Current Context :  Union Commerce and Industry Minister, Piyush Goyal launched the Trade Connect ePlatform provide comprehensive information on exports and imports.

• The online platform will be a one-stop medium for information about regulations, Free Trade Agreements, events, partnerships, customs, tariffs and concessions, and an overview of overseas buyers.
• it aims to assist both new and existing entrepreneurs by offering real-time access to trade-related data.
• The platform will be regularly updated and expanded to include additional services by 2025.
• It is developed in collaboration with the Ministry of MSME, EXIM Bank, TCS, Department of Financial Services (DFS), and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

Current Context:  Cabinet approves ‘Mission Mausam’ to create a more weather-ready and climate-smart Bharat with an outlay of Rs.2,000 crore over two years.

About Mission Mausam 

• It is envisaged to be a multi-faceted and transformative initiative to tremendously boost India’s weather and climate-related science, research, and services.
• Implemented by the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES)
• Timeframe : The mission runs until 2026.
• Procurement Goals :
• Up to 60 weather radars.
• 15 wind profilers.
• 15 radiosondes.
• Purpose: To provide regular updates on windspeeds, atmospheric pressure, humidity, and temperature at different atmospheric elevations.

Current Context :  Afghanistan set to begin work on TAPI pipeline.

• Progress on the TAPI pipeline running through Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India has been repeatedly delayed because of security issues in conflict-ravaged Afghanistan.

ABOUT TURKMENISTAN-AFGHANISTAN-PAKISTAN-INDIA (TAPI) GAS PIPELINE :

• It is an ambitious international infrastructure initiative aimed at transporting natural gas from Turkmenistan to India.
• Length : Approximately 1,814 kilometers long
• Capacity to transport up to 33 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas per year.
• Participant nations :
• Turkmenistan : Source of the gas.
• Afghanistan : Transit country, expected to gain from transit fees and infrastructure development.
• Pakistan : Transit country and an importer of gas.
• India : Final destination and major consumer of the gas.
• Supported by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Current Context : Nagaland government has approved the implementation of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) in Chumoukedima, Niuland, and Dimapur districts.

About ILP :

• The permit is an official travel document issued by the state government which allows entry of foreigners and Indian citizens of other states into Nagaland for a limited period.
• It is obligatory for Indian citizens from outside those states to obtain a permit for entering into the protected state.
• The ILP system is based on the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation of 1873, which established an “inner line” to limit movement in certain areas. The ILP is intended to protect the region’s wildlife, natural resources, and culture, and to help resolve illegal migration.
• The states which require the permit are: Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Nagaland

Current Context : The Union Cabinet has approved the proposal for implementation of scheme titled ‘PM Electric Drive Revolution in Innovative Vehicle Enhancement (PM E-DRIVE) Scheme’. 

• The scheme has an outlay of Rs 10,900 crore over a period of two years and a Payment Security Mechanism (PSM) of ₹3,435.33 crore under PM-eBus Sewa in a boost to electrification of vehicles.

The major components of the scheme are as under:

• Subsidies and Incentives :Total subsidies/demand incentives of Rs.3,679 crore.
• Targets:79 lakh e-2Ws, 3.16 lakh e-3Ws, 14,028 e-buses.

Features:

• e-Vouchers System : Introduction of Aadhaar-authenticated e-vouchers for EV buyers.
  • Process involves buyer and dealer signatures, and e-voucher submission on the PM E-DRIVE portal.
• e-Ambulances : Allocation of Rs.500 crore for e-ambulances.
  • Performance and safety standards to be set in consultation with relevant ministries.
• e-Buses : 4,391 crore allocated for 14,028 e-buses for STUs/public transport agencies.
  • Focus on nine major cities and intercity/interstate buses.
  • Preference for buses replacing old vehicles through authorized scrapping centers.
• e-Trucks : Rs.500 crore allocated for incentivizing e-trucks.Incentives for trucks with scrapping certificates from approved centers.
• Public Charging Stations:2,000 crore for installing 22,100 fast chargers for e-4Ws, 1,800 for e-buses, and 48,400 for e-2W/3Ws.

