The Cabinet Committee of Economic Affairs  has  approved the increase of up to 9 per cent in the Minimum Support Prices (MSP) for all mandated Rabi crops for marketing season 2024-25.

The absolute highest increase in MSP has been approved for lentil (masur) at Rs 425 per quintal followed by rapeseed and mustard at Rs 200 per quintal.

For wheat and safflower, an increase of Rs 150 per quintal each has been approved. For barley and gram an increase of Rs 115 per quintal and Rs 105 per quintal respectively, has been approved.

The increase in MSP for mandated Rabi crops for marketing season 2024-25 is in line with the union budget 2018-19 announcement of fixing the MSP at a level of at least 1.5 times of the All-India weighted average cost of production.

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister  has  approved the release of an additional 4 per cent Dearness Allowance (DA) to government employees and Dearness Relief (DR) to pensioners, benefitting around 1.27 crore people.

It also announced a bonus equivalent to 78 days’ salary to all eligible non-gazetted railway employees, except those of Railway Protection Force. The combined cost to exchequer on account of the DA, DR and bonus is pegged at Rs 14,825.87 crore per annum.

DA and DR are money given by the government to its employees and pensioners, respectively, as a relief from the effect of inflation. It is calculated as a percentage of the basic salary. The current increase in DA and DR will be applicable from July 1, 2023.

Jharkhand Cabinet on  Oct 18  gave its approval to the proposal of ‘Abua Awas Yojna’ at a cost of more than Rs 16,000 crore under which, three-room houses will be made available to 8 lakh needy in the next three years.

According to Cabinet Secretary, needy and destitute will be provided three room pucca houses along with a kitchen spread over 31 square meters constructed at the cost of Rs 2 lakh per unit. The Cabinet gave its approval to a total of 29 proposals during the meeting.

Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said  on Oct 19  Israel has suffered an "unspeakable horrific act of terrorism" as he became the latest Western leader to carry out a solidarity visit.

He follows US President Joe Biden who was in Israel on  Oct 18  Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz earlier this week. Others are expected.

Britain has increased its Palestinian aid package.

Israel has said it will allow food water and medicine into the beleaguered territory from Egypt.

In parallel, British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly is to visit Egypt, Turkey and Qatar "in the coming days", according to the government.

The government on Oct 18  said it has permitted exports of 10,34,800 tonnes of non-basmati white rice to seven countries, including Nepal, Cameroon and Malaysia.

The export is permitted through National Cooperative Exports Limited (NCEL), the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said in a notification.

Though exports of non-basmati white rice were banned on July 20 to boost domestic supply, exports are allowed on the basis of permission granted by the government to certain countries to meet their food security needs and on request.

The quantity notified for Nepal is 95,000 tonnes, Cameroon (1,90,000 tonnes), Cote D' Ivore (1,42,000 tonnes), Guinea (1,42,000 tonnes), Malaysia (1,70,000 tonnes), Philippines (2,95,000 tonnes), and Seychelles (800 tonnes).

India’s total foodgrain production is estimated at a record 3296.87 lakh tonnes for 2022-23 which is 140.71 lakh tonnes higher than the corresponding figure of 3156.16 Lakh tonnes achieved during 2021-22, according to the final estimates of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare

The foodgrain production during 2022-23 is also higher by 308.69 lakh tonnes than the average of the previous five years’ (2017-18 to 2021-22).

The total production of rice during 2022-23 is estimated at a record 1357.55 Lakh tonnes. It is higher by 62.84 Lakh tonnes than previous year’s rice production of 1294.71 Lakh tonnes.

Production of wheat during 2022-23 is estimated at record 1105.54 Lakh tonnes which is higher by 28.12 Lakh tonnes than previous year’s wheat production of 1077.42 Lakh tonnes.

Production of Nutri/Coarse Cereals estimated at 573.19 Lakh tonnes, which is higher by 62.18 Lakh tonnes than the production of 511.01 Lakh tonnes achieved during 2021-22.

Total Pulses production during 2022-23 is estimated at 260.58 Lakh tonnes which is higher by 14.02 Lakh tonnes than the last five years’ average pulses production of 246.56 Lakh tonnes.

Total Oilseeds production in the country during 2022-23 is estimated at record 413.55 Lakh tonnes which is higher by 33.92 Lakh tonnes than the oilseed production during 2021-22.

Total production of Sugarcane in the country during 2022-23 is estimated at 4905.33 Lakh tonnes. The production of sugarcane during 2022-23 is higher by 511.08 Lakh tonnes than the previous year sugarcane production of 4394.25 Lakh tonnes.

Production of Cotton is estimated at 336.60 Lakh bales (of 170 kg each) which is higher by 25.42 Lakh bales than the previous year’s cotton production.

Production of Jute & Mesta is estimated at 93.92 Lakh bales (of 180 kg each).

Pakistan's national soccer team won a World Cup qualifying game for the first time, beating Cambodia 1-0 in Islamabad to advance to the second round in Asia.

After the first leg in Phnom Penh finished 0-0, an angled left-foot half-volley from Harun Hamid was enough to secure victory at Jinnah Sports Stadium in a first home game for Pakistan since 2015.

It was also the first win for Pakistan, ranked 197th, since 2018. It joins Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Jordan in Group G of Asian qualifying, which kicks off next month.

Pakistan was banned by FIFA in April 2021 for 15 months because of “undue third-party interference” — its second ban in four years.

With no domestic league since 2018, Pakistan’s English coach Stephen Constantine, appointed just 13 days before the first of the qualifying games last week, faced a difficult job.

The other teams to advance to the 36-nation second round are Bangladesh, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Nepal, Indonesia and Myanmar.

Q1.  Name the Union Education Minister  who  has launched a web portal ‘Apna Chandrayaan’ having activity-based support material, including colouring books, online quizzes, and jigsaw puzzles for school students on Mission Chandrayaan-3 ?

1. Dharmendra Pradhan 
2. Anurag Thakur
3. Smriti Irani
4. Nitin Gadkari
5. None of These

Q2. Buoyed by the success of the Chandrayaan mission, the  Prime Minister Narendra Modi  has  set ambitious goals for ISRO, asking them to set up an Indian Space Station by 2035 and send the first Indian to the moon by

1. 2040                
2. 2045
3. 2047
4. 2050
5. None of These

Q3. Name the  former president of Finland and global peace broker who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2008 for his work to resolve international conflicts and who  died recently ?

1. Tarja Halonen
2. Mauno Koivisto
3. Sauli Niinistö
4. Martti Ahtisaari
5. None of These

Q4.  Name the inexperienced politician and an heir to a fortune built on the banana trade who has  won Ecuador’s presidential runoff election held amid unprecedented violence that even claimed the life of a candidate?

1. Alfredo Palacio
2. Rafael Correa
3. Daniel Noboa
4. Lenín Moreno
5. None of These

Q5. India will be represented by a strong 446-member contingent, including 303 athletes, at the fourth Asian Para Games to be held from October 22 to 28   in

1. Tokyo , Japan
2. Hangzhou, China
3. Jakarta ,  Indonesia
4. Delhi , India
5. None of These

Answers

1----------------------1   Dharmendra Pradhan 

2-----------------------1   2040   

3-----------------------4    Martti Ahtisaari

4-------------------------3    Daniel Noboa

5-----------------------2  Hangzhou, China