UTTARAKHAND

Govt releases Rs 68L to 108 ambulance service

In a step which is expected to provide some relief to the cash- strapped 108- emergency ambulance service, the State Government has released a sum of Rs 68.61 lakh. The amount has been released to the Government by the National Health Mission (NHM). Notably, in the absence of the required budgetary support, the emergency ambulance service in Uttarakhand has remained in dire straits. The service requires a monthly budget of Rs two crore to operate its fleet of 141 ambulances and also to pay salaries of the staff. However, non- release of the budget has resulted in their salaries remaining unpaid for the past three months. It is learnt that more than 20 ambulances of the service are now off the road thanks to lack of maintenance and other requirement. Things have come to such a grim pass for the service that the petrol pump operators are reluctant to supply them due to the non-clearance of their past dues.

INTERNATIONAL

· Argentina gets biggest loan in IMF’s history at $57 billion

Argentina has received $57.1 billionfrom the International Monetary Fund (IMF), for boosting the country’s struggling economy.
Argentina had initially secured $50bn in a deal worked out in June after the South American country was battered by a currency crisis, a run on the peso and double-digit inflation.

· Scientists found 59 Indian plant species under IUCN threat categories

Scientists have found that 59 Indian plant speciesare under threat status based on criteria used by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Based on their assessment they assigned each species a threat status based on IUCN criteria. This included the extent and area of each plant’s geographical range, which revealed that 10 species are critically endangered, 18 endangered, 6 vulnerable, 5 near threatenedand one species each are data deficient and least concern.

· India is to gift three MiG-21 fighter jets to Russia

Indiais to gift three MiG-21 fighter jets to Russian President Vladimir Putin is to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi be in New Delhi on October 4 and 5 for the annual summit. The handing over of 3 MiG-21s is based on a request from Russian Defence Minister to Indian Defence Minister. The gifts comprise of one Type 75 aircraft and two Type 77 aircraft.
This is a major symbolic gesture to showcase the all-weather friendship anddeep strategic partnershipbetween India and Russia, which has been put to test in recent times due to changing geopolitical conditions.

MiG-21 is a product of the Soviet Union

It made first flight in 1956 and entered service in 1959. From 1985 Russia stopped producing the aircraft while India continued operating the upgraded variants.

NATIONAL

· India’s first Corn Festival Starts In Madhya Pradesh

In Madhya Pradesh, the first corn festival of the country is being held in Chhindwara. The festival is one of a kind international event.
Madhya Pradesh is one of the largest corn producing states in India, with Chhindwara being the highest corn producing district.

· Indian Railways partners with Google to launch Rail Heritage Digitisation Project

ð The main aim is to showcase India’s rail heritage to the national and international audience in an online storytelling platform.

India Railways has a history of more than 165 years and has a rich heritage that includes the Imperial and the princely railways.

GST Collection Crosses Rs 94,000 Cr In September

Despite reduced tax rates on several items, revenue collection under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) stood at Rs 94,442 crore in September after sliding to Rs 93,960 crore in August.

Of the total gross revenue collected in September (for August), Rs 15,318 crore was collected as Central-GST (CGST), Rs 21,061 crore as state-GST (SGST) and Rs 50,070 crore as integrated-GST (IGST).

· Monsoon 9% deficient, ne states driest

The Southwest Monsoon, which brings rain from June to September, recorded a countrywide deficit of more than 9% this year, with the north-eastern states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura receiving scanty rainfall, according to data from the IMD.

The department has forecast a normal Northeast Monsoon season between October and December for southern India, with the likelihood of above normal rainfall this winter.

Tamil Nadu, coastal Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and south interior Karnataka receive about 30% of their annual rainfall in the period.

The IMD’s forecast for the 2018 Northeast Monsoon season over the southern peninsula is most likely to be normal (89% -111%).

· India ranked 5th in pictorial warnings on cigarette packets: Canadian Cancer Society

According to a report released by the Canadian Cancer Society named Cigarette Package Health Warning International Status Report 2018, India ranked 5th among 206 countries.
This was released in Geneva at the 8th session of the Conference of the Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).
There are now 55 countries/jurisdictions that require at least 65 per cent (on average) of the package, front and back, be covered with a warning.

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