• Despite the push for local manufacturing under Aatmnirbhar Bharat, and push against Chinese imports, trade deficit between India and China stood at $30.07 billion during April-September 2021.

• India’s exports to China from April to September 2021 stood at $12.26 billion, while imports were aggregated at $42.33 billion, according to data given by Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Anupriya Patel in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. She said the imports from China have increased from $60.41 billion in 2014-15 to $65.21 billion in 2020-21, exhibiting an increase of 7.94% over six years.

• Major items of import from China include telecom instruments, computer hardware, fertiliser, electronic components, chemicals and drug intermediates

• State-owned telecom Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has given a timeline of September 2022 for pan-India roll-out of its 4G services, informed the Minister of State for Communications Devusinh Chauhan, in a written reply to the Lok Sabha .

• With the roll-out of 4G, the company estimates incremental revenue of around Rs 900 crore in the first year from operation.

The minister also informed that BSNL has not partnered with any company for the provision of 5G services.

• On the revival plans, the minister said the revival plan inter-alia, includes measures to reduce the staff cost through a voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) for employees of age 50 years and above, administrative allotment of spectrum for providing 4G services with funding through budgetary allocation, monetisation of non-core and core assets to generate resources to retire debt, meet capex and other requirements, debt restructuring by raising of sovereign guarantee bonds and in-principle approval for merger of BSNL and MTNL.

• As per the audited financial statement, the asset of BSNL and MTNL as on Sept 30, 2021 is Rs 1,33,952 crore and Rs 3,556 crore respectively. Total liability of BSNL and MTNL as on Sept 30, 2021 is Rs 85,721 crore and Rs 30,159 cr, respectively.

• The sovereign gold bond can now also be subscribed on the newly launched RBI Retail Direct Portal.

• Subscription of the Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme 2021-22 - Series VIII is currently open.

• Till now, the bonds were sold through banks (except small finance banks and payment banks), Stock Holding Corporation of India Ltd (SHCIL), designated post offices, and recognised stock exchanges viz., National Stock Exchange of India Ltd and Bombay Stock Exchange Ltd.

• Last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched the RBI Retail Direct Scheme, under which individuals can directly purchase treasury bills, dated securities, sovereign gold bonds (SGB) and state development loans (SDLs) from the primary as well as secondary market.

• As per the scheme, retail investors (individuals) will have the facility to open an online Retail Direct Gilt Account (RDG Account) with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

• These accounts can be linked to their savings bank accounts.

• The RDG Accounts of individuals can be used to participate in issuance of government securities and secondary market operations through the screen-based NDS-OM.

• NDS-OM, a screen-based electronic anonymous order matching system for secondary market trading in government securities owned by the RBI, is currently open only to institutions like banks, primary dealers, insurance companies and mutual funds.

• Country's largest lender SBI has joined hands with Adani Capital as a co-lending partner to provide loans to farmers in the country.

• State Bank of India (SBI) has signed a master agreement with Adani Capital Private Ltd (Adani Capital), the NBFC arm of Adani Group, for co-lending to farmers for purchase of tractor and farm implements, to increase efficiency in farm operations and productivity of crops.

• Under RBI guidelines on co-lending schemes for banks and NBFCs, the aim is to improve credit flow to unserved and underserved sectors of the economy as priority sector lending, and at affordable rates.

·       Fertiliser major Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO)  on Nov 2 has  said it has been ranked number one cooperative among the top 300 cooperatives in the world.

·       The ranking is based on the ratio of turnover over the gross domestic product (GDP) per capita.

·       The ranking is as per the 2021 edition of the 10th Annual World Cooperative Monitor (WCM) report published by the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA).

·       IFFCO has also inched up to 60th position in overall turnover ranking from 65th in the last financial year.

• Ralf Rangnick has been granted a work permit to start his stint as Manchester United interim manager.

• United confirmed the appointment of Rangnick as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's short-term replacement , just over a week after sacking the Norwegian following a 4-1 humbling at lowly Watford.

• Rangnick will remain as manager until the end of the season before starting a two-year consultancy role at United.

• United are 10th in the Premier League ahead of the match against Arsenal, 15 points behind leaders Chelsea and six points adrift of fourth-placed West Ham. The 20-time English champions have won just one of their past eight Premier League matches but will be desperate to take advantage of a kinder fixture list over the next few weeks

• The government on Nov 2  said that it has spent over Rs 65 crore on Indian men's hockey teams in the last five years apart from shelling out close to Rs 104 crore on 20 infrastructure projects related to the game.

• The government said that the money was utilised for coaching camps, competitions and other expenses. 

• The Joint Committee of Parliament examining the Personal Data Protection Bill was on  Dec 1 given an extension till the last week of the ongoing Winter session to submit its report.

• The Bill, seeking to provide for the protection of personal data of individuals and establish a Data Protection Authority for the same, was brought in Parliament in 2019 and was referred to the Joint Committee for further scrutiny on the demand of opposition members.

P P Chaudhary of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) moved a motion seeking extension up to the last week of the Winter session of Parliament for the 30-member panel to submit its report.  The ongoing session ends on December 23.  It was passed by a voice vote.

This is for the sixth time the committee's tenure has been extended.

The Personal Data Protection Bill seeks to regulate the use of individual's data by the government and private companies.