• EV sales in India is all set to cross 9 million units by 202 by 2027 says a new report by IVCA-EY-IndusLaw.
• The Indian Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (IVCA) launched a report on “Electrifying Indian Mobility” in Mumbai, in partnership with EY and IndusLaw.
• According to, the Indian Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (IVCA), a total of $1.7 billion has been invested by private equity and venture capitals in the Indian electric vehicle (EV) industry in 2021.
• According to IVCA President Rajat Tandon, a sum of $1.7 billion was invested by private equity funds and venture capitalists in the Indian EV sector in 2021.
• However, during 2022, the investment has touched $66 million so far as per IVCA President.
• It estimated that the Indian EV industry is set to create over 10 million direct and 50 million indirect jobs by 2030.

• ‘Haryana Atmanibhar Textile Policy 2022’ will soon be implemented in the state to promote the textile industry through micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
• This policy, prepared for the time period till the year 2025, is expected to invest about Rs 4,000 crore and provide employment to 20,000 youth.
• The various goals of ‘Haryana Atmanibhar Textile Policy 2022’, are entrepreneurship expansion, investment, employment generation, grants, textile parks.
• Under this policy, technical textiles will be specially encouraged and expanded.
• Promotion of synthetic fiber and regenerated fiber units has also been included in this policy.
• Recently, Haryana has been awarded for its remarkable work done in the field of MSME.

• Recently, a rare flight of Antarctica’s Light-mantled Albatross to Tamil Nadu coast has intrigued the researchers.

About

• This record from the Palk Bay side of Rameswaram island is significant.
• The location where the Albatross was spotted is part of the Palk Bay and near the Gulf of Mannar, an ‘Important Bird Area’ on India’s southeast coast.
• The IBA programme of Birdlife International aims to identify, monitor and protect a global network of IBAs for conservation of the world’s birds and associated biodiversity.
• Listed as a ‘Near Threatened’ species by the ICUN, Light-­mantled Albatross has a worldwide population of 21,600 breeding pairs, according to an estimate in 1998.

• Alibag’s white onion gets GI tagged, to benefit farmers as white onion will get premium price.
• With its picturesque beaches, Alibag, in the Raigad district of Maharashtra, is one of the popular tourist spots. 
• This historic place will be now recognized for Geographical Indication (GI) tagged white onion.
• The GI for this onion, characterised by its sweetness, has been accepted.
• The GI tag gives a unique identity to the white onion, which has medicinal qualities and is being cultivated in a traditional way for a long time.
• Farmers will directly get benefits as the white onion will get the premium price because of the GI tag.

What is a Geographical Indication (GI)?

• It is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin.
• In order to function as a GI, a sign must identify a product as originating in a given place.
• It is a part of the intellectual property rights that comes under the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property.
• In India, Geographical Indications registration is administered by the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act of 1999.
• Items Covered: Agricultural products, foodstuffs, wine and spirit drinks, handicrafts, and industrial products.

• To promote cold water fisheries, a three-day trout fair was organised by the State Fisheries Department, which concluded in Manali.
• According to, Satpal Mehta, Director of Fisheries Department, eight districts of the state were suitable for cold water fisheries.
• Besides Kullu, trout are found in Mandi, Kangra, Chamba, Shimla, Kinnaur, Lahaul Spiti and Sirmaur districts and these are conducive for cold water fisheries.

• The government has approved two solar parks in Himachal Pradesh with capacities of 880 MW and 400 MW each at Lahaul & Spiti and Kinnaur districts.
• This was stated by Minister of State of New and Renewable Energy and Chemicals and Fertilizers Bhagwant Khuba in his written reply to the Rajya Sabha in response to a question asked by BJP member Indu Bala Goswami.

