Assam Current Affairs – February 01 - 07, 2020

Current Affairs Assam – February 1 - 7, 2020

( Covers all important Assam Current Affairs & GK topics for the week of February 1 – 7, 2020 )

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FEBRUARY 01, 2020

Economic Survey 2019-20 presented in the Parliament

The Economic Survey of India is the flagship annual document of the Ministry of Finance, Govt of India. It is prepared under the guidance of the Chief Economic Adviser of India. This document is presented to both Houses of Parliament during the Budget Session. The first Economic Survey of India was presented in 1950-51 as part of the Union Budget. After 1964 it was separated from the Budget and presented each year during the Budget Session before the presentation of the budget. The document is non-binding.
The Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Economic Survey 2019-20 in the Parliament on January 31, 2020. Krishnamurthy V. Subramanian is the Chief Economic Adviser of Ministry of Finance, Government of India.

Highlights of the Economic Survey 2019-20

GDP growth pegged at 6-6.5% in fiscal year starting April 1, 2020, up from 5% in the current fiscal.
Uptick in growth projected in second half of current fiscal based on 10 factors including higher FDI flows, build up of demand pressure, positive GST revenue growth.
Share of formal employment increased from 17.9% in 2011 -12 to 22.8% in 2017-18 reflecting formalisation in Indian economy.
To achieve GDP of $5 trillion by 2024-25, India needs to spend about $1.4 trillion over these years on infrastructure.
Around 2.6 crore new jobs created in rural, urban areas between 2011-12 and 2017-18 among regular wage/salaried employees.
Declining inflation from 3.2% in April 2019 to 2.6% in December 2019, reflecting weakening demand pressure in the economy.
GST collections grew by 4.1% for the centre during April-November 2019.
Government should deliver expeditiously on reforms to revive growth. The Survey suggests government to systematically examine areas where it needlessly intervenes and undermines markets.
Excessive government intervention in markets, especially when the market can do the job of enhancing citizens welfare perfectly well, stifles economic freedom.
Economic Survey calls for improving governance in public sector banks, more disclosures to build trust and for measures to make it easier to start new business, register property, pay taxes, enforce contracts.
The Survey also calls for easing of crude prices lowers current account deficit; imports contract more sharply than exports in first half of current fiscal.

Government to restructure Ministry of External Affairs

The government has decided to restructure the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the MEA will get decentralised by setting up several verticals, specialisation-wise.
This will enable separation of consular services and other routine administrative affairs from the diplomacy involved in areas like economics, trade, development, technology, cultural exchange etc.
Each vertical is to be headed by a ”political director” at Additional Secretary level.
Until now, like all other ministries, the MEA has been a pyramid like structure, with lot of work pressure on Joint Secretaries and the four Secretaries.
The restructuring began with handing over all the four development partnership divisions responsible for foreign aid and development projects in South Asia and Africa to Akhilesh Mishra, who was heading the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).
The council, which is the cultural arm of MEA, will be under Dinesh Patnaik.
The economic section will be handled by P. Harish and three divisions of Africa will be under Nagma Mallik.
All multilateral meetings and summits will now be handled by VikramDoraiswami.
The ministry also plans to expand and hire experts from the private sector and non-profit bodies as well.

European Investment Bank to invest 600 million euros in Pune Metro

The European Investment Bank (EIB) will invest 600 million euros (Rs 4,800 crore) in the upcoming Pune Metro Rail (PMR) project, the Maharashtra government announced.
A Memorandum of Understanding for the first tranche of 200 million euros (Rs 1,600 crore) was signed in the presence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.
The state government said, This will enable easier and affordable access to jobs, healthcare, education, reduce pollution, generate employment and slash commuting time for over 600,000 daily commuters among Pune’s three million population.
The fundings received will be utilised for the underground sections, a metro depot and other purposes.
The PMR will be 32.50 km long, costing around Rs 11,420 crore, running both on the surface and underground with 30 stations.
The PMR will help India achieve several United Nations” sustainable development goals like SDG 13 (climate action), SDG 11 (sustainable cities) and SDG 5 (gender equality).

FEBRUARY 02, 2020

Union Budget 2020-21 presented in the Parliament

The Union Budget of India for 2020–2021 was presented by the Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman on 1 February 2020. The central ideas of the Budget are – “Aspirational India, Economic development, A Caring Society.”

