DAY 115Quick read

Trade barriers are government policies which place restrictions on international trade. Trade barriers can either make trade more difficult and expensive (tariff barriers) or prevent trade completely (e.g. trade embargo).
Types:
Tariff Barriers-These are taxes on certain imports. They raise the price of imported goods making imports less competitive. Non-Tariff Barriers-These involve rules and regulations which make trade more difficult. For example, if foreign companies have to adhere to complex manufacturing laws it can be difficult to trade. Quotas-A limit placed on the number of imports.

NIIF is anchored by the Government of India. With USD 3 billion commitment from GOI along with commitments from other institutional investors, NIIF has the ability to operate at scale whilst providing long term and patient capital.
MASTER FUND-A fund focused on creating scalable sectoral platforms in core infrastructure and in collaboration with strong and reputed operating and financial partners.
FUND OF FUNDS-A fund focused on anchoring and investing in credible and reputed third party managers with a strong track record across diversified sectors within infrastructure services and allied sectors.
STRATEGIC FUND-A fund focused on investing in strategic assets and projects with longer term horizons across various stages of development.

G20, is the premier forum for international economic cooperation. The G20 brings together the leaders of both developed and developing countries from every continent. Collectively, G20 members represent around 80% of the world’s economic output, two-thirds of global population and three-quarters of international trade. Throughout the year, representatives from G20 countries gather to discuss financial and socioeconomic issues.

Mean years of schooling and GNI per capita are the other parameters considered. India with a score of 0.64 lies below Brazil, South Africa, Palestine, Indonesia. India has a life expectancy of 68.8 years and 12.3 years of expected schooling.

Researchers at the University of Minnesota (US) have discovered magnetic properties in chemical element Ruthenium (Ru). Ru belongs to the platinum group and has atomic number 44.

Phage display allows scientists to study protein interactions on a large-scale and select proteins with the highest affinity for specific targets. It provides a means to identify target-binding proteins from a library of millions of different proteins without the need to screen each molecule individually.

CSIR scientists have developed Less Polluting Firecrackers which are environment friendly and 15-20 % cheaper than the conventional ones. It has the unique property of releasing water vapour and /or air as dust suppressant and diluent for gaseous emissions and matching performance in sound with conventional crackers.

It’s an experiment by CERN. Light particles may be produced in the LHC’s high-energy collisions in large numbers in the far-forward region and they travel long distances through concrete and rock without interacting. A small and inexpensive detector placed in the far-forward region may therefore be capable of extremely sensitive searches. The program is specifically designed to take advantage of this opportunity.

The amended provisions clearly provide that companies which do not possess any prior coal mining experience in India and/or have mining experience in other minerals or in other countries can participate in the auction of coal/lignite blocks. This will not only increase participation in coal/lignite block auctions but also facilitate the implementation of FDI policy in the coal sector.The Bill also allows prospecting licence-cum-mining lease (PL-cum-ML) for coal/lignite which increases the availability of coal & lignite blocks, and coal blocks of varying grades and a wide geographical distribution will be available for allocation.

It aims to preserve and promote rare and vanishing art forms whether classical or folk/tribal so that the young talents are nurtured to acquire skills in their chosen field of art. Rare and vanishing art forms of the region are identified and eminent exponents are selected to carry out the training programmes in ‘Gurukula’ tradition. Financial assistance and Scholarship will be given by the government.
It is an initiative of the Ministry of Culture.