Fiscal deficit reined in, CAD a concern: Finance Ministry

• Identifying elevated inflation and a widening trade deficit as ‘twin challenges’ for the economy, the Ministry, however, emphasised that economic activity in the country remained resilient almost five months into the Russian-Ukraine conflict.
• Data released recently showed the trade deficit widened in June to an all-time high of $26.2 billion as imports surged past $66 billion.
• Retail inflation eased slightly to 7.01% in June, and the Ministry attributed it to measures taken by the government and the central bank as well as fears of a global recession that had dragged oil prices lower.

India''s 1st Monkeypox case reported in Kerala

• Monkeypox initially presents like any tropical disease with fever, headache, joint ache and possible swelling of the lymph glands. The incubation period for the disease — the time from exposure to the virus to the manifestation of symptoms — ranges from five to 21 days.
• Rashes appear on the face, inside palms and the body one to four days after fever.
• The course of the disease could last two to four weeks, during which time the rashes progress into pustules, vesicular lesions and scabs.
• Transmission happens only through close contact and by touching or sharing the clothes or bedding used by the patient, because the lesions usually have a high viral load. Transmission also extends throughout the course of the illness, till the lesions heal.

Spike in production of vegetables, fruits

• Last year, the total horticulture cultivation was on 27.48 million hectares and according to the second advanced estimates, in 2021-22, it could be 27.74 million hectares.
• The Centre said that while there could be an increase in the production of fruits, vegetables and honey, the cultivation of spices, flowers, medicinal plants and plantation crops could decrease over previous year.
• The fruit production is estimated at 107.1 MT compared to 102.48 MT in 2020-21. The production of vegetables is estimated to be 204.61 MT, compared to 200.45 MT in 2020-21.
• In the case of onion, the production is estimated to be 31.7 MT against 26.64 MT in 2020-21. Potato production is likely to be 53.58 MT, from 56.17 MT in 2020-21. Tomato yield is expected to be 20.34 MT, from 21.18 MT in 2020-21. Farmers of the three crops had agitated against the drop in prices last year.

Debut edition of India''s second largest entrance exam ''CUET-UG'' to begin on July 15

• With 14.9 lakh registrations, the CUET, the common gateway for undergraduate admission in all Central universities, is now the second biggest entrance exam surpassing the average registration of nine lakh of the Joint Entrance Examination (Main).
• The National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test-Undergraduate is the biggest entrance test in India with an average of 18 lakh registrations.
• The CUET (UG)–2022 has been scheduled for approximately 14,90,000 candidates, with around 8.1 lakh candidates in the first slot and 6.8 lakh candidates in the second, University Grants Commission (UGC) said.
• The exam will be conducted in two phases. The first phase will be held in July and the second in August. Candidates who have opted for physics, chemistry or biology have been assigned for Phase 2, as the NEET(UG) will be held on July 17.
• The exam will be conducted from July 15 to August 20 at exam centres located in over 500 cities across India and 10 cities abroad. The UGC chief announced in March that a CUET score, and not Class 12 marks, would be mandatory for admission to 45 Central universities.

India to give land for I2U2-backed food parks

• The plan for the “integrated food parks” was announced in a joint statement after the leaders of the I2U2 grouping — India, Israel, the UAE and the U.S. — held a summit recently.
• The leaders said they would bring in private capital for specific projects in the fields of water, energy, transportation, health, space and food security.
• S. and Israeli private sectors will be invited to lend their expertise and offer innovative solutions that contribute to the overall sustainability of the project. These investments will help maximise crop yields which, in turn, will help tackle food insecurity in South Asia and the Middle East. India will “facilitate farmers’ integration into the food parks.
• The food parks aimed at cutting down “food waste and spoilage” are a few of the collaborations that the four countries declared after the summit.
• The UAE will invest $2 billion in India to create the food parks.

Platform of Platforms (PoP) Under The National Agriculture Market (e-NAM)

• Equity grant of over Rs 37 crore was also released to 1,018 Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) that will benefit about 3.5 lakh farmers.
• With the introduction of POP, farmers will be facilitated to sell the produce outside their state borders. This will increase farmers'' digital access to multiple markets, buyers and service providers and bring transparency in business transactions with the aim of improving price search mechanism and quality commensurate price realisation.
• e-NAM integrates the platform of Service Providers as "Platform of Platforms" which includes Composite Service Providers, Logistics Service Provider, Quality Assurance Service Provider, Cleaning, Grading, Sorting & Packaging Service Provider etc.

CCPA issues Advisory to e-commerce platforms on sale of Ayurvedic, Siddha and Unani drugs

• E-commerce platforms have been advised that the sale or facilitating the sale of such drugs shall be done only after a valid prescription of a registered Ayurveda, Siddha or Unani practitioner respectively is uploaded by the user on the platform.
• Consuming such drugs without medical supervision can lead to severe health complications.
• As per Rule 161(2) of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945, the container of a medicine for internal use for the treatment of human ailments shall, if it is made up of a substance specified in Schedule E (1), be labelled conspicuously with the words “Caution: To be taken under medical supervision” both in English and Hindi language.
• Under Section 18 of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, CCPA is empowered to protect, promote and enforce the rights of consumers as a class, and prevent violation of consumers’ rights. Further, CCPA is empowered to prevent unfair trade practices and ensure that no person engages himself in unfair trade practices.

Department of Consumer Affairs sets up committee to develop comprehensive framework on the Right to Repair

• The committee includes Anupam Mishra, Joint Secretary DoCA; Justice Paramjeet Singh Dhaliwal; G.S. Bajpai, Chancellor, Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, Patiala; Ashok Patil, Chair of Consumer Law and Practice; and representatives from stakeholders including ICEA, SIAM, consumer activists and consumer organisations as members.
• The key sectors identified for this framework include Farming Equipment, Mobile Phones/ Tablets, Consumer Durables and Automobiles & Automobile Equipment.
• The committee also believes that manufacturers encourage a culture of ‘planned obsolescence’. “This is a system whereby the design of any gadget is such that it lasts a particular time only and after that particular period it has to be mandatorily replaced.
• The right to repair has been recognised in many countries, including the US, the UK and the European Union.

Project 17A frigate ''Dunagiri'' to be launched

• Christened after a mountain range in the state of Uttarakhand, ‘Dunagiri’ is the fourth ship of P17A Frigates.
• These are follow-on of the P17 Frigates (Shivalik Class) with improved stealth features, advanced weapons and sensors and platform management systems.
• The first two ships of P17A Project, were launched in 2019 and 2020 at MDL and GRSE respectively. The third ship (Udaygiri) was launched at MDL on 17 May 2022 earlier this year.
• P17A ships have been designed in-house by Indian Navy’s Directorate of Naval Design (DND), which has successfully spear-headed design of numerous class of indigenous warships in the past.

Ahmedabad, Kerala In TIME Magazine''s List of World''s Greatest Places of 2022

• These are two major tourist destinations in India. Besides Ahmedabad and Kerala, other cities which made to the list of top 50 include Seoul, Buahan in Bali, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, and many more.
• TIME described Kerala as ‘one of India’s most beautiful states.
• It described Ahmedabad as India’s first UNESCO World Heritage City, and a city which “boasts both ancient landmarks and contemporary innovations.