Highlights & Important Point

~ Income Tax & other Personal Taxes ~

- A simplified and new Income Tax Regime has been proposed as an option to the old regime.
- Income between Rs 5 lakh to Rs 7.5 lakh: Reduced to 10% from the current 20%
- Between Rs 7.5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh: Reduced to 15% from the current 20%
- Between Rs 10 lakh to Rs 12.5 lakh: Reduced to 20% from the current 30%
- Between Rs 12.5 lakh to Rs 15 lakh: Reduced to 25% from the current 30%
- Above ₹15 lakh: Continue at 30%, but without exemptions

However, those who wish to continue to pay old rates may do so.

~ Business Sector ~

Concessional corporate tax rate of 15 per cent to new domestic companies in manufacturing and power sector.
Corporate tax for existing companies slashed to 22 per cent.
Govt proposes 100 per cent tax concession to sovereign wealth funds on investment in infra projects.
Concessional tax rate of 15 per cent extended to power generation companies.
Tax concession for sovereign wealth fund of foreign governments and other foreign investments.
Tax benefits to Start-ups by way of deduction of 100 per cent of their profits are enhanced by increasing turnover limit and period of eligibility period of eligibility.
Concessional tax rate for cooperatives proposed.
Turnover threshold for audit of MSMEs increased.
Extension of time limits pertaining to the tax benefits for affordable housing.
Issuance of Unique Registration Number to all charity institutions for easy tax compliance.
Health cess to be imposed on imports of medical equipment.
Dividend Distribution Tax removed and classical system of dividend taxation adopted
Simplified GST return shall be implemented from 1^st April 2020. Refund process to be fully automated.
National Textile Mission to be launched with a proposed Rs 1,480 crore allocation. National Technical Textiles Mission for a period of 4 years
Allocation of Rs 27,300 crore for development of industry and commerce.
Foreign direct investment (FDI) into the country has increased to $284 billion during 2014-19 from $190 billion in previous five years.
Scheme to encourage manufacturing of mobile phones, electronic equipment and semiconductor packaging
NIRVIK Scheme for higher export credit disbursement launched
Setting up of an Investment Clearance Cell to provide end to end facilitation
Extension of invoice financing to MSMEs through TReDs
A scheme to provide subordinated debt for entrepreneurs of MSMEs
Scheme anchored by EXIM Bank and SIDBI to handhold MSMEs in exports markets

~ Health Sector ~

Rs 69,000 crores allocated for the healthcare sector.
More than 20,000 empanelled hospitals under PM Jan Arogya Yojana.
FIT India movement launched to fight NCDs
Expansion of Jan Aushadhi Kendra Scheme to all districts by 2024

~ Infrastructure Sector ~

9,000 km of economic corridor will be set up.
Chennai-Bengaluru expressway will also be started.
Delhi-Mumbai expressway to be completed by 2023.
100 more airports to be developed by 2025
Transport infrastructure: Rs 1.7 lakh crore
National Infrastructure Pipeline: Rs 22,000 crore
National Logistics Policy to be launched soon National Logistics Policy to be launched soon
Accelerated development of Highways
Railways will set up Kisan Rail through PPP model so that perishable goods can be transported quickly.
150 trains will run under the public private partnership (PPP) mode, also four stations will be redeveloped with the help of the private sector.
More Tejas type trains for tourist destinations
Coporatizing at least one major port
An International Bullion Exchange to be set up at GIFT City.
Power sector: Efforts to replace conventional energy meters by prepaid smart meters.
Gas Grid: Expand National Gas Grid to 27,000 km

~ Education & Training ~

Rs 99,300 crore allocated for education in FY21.
Govt will start Ind-Sat Exam to promote under Study in India programme and a degree-level online education programme for the deprived.
A total of Rs 3,000 crore will be given for skill development.
About 150 higher educational institutions will start apprenticeship embedded courses.
Internship opportunities to fresh engineers by urban local bodies.
Special bridge courses to improve skill sets of those seeking employment abroad.
Degree level online education programmes for students of deprived sections of the society.

~ Social Welfare Sector ~

Allocation for Swachh Bharat Mission for 2020-21 stands at Rs 12,300 crore.
In further push to PM Modi’s ‘Nal se jaal’ scheme, govt proposes Rs 3.6 lakh crore towards piped water supply to households.
Rs 35,600 crore allocated for nutritional related programme in FY21.
Rs 85,000 crore has been budgeted for the welfare of Scheduled Castes and other backward classes.
Rs 53,700 crore for Scheduled Tribes
Allocation for senior citizens and ‘Divyang’ enhanced to Rs 9500 crore.
Rs 4,400 crore to tackle Delhi’s air pollution problem.
Extends additional Rs 1.5 lakh tax benefit on interest paid on affordable housing loans to March 2021.
Tax holiday to affordable housing developers.

