India and UAE reiterate commitment to achieve goal of 100bn of bilateral trade in next 5 yrs

• Both countries have also noted the possibility of linking instant payment platforms, such as through the United Payment Interface of India.
• These issues were discussed in the 14th India-UAE Joint Commission Meeting which was co-chaired by External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar and Foreign Minister of UAE Sheikh Abdulla bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi.
• Two MoUs were signed between both sides in the presence of the Ministers. One MoU was signed between the Wildlife Institute of India and the International Fund for Houbara Conservation for the Conservation of the Great Indian Bustard and the Lesser Florican.
• Another MoU was signed between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of UAE and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations on the establishment of the India-UAE Cultural Council Forum.

Centre disburses ₹3,090 cr to defence pensioners in Aug via SPARSH

• Defence Ministry has said that System for Pensions Administration - Raksha or SPARSH has disbursed more than three thousand ninety crore rupees to Defense Pensioners digitally in the month of August this year.
• In another milestone, more than five lakh sixty-two thousand Defence Pensioners migrated successfully on the digital platform of SPARSH in August.
• SPARSH is a web-based system processing pension claims and crediting the pension directly into the bank accounts of defence pensioners without any external intermediary.
• It has grown exponentially with more than 11 thousand 600 crore rupees disbursed in 2021-22, from just about 57 crore rupees in 2020-21.

Paddy cultivation sees decline

• According to the data released by the Union Agriculture Ministry, the decrease in the area of paddy cultivation is 22.90 lakh hectares, 5.62% less than the area covered in 2021.
• States such as Jharkhand (decrease of 9.80 lakh hectares), Madhya Pradesh (6.32 lakh hectares), West Bengal (4.45 lakh hectares), Chhattisgarh (3.91 lakh hectares), Uttar Pradesh (2.61 lakh hectares) and Bihar (2.18 lakh hectares) are the major contributors for the decrease in the cultivated area of paddy in this kharif season.
• Meanwhile, States such as Telangana (increase of 4.71 lakh hectares), Haryana (0.94 lakh hectares), Nagaland (0.78 lakh hectares) and Gujarat (0.55 lakh hectares) showed an increase in the area of cultivation of paddy.
• The coverage of pulses too witnessed a marginal decrease.
• Increase in area in cultivation is reported from States such as Madhya Pradesh (4.08 lakh hectares), Uttar Pradesh (0.22 lakh hectares) and Assam (0.11 lakh hectares) while Maharashtra (decrease of 3.23 lakh hectares), Telangana (1.70 lakh hectares), Jharkhand (1.33 lakh hectares) and Karnataka (0.94 lakh hectares).
• Tur/arhar cultivation was down marginally at 44.86 lakh hectares as against 47.56 lakh hectares in 2021.
• Oilseeds have been cultivated in 188.51 lakh hectares in the country, slightly less than 189.66 lakh hectares of 2021. In the case of sugarcane, the cultivation is 55.65 lakh hectares, a slight increase in the production as compared to 54.70 lakh hectares in 2021 kharif.

Centre approves 60-day special maternity leave in case of infant death

• The DOPT said it had received several queries seeking clarification on grant of leave in case of death of a child soon after birth.
• Keeping in view the potential emotional trauma caused due to stillbirth or death of a child soon after birth, which has a far-reaching impact on the mother’s life, it has now been decided to grant a special maternity leave of 60 days to a female Central government servant.
• The condition for death of a child soon after birth may be defined as up to 28 days after birth. A baby born with no signs of life at or after 28 weeks of gestation may be defined as stillbirth.
• The special maternity leave shall be given only to a woman Central government servant with less than two surviving children.

PM Modi flags off projects worth ₹3,800 cr in Mangaluru

• He remotely dedicated to the nation mechanised Berth No.14 for container and other cargo at the New Mangalore Port Trust.
• He laid the foundation stone for the LPG and Bulk Liquid POL facility and storage tanks at the Port Authority. He also laid the foundation stone for a fishing harbour at Kulai.
• He remotely dedicated the BSVI Upgradation project and seawater desalination project of Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited.
• He also distributed Pradhan Mantri Kisan Cards to fishermen and symbolically handed over sanction letters for high-speed deep sea fishing vessels.

SC declines to entertain plea seeking uniform judicial code across India

• There are currently no laid-down limits on the length of pleadings, but there are specifications regarding the paper, its size, and the typing, etc.
• Under Order VIII (Documents) of The Supreme Court Rules, 2013, “the officers of the Court shall not receive any pleading, petition, affidavit or other document, except original exhibits and certified copies of public documents, unless it is fairly and legibly written.
• These have to be certified by the Advocate-On-Record, who is registered to practise before the SC. Other lawyers, including a senior advocate, can appear before the court only on the instructions from the AoR.

PM Modi unveils new Naval Ensign Nishaan at Cochin Shipyard in Kochi

• The new Naval Ensign bears the seal of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, whose navy gave his enemies sleepless nights.
• The new Ensign has the national flag on the upper canton (top left corner), and a blue octagon encompassing the National Emblem sitting atop an anchor. The anchor, depicting steadfastness, has been superimposed on a shield inscribed with the Navy’s motto, Sam No Varunah, in Devanagari.
• The octagonal shape represents the eight directions, symbolizing the Navy’s multi-directional reach and operational capability. The octagon, with a golden double border, has been inspired by the Raja Mudra — seal — of the Maratha emperor Shivaji, which was adopted when he was only 16 years old.
• The new Naval Ensign has replaced the one that carried the Saint George’s Cross with the Tricolour in the canton.