formerly known as Khelo India School Games (KISG), will be held from 10^thto 22^nd February, 2020 in Guwahati, Assam. In this third edition, 6500 athletes from 37 teams will take part. Cycling and lawn ball have been introduced as new disciplines in the games. The first edition was held in 2018 in New Delhi. These games are held every year to identify the talent at grassroot level.

Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Nishank Pokhriyal will inaugurate the 28^th edition of New Delhi World Book Fair that is to be held from 4^th-12^th January, 2020 in New Delhi under the theme- Gandhi, the Writers’ Writer. The fair is being organized by National Book Trust (NBT) in association with India Trade Promotion Organization (ITPO). The first New Delhi World Book Fair was held in 1972.

Palau, the Western Pacific Ocean country, became the first country in the world to ban sunscreens that are harmful to coral reefs. The country has announced this step as strict environmental measures. Palau is a part of the Micronesia region with over 500 islands. It is famous for its marine life and renowned for its best diving destinations.