• Having abundant raw material for handicrafts such as wood, marble, leather, metals, copper, etc. and rising trend in production, Rajasthan has exported handicraft items worth 6,205.32 crore in the last fiscal year 2020-21.
• Besides, gem and jewellery worth Rs 4,067.36 crore, textiles worth Rs 5,729.29 crore, readymade garments worth Rs 1,764.40 crore and carpet/dari worth Rs 464.70 crore were exported from the state during the fiscal year.
• At a recently-held Investment Rajasthan summit in October 2022 for the development of handicrafts and uplift of the artisans, for the first time, handicrafts were included as a thrust sector of the Rajasthan Investment Promotion Scheme for additional benefits of the state government. With an aim to further boost the investment on cultural heritage in the state the Rajasthan Handicraft Policy 2022 was introduced in September, 2022.
• The focus of the policy is to support the state’s handicraftsmen and weavers, acknowledging their significant involvement in the social and economic development as well as their access to technological advancements. The policy also assists with marketing, financial, social security by way of inclusion of clusters and craft villages concept.
• “The prime objective of the policy was to set up the essential infrastructure in the state for the sector. The policy focuses on empowering handicraftsmen by ensuring participation and generating new employment opportunities. It also aims at making the state’s products exportable.”
• The policy with the provisions like organising the national level handicrafts week every year, state level awards in various categories, brand building, e-marketing, social security, loan facility, scholarship and assistance for participation in fair exhibitions as well as craft villages empowers artisans. It also includes provisions for the handicraft parks, design centres, sales centres, and the creation of a Directorate of Handicraft. The new policy is also expected to generate more than 50,000 new jobs in the next five years, according to the Minister’s claim.
• According to India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF), the demand for Indian handicraft products has constantly been increasing in foreign markets due to their individuality and beauty. The major handicraft export destinations for India are the US, the UK, Latin America and Caribbean (LAC), Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, the UAE and Switzerland.
• The USA is the top importer of Indian handicrafts with a share of 38 percent of the total exports during 2020-21. India exports carpet to over 70 countries worldwide, primarily to the US, Australia, and Europe. The largest carpet export destinations for India are the US, Germany, the UK and Australia with a share of about 57 percent, 6 percent, 6 percent, and 5 percent, respectively.

• Union Minister of State for Prime Minister’s Office and Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Dr. Jitendra Singh will inaugurate the three-day ‘Kashmir Expo Start-ups for Livelihood’ event in Srinagar.
• The Expo is being organised under the aegis of the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India at Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) Srinagar in association with National Innovation Foundation-India. Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha will represent the Jammu and Kashmir governments at the event.
• About 55 start-ups from across the country are participating in this start-up exhibition being organised in the Convention Centre. In this three-day exhibition, youth who have started with innovation in various fields will also come to display their products, technology, and services.
• It is worth mentioning that the Central government is making continuous and effective efforts towards creating employment opportunities in the rural areas of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and providing better employment to the local people.
• To meet this objective, the three-day ‘Kashmir Expo Start-up for Livelihood’ is being organised in Srinagar.

• In the Kashmir Valley, farmers are happy with the bumper Saffron crop this year. The GI Certification of Kashmiri Saffron by Geographical Indications Registry would prevent adulteration into it.
• The GI Certification will also put an end to the marketing of Saffron cultivated in other countries under the garb of being produced in Kashmir.
• Kashmiri Saffron is cultivated and harvested in the Karewas (highlands) of Jammu and Kashmir and has been assigned Geographical Indication (GI) tag by the Geographical Indications Registry.
• The spice is grown in Pulwama, Budgam, Kishtwar, and Srinagar regions of Jammu & Kashmir.
• Iran is the largest producer of saffron in the world and India is a close competitor.
• However, with the GI tag of Kashmir saffron, India becomes the only Saffron producing Country for which GI has been assigned which will result in more prominence in the export market thereby boosting exports as well as helping the farmers to get the best remunerative price for economic sustainability.
• Kashmir is having the distinction of producing one of the best saffron in the world, therefore it should be our individual, collective and moral responsibility to preserve this golden spice not only for a large number of families directly associated with the cultivation of saffron but for generations to come.

• Prime Minister unveiled the logo, theme and website of India’s G20 Presidency through video conferencing. India will assume G20 Presidency from the 1st of December.
• It offers a unique opportunity for India to contribute to the global agenda on pressing issues of international importance.
• He said, the symbol of the G-20 logo is the representation of hope. Mr Modi said, the symbol of the Lotus in the logo portrays the cultural heritage and faith of India in bringing the world together.
• The seven petals on the Lotus represent the seven continents of the globe and also the seven notes of music. Mr Modi said, G-20 will bring the world together in harmony.
• India has led the world with initiatives like One Sun, One World, and One Grid in conserving renewable energy.
• The Prime Minister added that the mantra of One Earth, One Family, One Future in G-20 will pave a path for global welfare.
• Prime Minister Modi said G-20 is the premier forum for international economic cooperation. It represents around 85 per cent of the global GDP, over 75 per cent of the worldwide trade, and about two-thirds of the world population.
• Pointing out that G-20 is not solely an event of the central government, Prime Minister Modi requested the State governments as well as all the political parties to actively take part in this endeavour.
• He said that the event is organised by Indians and the G-20 is a great opportunity for us to showcase a glimpse of our tradition of Guest is God.
• He informed that the events related to G-20 will not be limited to Delhi or a few places but programmes will be held in every corner of the country.

