KERALA

Kerala extends maternity leave benefits to teachers, other staff of private educational institutions

Kerala is extending maternity leave benefits to teachers and other staff of private educational institutions.

The Central Government has approved the Kerala Government’s decision to bring these teachers and employees under the Maternity Benefit Act.

When the amendment to the Act comes into force, Kerala would become the first state in the country to provide maternity benefits in the private educational sector.

Employees covered under the law can avail 26 weeks’ maternity leave with salary.

INTERNATIONAL

● Italy to introduce 3% web tax on digital giants from 2020

Italian scheme to yield about 600 million euros ($662 million) a year alternative revenues will allow it to avoid a scheduled increase in sales tax.

Italy and European Union members have long complained about the way web giants collect considerable profits in their countries to pay only a few million euros in taxes each year. The EU failed to agree to tax the firms.

France and the United States reached a deal in August to end a standoff over a French tax on big internet companies, with France repaying companies the difference between the French tax and a planned mechanism being drawn up by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The companies can book profit in low-tax countries, such as Ireland and Luxembourg, no matter where revenue originates. Italy’s plan is broadly in line with proposals from the OECD, which last week urged governments to redraw rules for taxing global giants.

● Asia Pacific Trade and Investment Report 2019 was released

The Asia-Pacific Trade and Investment Report (APTIR) was jointly released by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). It is a biennial publication.

The report provides insights into the impact of recent and emerging developments in trade and foreign direct investment (FDI) on countries’ abilities to meet the challenges of achieving sustainable development.

The theme of 2019 APTIR is Navigating Non-tariff Measures (NTMs) towards Sustainable Development.

The report said that Non-tariff measures (NTMs) have increased in the past two decades and are affecting trade and SDGs in Asian countries

NATIONAL

● ISRO to develop Reusable Launch Vehicles

The Indian Space Agency, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), is currently developing a space program for Reusable Launch Vehicles (RLV). The Indian space agency has been testing the RLV since 2016.

The RLV program aims to reduce the launch costs by, well, reusing the spacecraft. Currently, ISRO’s project is using a hybrid design type launch vehicle.

India’s RLV will include a Space Shuttle-like craft that features an air-breathing ramjet engine. This spacecraft will take a payload to space and then glide back to Earth. RLV will land like a normal aircraft. RLV will be designed in a way that it will return under its own power and make a landing on a floating platform out at sea.
So far, the RLV shuttle has been tested over water. It is to be tested over land and make an attempt at an actual landing.

● NITI Aayog launches India Innovation Index 2019: Karnataka tops the Index

NITI Aayog –Institute for Competitiveness as the knowledge partner released the India Innovation Index (III) 2019. Karnataka is the innovative primary state in India.

Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Telangana, Haryana, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Gujarat, and Andhra Pradesh are the remaining ten major states respectively. The ten states in southern and western India. Sikkim and Delhi take the top spots among the northeastern & hill states and union territories/city-states/small states, respectively. Delhi, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh are the most efficient states in translating inputs into output.

The India Innovation Index would create synergies between different stakeholders in the innovation ecosystem, and India would shift to good competitive governance. India has a unique opportunity among its myriad challenges to become the innovation leader in the world.

The India Innovation Index 2019 is calculated as the average of the scores of its two dimensions – Enablers and Performance. The Enablers are grouped in five pillars: (1) Human Capital, (2) Investment, (3) Knowledge Workers, (4) Business Environment, and (5) Safety and Legal Environment. The Performance dimension captures benefits that a nation derives from the inputs, divided into two pillars: (6) Knowledge Output and (7) Knowledge Diffusion.

20th Livestock Census – 2019

The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying released the 20th Livestock Census -2019.

India’s livestock population has increased to over 535 million showing an increase of 4.6 per cent over Livestock Census-2012.

As per livestock census, the share of cattle is around 36 per cent, the goat is over 27 per cent, buffaloes is over 20 per cent, sheep around 14 per cent and pigs around two per cent.

The cow population is over 145 million, increasing by 18 per cent over the previous census.

Among the states, West Bengal reported the highest increase of over 23 per cent in livestock population, followed by Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh.

The livestock census is conducted across the country periodically since 1919.

The census usually covers all domesticated animals and headcounts of these animals are taken.

Goal- A programme for Tribal Women

GOAL (Going Online as Leader) is a Facebook program aimed at inspiring, guiding and encouraging tribal girls from across India to become village-level digital young leaders for their communities.

Launched earlier this year in March, GOAL connects underprivileged young women from tribal areas with senior expert mentors in the areas of business, fashion and arts to learn digital and life skills.

In the second phase of the program, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and Facebook will digitally mentor 5000 young women in India’s tribal-dominated districts, together.

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