New Delhi announces $450 mn to Colombo
- India announced a special Line of Credit of $50 million for strengthening Sri Lanka’s abilities to counter terror threats.
- This was in addition to the $400 million Line of Credit that India announced for infrastructure development in the island nation.
GDP growth plunges to 4.5%, lowest since 2012
- Growth in the gross domestic product (GDP) in the July-September quarter hit a 25-quarter low of 4.5%,
- Growth in gross value added (GVA) also dipped to 4.3% in Q2 of 2019-20 from 4.9% in Q1, and 6.9% in the Q2 of last year.
Kejriwal appoints panel for lawyers’ welfare scheme
- Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced the formation of a 13-member committee tasked with submitting recommendations for the utilisation of the Rs. 50-crore Chief Minister’s Advocates’ Welfare Scheme.
- The committee, headed by Rakesh Kumar Khanna, senior advocate and president of the Supreme Court Bar Association,
FASTag deadline extended
- The government on Friday extended the date to December 15 for making FASTag mandatory for toll payments on national highways.
DRDO defends Nag missiles
- The state-of-the-art indigenous Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM) Nag is in advanced stages of development, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has said in a sharp response to statements that raised questions on the programme. A new Man Portable ATGM (MPATGM) was also in advanced stages of trials,
- Early this week, the Army fired two newly inducted Spike-LR (Long Range) ATGM at the Infantry School at Mhow in Madhya Pradesh.
Warmer winter likely this year: IMD
- Winter is likely to be warmer than average, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasting average minimum temperatures to be “warmer than average” over most of India.
- The December-January-February season will be hotter, except over “northern-most parts”. Minimum temperatures over most parts of central and peninsular India are likely to be warmer than normal by ≥1 degree Celsius.
- India’s ‘core cold wave’ zone covers Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha and Telangana. Temperatures in these States, too, are expected to be on the higher side.