News in Short

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the pain of partition can never be forgotten and announced that August 14 will be remembered as Partition Horrors Remembrance Day in memory of people’s struggles and sacrifices during that period.
• The Prime Minister stressed that the day will serve as a reminder to keep the social divisions at bay and strengthen the spirit of oneness.
• Post-Partition, there began mass movement of people on both sides of the border. Large scale violence was witnessed in Noakhali in West Bengal and Bihar.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the much-awaited National Vehicle Scrappage Policy and said that it will help in phasing out the unfit and polluting vehicles across the country and promote a circular economy.
• He noted that the launch of the Vehicle Scrappage Policy today is a significant milestone in India’s development journey and added that the setting up vehicle scrapping infrastructure will open a new range of possibilities.
• The prime minister said that this policy will play a major role in phasing out unfit and polluting vehicles from the roads in a scientific and eco-friendly manner and it will be modernising the vehicular population on our city roads.

• Unmukt Chand, India’s 2012 Under-19 World Cup-winning captain, has left Indian cricket at the age of 28.
• Chand has signed up with the Silicon Valley Strikers for the 2021 season of the Minor League Cricket, a national T20 competition in the United States.
• Having relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area, he has also signed a multi-year deal with Major League Cricket to support the development of the game in the country by playing with and mentoring the next generation of American cricketers.

• The Union Ministry of Civil Aviation announced that domestic air travel will become expensive as the ministry has increased the lower as well as upper caps on fares by 9.83 to 12.82 per cent.
• The lower caps were imposed to help the airlines struggling financially because of the shut down of services due to COVID-19 restrictions.
• The upper caps were imposed keeping in mind that the passengers are not overcharged for tickets when the demands are high.
• These charges are not going to be a part of the passenger’s security fee, user development fee for the airports or the GST, instead, they will be added on top when the ticket is being booked by the passenger.

• The Centre has decided to allow the import of crushed genetically modified soybean, which is a major ingredient of poultry feed.
• The poultry industry has been crushed by multiple disasters over the last year and a half. In January 2020, a false rumour that coronavirus could be spread by eating chicken meat led to a crash in demand.
• Poultry feed makes up 65% of the cost of production for the farmer. Soy meal is the main protein ingredient in the feed, especially for broilers.
• Over the last three to four years, soy meal has been available at an average cost of ?34 to 36/kg. This month, it shot up to ?96/kg.