1) Global Biofuels Alliance (GBA): An event on consultations and recommendations for GBA was organized.
- GBA, one of the priorities under India’s G20 Presidency, is aimed at facilitating cooperation and intensifying the use of sustainable biofuels, including in the transportation sector.
- It will place emphasis on facilitating global biofuels trade, development of policy lesson-sharing and provision of technical support for national biofuels programs worldwide
2) African Union: India has proposed to make the African Union a permanent member of the G-20.
- About African Union:
- HQ: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
- Origin: Officially launched in 2002 as a successor to the Organisation of African Unity.
- Membership: 55 member states that makeup countries of the African Continent.
- Objective:
- To promote unity and solidarity of African States;
- To coordinate and intensify their cooperation;
- To defend their sovereignty, their territorial integrity and independence.
3) District Mineral Foundation (DMF): Comptroller and Auditor General of India reported under-utilization of DMF funds in Chhattisgarh.
- DMF is a trust, set up as a non-profit body in all mining-affected districts.
- It is established under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, of 2015.
- Mining companies are required to contribute to DMFs between 10 and 30% of the royalty, in addition to the royalty paid to state governments.
- At least 60% of the fund needs to be used for high-priority works such as drinking water health, education etc
4) Cannabis: Cannabis Research Project of CSIR-IIIM Jammu is a first-of-its-kind project to put the substance of abuse for the good of mankind.
- Cannabis-based products come from the dried flowering tops, leaves, stems, and seeds of Cannabis sativa (hemp) plant.
- It contains compounds that make it useful as a medicinal drug. It can have euphoric, pain-relieving, and psychoactive effects, among others.
- The major psychoactive constituent in cannabis is ∆-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).
- Cannabis is by far the most widely cultivated, trafficked and abused illicit drug.
