Fifteenth Finance Commission to form a High-Level Expert Group on Agriculture Exports:
The Fifteenth Finance Commission (XV-FV) is to constitute a High-Level Expert Group on Agriculture Exports in pursuance of its Terms of Reference (ToR). The group will recommend measurable performance incentives for States to encourage Agri exports and to promote crops to enable high import substitution. The Committee has been asked to submit recommendations within three months.
Committee Members:
The group is headed by Shri Sanjiv Puri, Chairman and Managing Director, ITC.
The member of the group are:
♦ Ms. Radha Singh, Former Agriculture Secretary
♦ Representative of Ministry of Food Processing Industries
♦ Chairman, Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), Ministry of Commerce and Industry
♦ Shri Suresh Narayanan, CMD, NESTLE India
♦ Mr. Jay Shroff, CEO-UPL Limited
♦ Shri Sanjay Sacheti, Country Head India-Olam Agro India Ltd.
♦ Dr. Sachin Chaturvedi, Director General, RIS
Roles of the commission:
♦ The group will assess export & import substitution opportunities for Indian agricultural products and suggest ways to step up exports sustainably and reduce import dependence.
♦ It will recommend methods to increase farm productivity, enable higher value addition, ensures waste reduction, etc. to improve the sector`s global competitiveness.
♦ The group will identify impediments for private sector investments and suggest policy measures and reforms that will attract the required investments.
India, Norway joins to mitigate marine plastic litter and microplastics:
Union Environment Minister Shri Prakash Javadekar met a delegation led by Norwegian Minister of Climate and Environment, H.E. Mr. Sveinung Rotevan on the side-lines of the 13th Conference of Parties of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS).
Highlights:
? India and Norway agreed to jointly tackle concerns related to oceans, environment and climate matters.
? The two countries ensured that the 2020s will be a decade of rapid action on climate and environment.
? Both the countries shared their interest to continue and strengthen the mutually beneficial cooperation on environment and climate between the two countries, including on ocean affairs.
? The Ministers also recognized phasing down the use of Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), as per the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, which will prevent up to 0.40 deg C of warming by end of the century.
? They discussed the conservation of migratory species of wild animals and noted the importance of integrating ecological connectivity into the post-2020 global biodiversity framework.
? Norway and India agreed to explore areas of cooperation in forestry and linking the same with climate change.
COP-13:
The 13th Conference of Parties (COP) of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) is hosted by India. COP-13 will be held from 17-22 February 2020 at Gandhinagar, Gujarat. The theme of COP-13 CMS is Migratory species connect the planet and we welcome them home.