Current Affairs in Short: 9 July 2020

PM Narendra Modi: India is playing a leading role in the global revival

•  Prime Minister Narendra Modi said during his inaugural address on India Global Week 2020 today that India is performing, reforming and transforming and offering new economic opportunities. 
•  PM Modi stated that India, which is adopting a human-centric approach and inclusive approach for the development, is playing a leading role in the global revival. 
•  He stated that India is a powerhouse of talent and is a natural reformer which of several social and economical challenges. He added saying that India is effectively tackling the Covid-19 pandemic and the government has taken several steps for the welfare of the people.
•  India Global Week is a 3-day virtual conference based on the theme ‘Be the Revival: India and a Better New World’. 

India-EU summit to be held on July 15 through video conference 

•  The 15th India-EU summit will be held through video conference on July 15, 2020. During the summit, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold detailed talks with European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on a wide range of issues.
•  The leaders are expected to reiterate their determination to promote multilateralism and a rules-based multilateral order with the United Nations and the World Trade Organisation at its core.
•  The summit is expected to help strengthen the EU-India strategic partnership based on shared principles and values of democracy, freedom and rule of law. It will aim to deliver concrete benefits for the people in the EU and India.

Gujarat extends time frame of Gujarat Solar Power Policy 2015 

•  The Gujarat state government has decided to extend the time frame of ‘Gujarat Solar Power Policy 2015’ till December 31, 2020. The announcement was made by the State Energy Minister Saurabh Patel at Gandhinagar on July 9, 2020.
•  The state government had announced Gujarat Atma-Nirbhar Package worth Rs 14000 crore to support various sectors amid COVID-19 pandemic. Due to this, the time frame of many policies in their original forms has been extended in the state. 
•  Due to the extension of the time frame of ‘Solar Power Policy 2015’, now the projects including solar power projects, developers captive power projects, solar power projects for third-party sale, as well as MSME Units, Industries, Commercial Usage and roof-top solar power projects could be installed.

Kerala prepares special action plan to contain COVID super spread in coastal regions

•  Kerala Health Department has prepared a special action plan to contain the super spread of COVID in coastal regions of Thiruvananthapuram district. 
•  The Poonthura region, where the super spread is confirmed, will be treated as a special cluster. The state government has issued new guidelines to identify the patients quickly and for contact tracing.
•  The state has widened Coronavirus testing in the region and door-to-door sample collection has been undertaken. A special OP will be opened in hospitals for those coming from outside borders. 
•  The state has also made reverse quarantine compulsory for critically ill people, pregnant women, elderly and children. The Commandos of the Special Armed Police have also been deployed to enforce strict lockdown guidelines in the region.

CIDC initiates skill development programme in Andaman and Nicobar Islands

•  The Construction Industry Development Council (CIDC) established by the NITI Aayog has initiated a skill development programme in Andaman and Nicobar Islands to provide employment-oriented training and skill development to the marginalized section.
•  Under the programme, a three-month course has been planned by the NHIDCL, Port Blair in partnership with Construction Industry Development Council (CIDC) from August 1, 2020 to October 31, 2020 for Mason trade for the local youth and school dropouts (10th Pass) at Mayabunder.