• Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar has announced creating a fund of 500 cro re rupees as a accelerator program for Startups working in agriculture sector for commercialisation and democratisation of their successful innovations and techniques.
• Announcing a number of initiatives at Agri Startup Conference in New Delhi, Mr Tomar said that  that  a network will be set up under the Agriculture Ministry to help and support the Agri Startups and for overall planning,   an steering committee wil be set under the Chairmanship of Agriculture Minister.
• Mr Tomar also announced that an executive committee will be set up under Secretary, Agriculture and Secretary , Department of Agriculture Research and Education to take decisions on issues related to Agri Startups. Mr Tomar said, a separate division  for such startups will be created at the Ministry under the chairmanship of Joint Secretary.
• Mr Tomar said, currently  there are two thousand Agri Startups in the country and the government aims to to take this number to 10 thousand.

• India’s internet freedom score improved by two points to 51 in the global ranking following efforts to bridge the digital divide in the country, according to the US government-funded NGO Freedom House.
• The improvement in the score is also based on reduced frequency and intensity of internet shutdowns in the country.
• Internet freedom in India marginally improved over the last year, following four years of decline, as efforts to bridge the country’s digital divides expanded access to the internet. While the government continues to impose internet shutdowns, they have reduced in their frequency and intensity,” Freedom on The Net 2022 said.
• India’s score was 49 in Internet Freedom in 2021.
• According to report, legal challenges to laws enabling the government to censor online content, including against the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, have seen limits imposed on some powers.
• However, the state continues to block online content, and Indian internet users risk arrest for posts critical of the government. Misinformation and disinformation are frequently shared online, and journalists, nongovernmental organizations, and members of marginalized groups remain at risk of facing hate speech and online harassment,” the report said.
• The US government-funded NGO found that global internet freedom declined for the 12th consecutive year with sharpest downgrades were documented in Russia, Myanmar, Sudan, and Libya.
• The report claimed that China was the world’s worst environment for internet freedom for the eighth consecutive year and internet freedom in the United States improved marginally for the first time in six years.
• There were fewer reported cases of targeted surveillance and online harassment during protests compared with the previous year, and the country now ranks ninth globally, tied with Australia and France.
• The United States still lacks a comprehensive federal privacy law, and policymakers made little progress on the passage of other legislation related to internet freedom,” the report said referring to the internet freedom status in US.

• Electronic Voting Machines (EVM), Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines, Ballot Units and Control Unit Machines will be housed securely in a warehouse being built in the Mini-Secretariat complex at a cost of Rs 6.50 crore in Kullu.
• The EVM warehouse is being built on the vacant space behind the Mini-Secretariat.
• Due to the lack of an EVM warehouse, there is a problem of storing EVM and other equipment after the Lok Sabha, Vidhan Sabha, Municipal Council and Panchayati Raj elections.
• At present, these election-aiding equipment are being kept in Government College, Kullu. The demand for making an EVM warehouse was being made to the government and the Election Commission for several years.
• The EVM warehouse was finally approved and its construction work began in February this year.
• The EVM warehouse will provide a permanent solution for the storage of election-related material. These will be mobilised only during the elections. There will be five floors in this warehouse.
• The two floors will have a District Election Office and apartments for security personnel, the other two floors will have strong rooms and one floor will have a training hall. The administration will be fully assured about the security by having this modern warehouse near the Mini Secretariat.
• The construction work of the warehouse has been given impetus. The target of March 2023 has been set to prepare the five-storey building.
• The District Administration and Public Works Department are trying to complete the construction work of the warehouse as soon as possible.
• Kullu Deputy Commissioner Ashutosh Garg said the construction work was entrusted with the PWD. He said efforts were being made that the construction of the EVM warehouse is accomplished soon, most likely by December.

• Caroline Rowett, British Deputy High Commissioner, Chandigarh, said that negotiations are underway for a Free Trade Agreement between the UK and Indian governments and it will be signed as soon as possible.
• She said that it would enhance trade relations between the two countries. During a special meeting with the Press Club of Kullu, she said that the UK government was funding a project in Shimla to develop infrastructure for the transport needs of the city in view of expanding population.
• The UK diplomat said that she represents the UK in the four Indian states of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Uttarakhand, and the UT of Chandigarh.
• She said, “The Deputy High Commissioner fulfils a similar role to a Consul General, representing the UK government and typically responsible for consular, visa and trade activities in their city or region.”
• Caroline said that she was visiting Kullu for the first time and was delighted to witness clean air and its pristine beauty.
• She said that Britain is exploring the possibility of commercial, trade and technical relations in Himachal.

• The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty is observed on 17th October and the theme for this year is “Dignity for All in Practice”.
• The history of observation of this day can be traced back to 17th October 1987. On that day, over a hundred thousand people gathered at the Trocadéro in Paris and proclaimed that poverty is a violation of human rights and to ensure that these rights are respected.
• Since then, every year people gather on the 17th of October to renew their commitment and show their solidarity with the poor. It was recognized by the UN General Assembly on 22 December 1992.
• To alleviate poverty, as a part of sustainable development goals, the Government of India have introduced many schemes in the last few years.
• Launched in 2014, Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana aims the unbanked poor. Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana, launched in 2015, facilitates insurance policies for society’s underprivileged sections.
• Through Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, the government aims to distribute LPG connections to women below the poverty line. Likewise, there are schemes like Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana, Solar Charkha Mission, Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-Dhan, and many others for the welfare of the poor.
• The central government’s Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act was lauded by the world bank as a ‘stellar example of rural development.