Hindi Diwas, or Hindi Day, is celebrated annually on September 14th in India.

• The day commemorates the adoption of Hindi as one of the official languages of India.
• Aim : to commemorate the date 14 September 1949 on which a compromise was reached during the drafting of the Constitution of India—on the languages that were to have official status in the Republic of India.

Current Context : The Indian team topped the medals table in the second World Deaf shooting championship in Hannover, Germany

• India won total 20 medals, including seven gold, seven silver and six Bronze to top the tally.
• Ukraine finished second with 19 medals including seven gold, five silver and seven bronze
• Germany was third with two gold, one silver and one bronze medal

FULL LIST OF INDIAN MEDALISTS

GOLD MEDALS :

• Anuya Prasad – 10m Air Pistol Women Final
• Dhanush Srikanth– 10m Air Rifle Men Final
• Mahit Sandhu – 50m Rifle Prone Women
• Shourya Saini– 50m Rifle 3 Positions Men
• Mahit Sandhu – 50m Rifle 3 Positions Women
• Abhinav Deshwal – 25m Standard Pistol Men (Shared Gold)
• India I (Dhanush Srikanth, Mahit Sandhu) – 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team

SILVER MEDALS

• Abhinav Deshwal – 10m Air Pistol Men Final
• Mahit Sandhu – 10m Air Rifle Women Final
• Natasha Uday Joshi– 10m Air Rifle Women Final
• Abhinav Deshwal– 25m Pistol Men
• Shourya Saini – 10m Air Rifle Men Final
• India II (Mohammed Murtaza Vania, Natasha Uday Joshi) – 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team
• India I (Abhinav Deshwal, Pranjali Prashant Dhumal) – 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team

BRONZE MEDALS

• Shubham Vashist – 10m Air Pistol Men Final
• Chetan Hanmant Sapkal – 25m Rapid Fire Pistol Men
• Chetan Hanmant Sapkal – 25m Standard Pistol Men
• Mohammed Murtaza Vania– 10m Air Rifle Men Final
• Natasha Uday Joshi – 50m Rifle Prone Women
• Pranjali Dhumal– 25m Pistol Women

ABOUT WORLD DEAF ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS

• It is a quadrennial global competitions in the sport of athletics for deaf people.
• It is organised by the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf and was first held in

Current Context : Wrestler Jyoti Berwal clinched a gold medal in the women’s 76 kg freestyle category at the U20 World Championships in Pontevedra, Spain.

• Jyoti defeated Ukraine’s Mariia Orlevych in the final.
• This was India’s second consecutive world U20 title in women’s 76 kg after Priya Malik claimed it in the 2023 edition.

Current Context : Former Union Minister and Rajya Sabha member Suresh Prabhu nominated to the World Agriculture Forum (WAF) Board.

• Aims to bring together prominent thought leaders, innovators, policy-makers, business CEOs and heads of global institutions in the agricultural sector to address critical issues related to food and nutrition security, sustainable practices, and policy and trade agenda.
• The World Agriculture Forum (WAF) is a significant international platform focused on advancing agricultural development and addressing global food security challenges.
• Founded in 1997
• Chairman : Rudy Rabbinge

Current Context : The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) has suspended the approval for PresVu, a drug that its maker Entod Pharmaceuticals had claimed can reduce the dependence on wearing glasses in adults suffering from a condition called presbyopia

ABOUT PRESBYOPIA

• Presbyopia is a refractive error that makes it hard for middle-aged and older adults to see things up close.
• It happens as the lens stops focusing light correctly on the retina (a light-sensitive layer of tissue at the back of the eye).
• With the age, the lens in eye gets harder and less flexible.
• It usually develop at around the age of 40.