• Haryana and Israel to work on various water conservation and management projects.
• CM Addressed a meeting with a delegation of Israel regarding water conservation and management in Chandigarh.
• Haryana and Israel to work together to seek out the issue of depleting water table and water scarcity.
• Water level is depleting in some areas of the state and the Haryana government is constantly working to improve the water table.
• For this, the Haryana government has constituted the Haryana Water Resources (Conservation, Regulation and Management) Authority, under which the state government is working to renovate 18,000 ponds of the state.
• Besides cleaning these ponds, the ponds are also being desilted so that maximum recharging of water can be done. Along with this, Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) are being set up across the state.
• Emphasis is being given to use the water of these STPs for agriculture, construction works and gardening purposes. Along with this, drip irrigation is being promoted in Agriculture. The government is taking every possible step to conserve water in the state.
• Israel is already cooperating with Haryana in the field of Agriculture and Horticulture.
• Four Centres of Excellence for Indo-Israel Cooperation are running in Haryana and the fifth centre is being built in Bhiwani. Similarly, some private companies of India are working in Israel in drip irrigation.

• A Maritime Partnership Exercise (MPX) was conducted between Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and the Indian Navy in the Andaman Sea.
• According to the Ministry of Defence, INS Sukanya, an offshore patrol vessel and JS Samidare, a Murasame class destroyer, undertook various exercises including seamanship activities, aircraft operations and tactical manoeuvres as part of the operational interaction.
• The two countries have been carrying out regular exercises in Indian Ocean Region towards reinforcing maritime association.
• The exercise was aimed at enhancing interoperability and streamlining seamanship and communication procedures.
• According to the Defence Ministry, this exercise is part of the ongoing efforts between the two navies towards ensuring safe and secure international shipping and trade in Indian Ocean Region.

• World Bank has appointed Indian national Indermit Gill as its Chief Economist and Senior Vice President for Development Economics.
• Gill will succeed American economist Carmen Reinhart in the role and his appointment will be effective 1 September 2022.
• Gill is currently Vice President for Equitable Growth, Finance, and Institutions, where he led work on macroeconomics, debt, trade, poverty, and governance. Between 2016 and 2021, he was a professor of public policy at Duke University and non-resident senior fellow in the Global Economy and Development program at the Brookings Institution.
• Gill has also taught at Georgetown University and the University of Chicago. A student of Nobel Laureates Gary Becker and Robert E.Lucas Jr., Gill holds a Ph. D. in economics from the University of Chicago.
• Gill will be only the second Indian to serve as chief economist at the international financial institution after Kaushik Basu, who was Chief Economist of the World Bank from 2012 to 2016.

• The WHO-GCTM Centre aims to provide support for all traditional medicines in the world. No proposal is under consideration for setting up another such type of centre elsewhere in India.
• Recently, this information was given by Minister of Ayush Shri Sarbananda Sonowal in a written reply in Rajya Sabha.
• The Ministry of Ayush and WHO signed a Host Country Agreement on 25th March 2022 for the establishment of the first WHO’s Global Centre for Traditional Medicine in India.

The salient aspects of this agreement are as follows:

• That WHO will set up GCTM Centre in Jamnagar (Gujarat).
• That it aims to support nations in developing policies & action plans to strengthen the role of traditional medicine as part of their journey to universal health coverage.
• The Government shall respect the functional independence of WHO in carrying out its activities and in assigning to the Centre such WHO officials or other WHO personnel as it deems necessary for carrying out the particular functions assigned to the Centre.
• The Government shall provide to WHO, free of charge, appropriate and adequate office premises for the Centre and its installations.
• The Government shall also be responsible for the maintenance and security of the workplace premises for the Centre, its installations and technical plants, together with storage and archive space, meeting space, equipment and other facilities.
• The Ground breaking ceremony of main office of WHO GCTM has been carried out by the Prime Minister and DG WHO in Jamnagar, Gujarat.  The construction of Interim office of WHO GCTM is under progress.
• All expenditure involved for operational, programmatic, infrastructure and construction costs of the Interim Office and the Main Office of WHO GCTM will be borne by the Ministry of Ayush.
• The financial implications of Rs. 130.00 Cr (approx.) have been approved by the Ministry of Ayush towards the functional cost of the Interim Office of WHO-GCTM and Funds of Rs. 63.26 Cr have been released till date.