Consumer Price Index
- It measures price changes from the point of view of the retail buyer. It is published by the National Statistics Office (NSO).
- CPI measures the difference in prices of goods and services purchased by Indian consumers for consumption such as food, medicine, education, electronics etc.
- CPI has several sub-categories including Food & Beverage, Fuel & Light, Home & Apparel, Bedding & Footwear.
- The base year for CPI is 2012.
Four types:
- CPI for Industrial Workers (IW).
- CPI for Agricultural Laborer (AL).
- CPI for Rural Labor (RL).
- CPI (Rural/Urban/Combined)
NAFED
- National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Limited (NAFED) is the apex body of marketing cooperatives for agricultural produce in India.
- Established on 2nd October 1958 to promote trade in agricultural produce and forest resources across the country.
- It is registered under the Multi-State Co-operative Societies Act, 1958.
- NAFED is now one of the largest procurement and marketing organizations for agricultural produce in India.
- Headquarters – New Delhi,
- NAFED has four regional offices in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata and 28 regional offices in state capitals and major cities.
- The objectives of NAFED are marketing, processing and storage of agricultural, horticultural and forest produce, distribution of agricultural machinery, implements and other inputs, inter-state, import and export trade etc., to organise, promote and develop.
National Disaster Relief Fund
- The National Disaster Relief Fund is defined in Section 46 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005 (DM Act) as a fund administered by the Central Government to meet the expenses of emergency response, relief and rehabilitation due to any threatening disaster situation or calamity.
- It is kept under “Non Interest Paying Reserve Fund” in “General Account” of Government of India.
- Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) audits NDRF accounts.
Monitoring:
- The Department of Agriculture and Cooperatives under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare oversees relief operations for disasters related to drought, hail, insect attacks and cold wave/freeze, while the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) oversees the rest of the natural disasters.
Science and Technology
Piperjoy storm
- It originated in the Arabian Sea.
- ‘Pibarjoy’ was suggested by Bangladesh and the word means ‘disaster’ in Bengali language.
- The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that the South East Arabian Sea is a low pressure area south of Porbandar, Gujarat.
Most affected area
- Coastal areas of Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra
Rafale
- The Rafale is a 4th generation Aircraft with twin-engine, multi-role fighter aircraft. According to Dassault, it is capable of carrying out all combat missions: air defence, interception, ground support, in-depth strikes, reconnaissance, anti-ship strikes and nuclear deterrence.
- These two squadrons will be like a spearhead or an arrowhead for the IAF formations. They will be used for the long range possessions attack missions.
- India to buy 26 Rafales, 3 Scorpene submarines from France
ECONOMY
Multidimensional Poverty Index 2023
- In a span of 15 years, a staggering 415 million people in India have escaped the clutches of poverty.
- In 2005/2006, India faced a poverty incidence of 55.1%. During this time, approximately 645 million people were living in poverty. However, through concerted efforts and effective policies, India has witnessed a significant decline in poverty rates. The latest figures show that the poverty incidence has dropped to 16.4% in 2019/2021.
Dimensions of Poverty
- Health – Nutrition Child mortality
- Education – Years of schooling, School attendance
- Standard of living – Cooking fuel, Sanitation, Drinking water, Electricity, Housing,