RAJASTHAN

· Rajasthan might be no.1 jeera producer

ð By November last week, cumin acreage in Gujarat stands 36% lower at 1.22 lakh hectares as against 1.91 lakh hectares in the same period last year.

ð On the contrary, Rajasthan has witnessed 24% increase in sowing area at 3.1 lakh hectares as compared to 2.5 lakh hectares in the corresponding period last year.

ð Gujarat is set to lose its top position to Rajasthan this year as sowing in Gujarat which is now at its fag end has not picked up because of nonavailability of water. Unjha is the largest trading and exporting hub of cumin.

ð Traditionally, Gujarat and Rajasthan account for most of the cumin production in India. In fact, divergent views are prevailing about the highest cumin producing state. Federation of Indian Spice Stakeholders (FISS) had placed Rajasthan on top position in 2017-18 with production of 37.83 lakh bags of 55 kg each (around 2.08 lakh tonne) as compared to Gujarat’s 31.40 lakh bags (1.72 lakh tonnes).

INTERNATIONAL

· India slips 2 places on ‘Global Talent Ranking’; Switzerland on top

India has slipped two places to rank 53rdon a global annual talent ranking released by IMD Business School Switzerland.
While Switzerland has topped the global ranking for the fifth year in a row, it is followed by Denmark, Norway, Austria and the Netherlands in the top-five.
Within Asia, Singapore has topped the charts with a global 13th place on the list that ranks 63 countries in developing, attracting and retaining talent.
Among BRICS nations, Brazil is ranked 58th, South African 50th and Russia 46th.

· UN General Assembly adopts 1st resolution on sexual harassment

The Third Committee of the UN General Assembly has adopted a resolution on sexual harassment, the first of its kindat the world body.
The resolution urges countries to address the discrimination faced by women that makes them vulnerable to exploitation, violence and abuse.
It also urges states to ensure the promotion and protection of the human rightsof all women and their sexual and reproductive health, and reproductive rights.

NATIONAL

· Centre made jute packaging mandatory for all food grains

The Centre approved a proposal making jute packaging mandatory for all food grains. The decision was taken by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, headed by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In India, the jute sector employs approximately 3.7 lakh workers directly. The move is significant as it would support several lakh farm families and workers whose livelihood is dependent on the jute sector.

· Bihar CM unveiled statue of Lord Buddha at Rajgir

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumarunveiled a 70-foot-tall statue of Lord Buddha at Rajgir in Nalanda district. Mr.Kumar unveiled the statue of Lord Buddha, the second tallest statue of Buddha in the country, in the presence of Mahabodhi temple’s chief monk Bhante Chalinda amid the chanting of hymns.
The statue has been installed above a 16 metre radius pedestal in the middle of the lake Ghora Katoraand has been made from 45,000 cubic foot pink sandstone. Ghora Katora lake is a historical place. It is a natural lake surrounded by five hills where Lord Buddha’s statue has been installed.

· UP government cleared the proposal to build Ram statue

The Uttar Pradesh governmenthas cleared a proposal to build a 221-meter-tall statue of Lord Ram on the banks of the Saryu river in Ayodhya. The government did not furnish the details of the funding, the construction agency and the location of the statue. The size of the statue will outdo the 182-meter-tall statue of Sardar Patel in Gujarat.
TheYogi Adityanath government had last year announced that it would construct a Ram statue in Ayodhya as part of the “Navya Ayodhya” scheme of the UP Tourism Department to develop the town as a tourist hub.
This is not the only Ram statue the BJP government is planning in UP. The government also plans to build a statue of Lord Ram at Shringverpur, a site near Allahabad revered by Nishads.

· Mary Kom Won Sixth World Championship Title, Creates History

MC Mary Komcreated history by becoming the first woman to win six boxing world titles by clinching the 48 kg gold at the 2018 AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships in New Delhi.
The 35-year-old Indian legend got the better of Ukrainian Hanna Okhota in the summit clash.

WhatsApp set to start radio campaigns against fake news

WhatsApp said it is rolling out radio campaigns across various states, advising people to check the veracity of information received as a forward before believing in it or sharing it with others.

The Facebook-owned company has been slapped with two notices to check the spread of fake news, prompting it to take a series of measures, including restricting the number of forwards to five, while adding the ‘forward’ label to help users identify such messages.

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