India, U.S. to launch a semiconductor sub-committee

PM Modi flags attacks on temples in Australia

• Reports of vandalism targeting temples in Australia “worries” India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said.
• Welcoming his Australian counterpart, Anthony Albanese, to India, Mr. Modi said India and Australia have a close partnership covering areas such as security and education but the recent “attacks” by “pro-Khalistan outfits” against Hindu temples have “disturbed” New Delhi.
• In his press statement, Mr. Albanese did not mention the concerns raised by Mr. Modi but said that the Delhi-Canberra ties were “multifaceted”. He informed that the two sides agreed on completing a Comprehensive Economic Agreement “as soon as possible”.
• “Indian immigrants are the second largest ex-pat community in Australia. They are making significant contributions to Australian society and the economy. It is a matter of regret that attacks on temples have been regularly reported in Australia over the past few weeks. It’s natural that such news worries the people in India, and disturbs our mind,” Mr. Modi said at the Hyderabad House.

India, U.S. to launch a semiconductor sub-committee

• An announcement of the MoU was made during the relaunched India-U.S. Commercial Dialogue
• India and the United States on March 10 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will pave the way for creating a Semiconductor Sub-Committee under the Commercial Dialogue between the U.S. Department of Commerce and India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and the Ministry of Commerce. 
• The announcement of the MoU was made during the revised India-U.S. Commercial Dialogue that was relaunched in New Delhi.
• “One of the major outcomes of the Commercial Dialogue was the Memorandum of Understanding on establishing semiconductor supply chain and innovation partnership under the framework of the India-U.S. Commercial Dialogue” announced Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal. 
• News about the MoU was earlier shared by visiting U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo. 
• Mr. Goyal said the key features of the Commercial Dialogue included creating “reliable supply chains, diversifying and friend-shoring [sourcing of material from countries with similar social and political values], facilitating climate and clean technology cooperation, inclusive digital growth, talent development, post-pandemic economic recovery, and a focus on cooperation and conformance”.
• Mr. Goyal and Ms. Raimondo welcomed the recent launch of the U.S.-India initiative of Critical and Emerging Technology (CET) that will broaden the “strategic technology partnership”.
• A joint statement issued after the event declared, “The Minister and the Secretary charged the Semiconductor Sub-Committee with convening its first engagement in advance of any Commercial Dialogue mid-year review and reviewing recommendations from the joint industry-led task force launched in connection with the iCET.” 
• According to the joint statement, Ms. Raimondo welcomed “India’s active partnership in the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity [IPEF]” and expressed her appreciation for India’s hosting of the special round of negotiations for “IPEF Pillars II-IV” between February 8-11. “The Minister and the Secretary noted that deepening economic engagement among IPEF partner countries is crucial for continued inclusive growth, peace, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region,” it said.

NITI Aayog urges to help cow shelters market dung-based formulations for farming

• Titled “Production and Promotion of Organic and Bio-fertilizers with Special focus on Improving Economic Viability of Gaushalas”, the report by NITI suggests that the cow shelters can address the problem of stray cattle that damage agriculture in many parts of the country.
• Gaushalas (cow shelters) can become major suppliers of inputs for natural farming in the country through concerted efforts of the government, private players, and entrepreneurs, a report prepared by the NITI Aayog has said.
• The report recommended that the Centre help gaushalas through capital assistance so that they could market cow dung and cow urine-based formulations for applications in agriculture. 
• The report, authored by a task force headed by Niti Aayog member Ramesh Chand, was released in New Delhi on Friday.
• Releasing the report, Professor Chand said the integration of crop and livestock was essential for the sustainability of agriculture. “Agriculture in India was based on this integrated approach. But after the green revolution, we could not maintain this balance,” he said and added that the use of chemical fertilizers brought imbalance in the soil nutrients.
• “Of late, the realization has been growing to reduce or replace agrochemicals, serving as plant nutrients and plant protection, for economic, health, environment, and sustainability reasons. 
• Accordingly, there is a trend towards natural farming and organic farming where inorganic fertilizer and agrochemicals are replaced by livestock manure, plant-based products, bio inputs, and products made from cow urine and cow dung. 
• The task force felt that gaushalas can be of great help in promoting natural farming and organic farming. Thus, complementarity can be built to promote gaushalas and natural farming,” he said.
• The report also suggested that cow shelters could address the problem of stray cattle that damaged crops in many parts of the country. It said the number of stray and abandoned cattle had risen to a level beyond the resources available with existing gaushalas for their upkeep and sustenance, and suggested channeling the potential of such cattle wealth for promoting natural and sustainable farming. 
• The population of stray cattle, according to the report, is estimated at 53 lakhs. Citing a 2016 report by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, the report said stray animals caused 1,604 road accidents in the country with the highest being in Gujarat (220), followed by Jharkhand (214) and Haryana (211).
• The report said cow dung-based organic fertilizers would have a huge impact in fulfilling the constitutional mandate under Article 48 that the State shall take steps for preserving and improving cattle breeds and prohibiting the slaughter of cows and calves, and other milch and draught cattle.