• On 16th October 2022, 19-year-old Indian grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi defeated the reigning five-time World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen in round seven of the preliminaries of the Aimchess Rapid online chess tournament.
• This is the first victory of Erigaisi over Norwegian  Carlsen. Erigaisi had earlier lost to Carlsen in the Julius Baer Generation Cup final in September.
• Erigaisi, who had gone down to compatriot Vidit Santosh Gujrathi to make a losing start in the event, is currently in fifth place after eight rounds.
• Another Indian D Gukesh is in sixth place with 12 points after mixed fortunes on the second day of the preliminaries.
• The other Indian players in the fray, Gujrathi, Aditya Mittal, and Harikrishna, are in the 10th, 11th, and 15th spots after eight rounds of the 15-round preliminary phase.

• UNICEF has said that economic crisis due to Russia-Ukraine conflict has thrown more than 4 million children into poverty across eastern Europe and Central Asia.
• It said on Monday that Russian and Ukrainian children have been most affected since the conflict started in February. UNICEF drew its conclusions from a study of data from 22 countries.
• On other hand, the World Food Program estimated that nearly 19 million Afghans are facing food insecurity.
• On World Food Day, which was observed on Sunday, the World Food Programme in Afghanistan said that a survey conducted in February and March indicated that nearly 19 million people are facing food insecurity.

• In Nigeria, more than 600 people have died so far in the worst flooding that the country has seen in a decade.
• Nigerian Humanitarian Affairs Minister Sadiya Umar Farouq said that around 82 thousand houses and over 100 thousand hectares of farmland had been submerged and destroyed due to the worst flooding.
• Nigeria’s ministry for Humanitarian Affairs last week reported that around 1.4 million people had been displaced from their homes.
• President Muhammadu Buhari last week ordered to release of 12 thousand metric tonnes of food items from the strategic reserves for communities affected by catastrophic flooding.
• According to Nigeria’s Meteorological Agency, the flooding is expected to continue until the end of November. Nigeria is used to seasonal flooding, but this year has been significantly worse than usual. The devastation of farmland comes at a time Nigeria faces heightened food insecurity because of the high prices of food items.

• NATO began its long-planned annual nuclear exercises in northwestern Europe as tensions simmer over military action in Ukraine and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s threat to use any means to defend Russian territory.
• Fourteen of NATO’s 30 member countries were due to take part in the exercises. The military alliance said around 60 aircraft including fighter jets and surveillance and refuelling planes will take part in the event. The bulk of the war games will be held at least 1,000 kilometres from Russia’s borders.
• US long-range B-52 bombers will also take part in the maneuvers, dubbed Steadfast Noon, which will run until October 30.  The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is not permitting any media access.
• NATO said that training flights will take place over Belgium, which is hosting Steadfast Noon this year, as well as over the North Sea and the United Kingdom. The exercises involve fighter jets capable of carrying nuclear warheads but do not involve any live bombs.
• The exercises were planned before President Putin ordered Russian military action in Ukraine in February.

• Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region (NCR) Delhi and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) has reiterated to all implementing agencies of the Central and State Governments to strictly implement actions under Stage I of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in view of the air quality GRAP is a set of emergency measures taken to reduce air pollution.
• The Commission has also urged citizens to cooperate in adherence to the Citizen Charter of the respective stages and assist in the effective implementation of the GRAP measures to improve the overall Air Quality in the region. As the air quality has reached “poor” category again, actions under Stage I of the GRAP need to be intensified by all concerned.
• The Commission is reviewing measures undertaken towards abatement of air pollution and also closely monitoring air quality parameters in NCR.
• In a statement, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change said, the Commission is reviewing measures undertaken towards abatement of air pollution and also closely monitoring air quality parameters in NCR.  A 24-point action plan as per Stage 1 of GRAP is already in place in the entire National Capital Region from 5th of this month.
• The action plan includes steps such as closure of Construction and Demolition activities of projects with plot sizes equal to or more than 500 square meters which are not registered on the ‘web portal’ of the respective NCR State Government.
• It also includes proper implementation of guidelines on dust mitigation measures and sound environmental management of Construction and Demolition wastes.

What is the Graded Response Action Plan?

• The Graded Response Action Plan was first notified in January 2017 by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
• The GRAP is a set of emergency measures effected to prevent the deterioration of air quality after it reaches a certain threshold.
• It envisions a four-stage ad-hoc mechanism wherein Stage 1 of GRAP is activated when the AQI is in the ‘poor’ category (201 to 300), while the second, third and fourth stages are activated three days ahead of the AQI reaching the ‘very poor’ category (301 to 400), ‘severe’ category (401 to 450) and ‘severe +’ category (above 450) respectively.