• The Lawrence School, Sanawar, along with its alumni association, The Old Sanawarian Society, is organising a Cyclothon Tour De Sanawar 2022, on the school premises on November 6.
• More than 150 cyclists, including students, amateurs, professionals and mountain bikers, from across North India will participate in the cyclothon sponsored by Hero Cycles.
• The first edition of the Tour-De-Sanawar cyclothon was held in

About The Lawrence School, Sanawar:

• Founded by Sir Henry and Lady Honoria Lawrence, Sanawar is believed to be the first co-educational boarding school in the world. On the 15th of April 1847, a group of 14 boys and girls camped at the top of the foothills of the Himalayas.
• The tradition of military training at Sanawar has always been strong and of such a high standard that several contingents of boys were enlisted from the School and sent straight to the battlefields of the Great War. In appreciation of this, the School was re designated in 1920 as the“Lawrence Royal Military School”.

• The first voter of Independent India, Shyam Saran Negi (106), died . He had cast vote through postal ballot on November 2 due to his frail health for the 34th time for the upcoming Vidhan Sabha poll scheduled for November 12.
• Saran, who had been a symbol of democracy, died in the wee hours at Kalpa, his native place in Kinnaur. He was cremated with state honours.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who addressed a rally at Sundernagar and Solan, paid tributes to Negi. “His spirit towards strengthening democracy was admirable and this time too he did not miss the opportunity to cast his vote. He always motivated everyone, especially the youth, to exercise their right to franchise,” said Modi in his address. Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur too condoled his death.
• He earned the distinction of becoming the first voter of Independent India by virtue of being part of a polling team which cast its vote before others on October 25, 1951. Since elections could not be held simultaneously in Kinnaur with rest of the nation in February 1952 due to extreme cold and snow, polling was held before the onset of winters in the tribal areas, including Kinnaur.
• This time, too, he was keen to take part in the November 12 poll but due to his frail health, he cast postal ballot at his home in Kalpa on November 2.
• Negi would vividly recount that he cast his first vote at the Shonthong polling station as part of the poling party which had to trek long distances to conduct polling at Purvani, Ribba, Moarang and Nesong villages

• An Indian firm is planning to ferry tourists near space in a spaceship attached to a unique high-altitude balloon system by 2025.
• Inspired by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, the Mumbai-based Space Aura Aerospace Technology Pvt Ltd company has begun to build a space capsule measuring 10 feet x 8 feet, which can carry six tourists besides the pilot into space at a time. However, the space capsule will remain within 35 km radius above the earth.
• The company presented a prototype of the space capsule named SKAP 1 at a science exhibition ‘Akash Tatva’ here, which got great response from scientists and common people alike.
• According to Space Aura founder and CEO Akash Porwal, the firm has set itself a target of 2025 for beginning its flight into space.
• Two places have been identified in Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh, from where the flight into space can be launched, and a decision in this regard will be taken soon, he said.
• The company is busy trying to achieve its target with the help of scientists from ISRO and TIFR, Porwal said.
• Equipped with all modern facilities, life saving and information systems, the space capsule will be propelled by a balloon filled with helium or hydrogen gas up to 30 to 35 kilometre above the sea level, where space tourists can witness the earth’s curvature and the blackness of space for around 1 hour, he said.
• The space balloon will slowly be deflated and a parachute will be unpacked to bring down the spaceship. At a definite point the space balloon will be detached from the space capsule and the tourists will be brought down safely.
• “Our objective is to attract space tourists to India by presenting to them a mix of space tourism and Indian culture,” Porwal said.
• “In comparison to Space X and Blue Origin, our company will help space tourists go to space at a much lower cost,” he said.
• Though the fare for a flight in the spaceship has not been decided, it is likely to be nearly Rs 50 lakh.

