The Plenary Session of North Eastern Council Concludes with A Strategic Roadmap Ahead

• NEC is not a constitutional body, but a statutory organization established in 1971 under the North Eastern Council Act, 1971.
• To function as Apex Regional Planning Body for the North Eastern Region.
• Implementing various projects through the State and Central agencies.
• It comprises Governors and Chief Ministers of all the 8 North-Eastern States and three members nominated by the President.
• In June 2018, Union cabinet approved the nomination of the Home Minister as the ex-officio chairman and Minister for DoNER (Development of North-East Region) as the council’s vice chairman.

4th NICDC Investors'' Roundtable Conference to be held in Mumbai tomorrow

• The 4th NICDC Investors'' Roundtable Conference organized by Maharashtra Industrial Township Limited (MITL).
• The Investors Roundtable Conference has previously been hosted in Delhi, Kochi, and Ahmedabad.
• The 4th edition of the conference will showcase the development of upcoming greenfield industrial cities across India, which have been planned by National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation Limited.
• Currently, four such greenfield smart industrial cities are being developed in Maharashtra in the districts of Aurangabad, Raigad, Satara and Nagpur.
• National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (NICDC) is a Special Purpose Vehicle aiming to develop new industrial cities as "Smart Cities" and converging next generation technologies across infrastructure sectors.
• The programme is aimed at providing impetus to planned urbanization in India with manufacturing as the key driver.

Manesar Anti-Terror 2022 Exercise

• It is under the framework of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS).
• It is stage 2 of the exercise and the Stage-1 of the Exercise was conducted from July 27 to August 1 by the National Counter Terrorist Forces of SCO Member Countries in their respective territories.
• The exercise is aimed at exchanging expertise, best practices and build synergy between the Counter Terrorism Forces of the SCO RATS Member Countries to enhance capabilities for conducting Anti-Terrorist operations and countering other security threats collectively.
• Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) one of the permanent organ of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and has its headquarters in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
• The objective of SCO RATS is to facilitate cooperation and coordination against Terrorism, Extremism and Separatism.
• India assumed the chairmanship of the Council of SCO RATS in Oct 2021.
• Joint Anti-Terror Exercise (JATE) is an annual Counter Terrorist Exercise held within the framework of the SCO RATS.
• The SCO is an eight-member economic and security bloc that India and Pakistan joined as full-time members back in 2017.
• The founding members of this group include China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

Delhi-NCR’s revised action plan ‘GRAP’ to fight air pollution

• The GRAP is a step-by-step plan to counter Delhi-NCR''s deteriorating air quality.
• It was formulated by the Environmental Pollution Prevention and Control Authority (EPCA) jointly with the Delhi government in 2017.
• However, it is an emergency response mechanism and is only enforced when air pollution reaches a certain threshold.
• Moreover, the plan is incremental and adaptable, which means the preventive measures will be updated and escalated according to changes in the AQI.
• It has been prepared for implementation under different Air Quality Index (AQI) categories namely, Moderate & Poor, Very Poor, Severe, Severe+ and Emergency as per National Air Quality Index.
  • ‘Moderate’ to ‘poor’ categoryincludes measures like stringent enforcement of PUC checks, prevention of waste burning and regulating polluting industries.
  • The ‘very poor’ categoryincludes measures like shutting down of diesel generator sets and enhancing parking fees.
  • The ‘severe’ and ‘severe plus’ categories include stringent measures like shutting down hot mix plants and stone crushers, intensifying public transport, stopping entry of trucks into Delhi, stopping construction activity and even implementing the odd-even scheme.

India''s Direct Tax Collections Rise 23.8 Per Cent To Rs 8.98 Lakh Crore Till 8 October

• It is an increase of 16.3% over the tax inflows during the corresponding period a year ago.
• Based on provisional data, net personal income tax collections grew 17.35%, rising faster than corporate income tax collections that were up 16.29% net of refunds.
• Securities Transaction Tax (STT) collections combined with personal income tax receipts, grew at a more moderate 16.25%.
• Underlining that direct tax collections continue to register a steady growth, the Ministry said tax refunds had jumped 81% over the preceding year to touch ₹1.53 lakh crore.
• Net direct tax collections had crossed ₹7 lakh crore by September 17, 2022 and were 23.3% higher at the time, so there appears to have been a moderation in tax inflows in the intervening three weeks.
• Gross revenues from direct taxes were at ₹8,36,225 crore on September 17, reflecting a 30.2% growth.

World Post Day is observed each year on October 9 across the world.

