# Border security force

• The union home ministry has enhanced the powers of the Border security force (BSF) to “arrest, search and seize” within 50 km from the international boundary in Assam, West bengal and Punjab.

• Such operational powers to the BSF, a central armed police force under the union, will also be applicable to the newly created union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, according to a notification published in the Gazette of India on October 11.

• Earlier, the BSFs limit was fixed upto 80 km from the international boundary in Gujarat and 15km in Rajasthan, Punjab, West bengal and Assam.

# Investments

• Investment activity rebounded sharply between July and September after a dip in the Covid hit first quarter of the year.

• The fresh investment commitments in the first half of 2021-22 by 13.5% over pre-pandemic levels, as per projects Today’s latest survey on fresh investments.

• The second quarter recorded around 15% growth in fresh investments compared to the previous quarter, with 2669 new projects committing over 3.84 lakh crore.

# India-China trade

• India’s trade with China is set to cross the $100 billion mark for the first time in 2021, with shipments hitting $90 billion after three quarters, an almost 30% jump from pre-pandemic levels.

• Data from China’s General Administration of customs (GAC) showed two way trade jumped 49% in the first nine months to $90.37 billion.

• India’s imports from China surged 51.7% to $68.4 billion, while India’s exports rose 42.5% to $21.9 billion.

# Army chief

• Chief of the army staff (COAS) of the Indian army general Manoj mukund Naravane on Wednesday called on Srilankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksha and Prime minister Mahindra Rajapaksha, during his ongoing, four day visit to the Island nation.

• Every year, nearly 1000 Sri lankan Army officers receive military training in India.

# Gati Shakti

• Prime minister Narendra modi on wednesday kicked off “PM gati shakti”, a national master plan for synchronising connectivity infrastructure projects across modes of transport.

• PM modi cited the example of Dadri, where an integrated industrial township was coming.