• Aiming to ensure legal protection for persons afflicted with HIV at the workplace, the Union Health Ministry has notified the HIV and AIDS Policy for Establishments, 2022 as provided under Section 12 of the HIV and AIDS (Prevention & Control) Act, 2017. The policy is applicable to all establishments as defined in the Act to eliminate HIV & AIDS-related stigma and discrimination in various workplace settings.
• The Model Policy needs to be adopted by all establishments that have carried out the production, supply, or distribution of goods or services for a period of twelve months or more. It is non-discrimination against people infected with and affected by HIV and AIDS and provides confidentiality to a person’s HIV status and related data. The establishment has also been mandated to set up a redressal mechanism in the form of a complaints officer.
• “The Model Policy imposes strict obligations on the establishment and the complaints officer to adopt data management policies and establish data management committees where the establishment collects HIV-related data,” said an official from the Ministry about the key features of the policy.
• “As per the policy, establishments with 100 or more staff must appoint a complaints officer to handle any grievances under the policy and appoint additional complaints officers for each office of such establishment having 100 or more staff. The model policy also imposes certain obligations on the complaints officer such as publishing annual reports, filing half-yearly action reports to the appropriate authorities, etc,” added the official.
• The Model Policy requires every State Government to appoint a state-level Ombudsman who will take care of all complaints made under the act while it will be mandatory on the establishments to conduct annual workshops and awareness programmes for all employees and orientation training for complaints officer(s).
• “So far 18 States/UTs have already notified the State Rules under the HIV and AIDS (Prevention & Control) Act 2017 and 25 States/UTs have appointed Ombudsman. Besides, over 1000 Complaints Officers have been designated at establishments in States/UTs”, informed Nidhi Kesarwani, Director of National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) under the Union Health Ministry.
• India is committed to ‘Ending the AIDS epidemic as a public health threat by 2030 in line with Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Sustained commitment and action are required at all levels to address the challenges ahead and achieve desired outcomes, added Alok Saxena, Additional Secretary & Director General, NACO.

• Devtamura, a nondescript place in Tripura where panels of 15th-century rock carvings exist on the steep slopes of a hill along the banks of the Gomati river, is poised to welcome tourists, thanks to an initiative of the state government.
• The carvings have 37 sculptures of Hindu deities like Shiva, Ganesha, Kartikeya, Mahishasur Mardini, and Durga on the Kalajhari Hills.
• It is not known who carved the figures of gods and goddesses in this remote place inhabited by Jamatiya and Reang tribes.
• The chiselled wonder also known as Chabimura, 75 km from the state capital Agartala, had been pushed to obscurity by decades-old insurgency and a lack of proper infrastructures like roads and accommodation facilities.
• State Tourism Minister Pranajit Singha Roy said the tourism infrastructure of the state is being developed so that footfalls of visitors increase to the archaeological site at Devtamura.
• “Tourism brings together different cultures and creates good people-to-people relationships. We are attaching maximum importance to this sector and creating more infrastructure to increase footfalls of tourists”, he said.
• The state is witnessing a steady rise in the number of tourists after the coronavirus pandemic, the minister said.
• The complete stretch of 12 km between Amarpur, a sub-divisional town, to Devtamura in the Gomati district was recently widened, a tourist lodge was constructed and a boating facility was introduced to attract more visitors, Singha Roy said.
• One can reach the banks of the Gomati river in a car and then undertake the rest of the journey on boat.
• Historian Jahar Acharjee, who studied the carvings for his article on rock-cut sculpture, wrote that available evidence suggests that some soldiers, who were hiding in the area during a Muslim attack in the 15th century, had made them.
• The area also deserves to find a place in the tourists’ diary for its lush green vegetation dotted with beautiful bamboo-straw huts of tribals.
• The hill ranges are covered with thick jungles and the area is also an eco-tourism centre.
• The first panel measures 10.3 metre in (height), is spread over a length of 28 metre, and is south-facing. The monolith on which the carvings were done stands at an almost 90-degree angle.
• The area to the right of the panel extends up to 60 metre where some other sculptures existed. At present, some of them have been lost due to weathering and sliding of the rock panels.
• The second image of Mahishasur Mardini, about one km away from the first panel, stands at a height of over 10 metre from the river bed. It is the largest of all carvings and the locals worship the deity as Chakrak-Ma.
• The carving is 10.7 metre high and 7.7 metre wide. The face is round in shape. The rock cut image has ten arms and it is seen holding weapons in nine arms and the lower one is seen holding the hair of the demon king. The weapons are mostly indistinct due to erosion and the growth of weeds.

• Vice-President of India Jagdeep Dhankhar will visit Cambodia from 11-13 November to represent India at the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit and the 17th East Asia Summit.
• He will be accompanied by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
• Dhankhar will attend the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit in Phnom Penh on 12 November. This year marks the 30th anniversary of ASEAN-India relations and is being celebrated as the ASEAN-India Friendship Year.
• On 13 November, he will participate in the 17th East Asia Summit which comprises the ten ASEAN member states (i.e. Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam) and its eight dialogue partners- India, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Russia and the United States.
• During his visit, the vice president will also have bilateral engagements with the Cambodian leadership. On the margins of the summits, he will hold bilateral meetings with leaders from other countries as well.
• While returning from Phnom Penh, he will also visit Siem Reap to review the preservation and restoration work being undertaken by India at Cambodian heritage sites.