• The day is celebrated to commemorate the date of the establishment of the Universal Postal Union (UPU).
• It was instituted at the 1969 UPU Congress in Tokyo, Japan.
• Theme: The theme for World Post Day 2022 is ''Post for Planet''.
• Universal Postal Union (UPU): The Universal Postal Union (UPU) was started in 1874 in Switzerland.
• The world''s first official airmail flight took place in India on February 18, 1911.
• The Indian Post Office Act 1898 was passed by the legislature on March 22, 1898. It became active on July 1, 1898.
• In Independent India, the first official postal stamp was issued on November 21, 1947. The new stamp depicted the Indian flag with the patriots'' slogan ''Jai Hind''.

China more self-reliant in defence production, outranks India by massive margin, says study

• The 12 countries in the study were selected because they have the highest military spending in the region — Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.
• The study, which measures self-reliance until 2020, is based on three indicators of self-reliance in each country:
  • Arms procurement
  • Arms industry
  • Uncrewed maritime vehicles
• China was the world’s fifth largest arms importer in 2016-20.
• Its self-reliance policies, and its high economic growth in that period meant that the Chinese arms industry now increasingly fulfills the requirements of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
• Its high volume of imports in absolute terms accounts for only 8 per cent of total procurement for the period, the lowest share for any of the 12 governments.
• India is ranked as the second largest importer of arms for its armed forces in 2016-20. India is highly dependent on imports of complete foreign major arms, including many produced under licence or as components for its domestic production.
• Of India’s total volume of procurement in 2016–20, 84 per cent was of foreign origin. Domestic arms companies provide only 16 per cent of its total procurement.
• Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, Indian Ordnance Factories, Bharat Electronics, Mazagaon Docks and Cochin Shipyard are among the major Indian arms servicing companies. Ashok Leyland, one of the largest suppliers of trucks to the Indian Army, is the only company ranked in the top 50 in the Indo-Pacific.
• India has seven Uncrewed Maritime Vessel projects ongoing. In the private sector, Larsen & Toubro has been developing AUV prototypes on its own and in collaboration with foreign partners, such as Italy’s EdgeLab.

The Pradhan Mantri National Apprenticeship Mela to be conducted in 280 locations across India on October 10th, 2022

• It is being organised by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, as part of the Skill India Mission to boost career opportunities and practical training among the youth.
• Every month, the apprenticeship mela will be hosted wherein selected individuals will receive a monthly stipend in accordance with government criteria for gaining new skill.
• To be eligible to apply, the students must have a 5th-12th grade pass certificate, a skill training certificate, an ITI Diploma, or a graduate degree to participate.
• Candidates will also earn National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET)-recognized certifications, improving their employability after the training.

National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS):

• The National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS), launched in 2016, aims to promote apprenticeship training in the country by providing stipend support to the apprentices, undertake capacity building of the apprenticeship ecosystem and provide advocacy assistance to support rapid growth.
• To develop skilled manpower for the industry by promotion of on-the-job experiential training.
• To encourage establishments to enrol apprentices by sharing partial stipend support to the apprentices.
• To provide up-skilling opportunities for candidates who have undergone short-term skill training.
• To encourage enrolment of apprentices in small establishments (MSMEs), and those located in under served areas like in aspirational districts and in North-East region.

Sharad Purnima being celebrated in country on October 9.

• This religious festival is celebrated on the full moon day of the Hindu lunar month of Ashvin.
• It is also known as the Arogya Parv or Health Festival. It is also known as Kaumudi, or Kojagari Purnima.
• The full-moon night is celebrated differently in different cultural regions of the country.
• On this auspicious day, many divine pairs like Radha Krishna, Shiva Parvati, and Lakshmi Narayan are worshipped along with the moon and are offered flowers and kheer (a sweet dish made of rice and milk).
• Deities in temples are usually dressed in white, signifying the brightness of the moon.
• It is also observed as a harvest festival in many states across the country.

Pune Terriers observe 73rd Territorial Army Day

• It aims to commemorate its raising by the first Governor General C Rajagopalachari on this day in 1949.
• The Territorial Army (TA) was raised by the Britishers in 1920 through Indian Territorial Act of 1920 and it was org into two wings namely - ''The Auxiliary Force'' for Europeans & Anglo-Indians and ''The Indian Territorial Force'' for Indian Volunteers.
• After Independence Territorial Army Act was passed in 1948 and the Territorial Army was formally inaugurated by the first Indian Governor General Shri C Rajagopalachari on 09 Oct 1949.
• The Territorial Army is part of Regular Army and its present role is to relieve the Regular Army from static duties and assist civil administration in dealing with natural calamities and maintenance of essential services in situations where life of the communities is affected or the Security of the Country is threatened and to provide units for Regulars Army as and when required.