~ Women and Child Development ~

A task force to be appointed to recommend regarding lowering MMR and improving nutrition levels
Rs 28,600 crore will be allocated in FY21 for women-linked programmes.

~ Banking and Financial Sector ~

DICGC has been permitted to increase Deposit Insurance Coverage for a depositor from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 5 lakh per depositor.
Amendments in Banking regulation Act to strengthen Cooperative Banks.
Proposal to sell balance holding of the government of India IDBI Bank to private investors.
Recovery eligibility limit for NBFCs reduced to asset size of 100 crore or loan size of 50 lakh.
Separation of NPS Trust for government employees from PFRDAI
Specified categories of government securities would be opened for non-resident investors
FPI Limit for corporate bonds to be increased to 15 per cent.
New debt ETF proposed mainly for government securities

~ Technology Sector ~

550 WiFi facilities have been commissioned at railway stations.1 lakh gram panchayats to get optical fibre link
An allocation of Rs 6,000 crore will be provided for BharatNet scheme.
Rs 20,000 crore for renewable energy sector in a bid to tackle pollution and climate change.
A new scheme of smart meters will be launched.
An allocation of Rs 8,000 crore will be made for National Mission on Quantum Computing and Technology.
Knowledge Translation Clusters for emerging technology sectors
Scaling up of Technology Clusters harbouring test beds and small scale manufacturing facilities.

~ Disinvestment ~

Govt proposed an ambitious disinvestment target of PSU stake sales to the tune of Rs 2.1 lakh crore in the next financial year 2020-21.
Government to sell part holding in LIC.
Govt to also sell stake in IDBI Bank to private investors.

~ Agriculture & Allied Sectors ~

Budget allocation of Rs 2.83 lakh crore for agriculture and allied activities.
Doubling farmers incomes by 2020.
Krishi Udaan under Ministry of Civil Avaition on international and national routes to benefit farmers. Krishi Udaan scheme to transport agri products to national as well international destinations to be launched.
Self Help Groups will be allowed to set up village agri storage facilities.
NABARD will map and geo-tab 162 mn tonne capacity agri warehouses across country. FCI and Warehousing Corporation of India to build warehousing facility on their land.
Government to incentivise farmers to go solar.
Over 6 crore farmers under Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojna have been insured.
Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha and Utthan Mahabhiyan (PM KUSUM) to be expanded, providing 20 lakh farmers in setting up standalone solar pumps.
Railways will set up Kisan Rail through PPP model so that perishable goods can be transported quickly.
Agri-credit target for the year 2020-21 has been set at Rs 15 lakh crore.
One horticulture crop in one district on cluster basis will be promoted.
Viability gap funding for creation of efficient warehouses on PPP mode.
SHGs run Village storage scheme to be launched.
Integartion of e-NWR with e-NAM.
Elimination of FMD and brucellosis in cattle and PPR in sheep and goat by 2025.
Increasing coverage of artificial insemination to 70 per cent.
Doubling of milk processing capacity by 2025.
Fishery extention through 3477 Sagar Mitras and 500 fish FPOs.
Raise fishery exports to `1 lakh crore by 2024-25
Fish Production target of 200 lakh tonnes by 2022-23.

~ Culture & Tourism ~

Five archaeological sites would be developed as iconic sites with on-site museums would be developed at Rakhigarhi in Haryana, Hastinapur in Uttar Pradesh, Sivasagar in Assam, Dholavira in Gujarat and Adichanallur in Tamil Nadu.
Indian Institute of Heritage and Conservation
Museum of Numismatics and trade
Tribal museum in Ranchi
Maritime Museum in Lothal
Tourism promotion gets Rs 2500 crore.
Ministry of Culture to get Rs 3,150 crore.

~ Fiscal Scenario ~

Fiscal deficit target pegged at 3.8% of GDP for FY 2019-20. FY21 fiscal deficit target pegged at 3.5% of GDP.

~ Miscellaneous ~

G20 Presidency in 2022 – Allocation of Rs 100 crore
Allocation of Rs 30,757 crore for Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir
Allocation of Rs 5,958 crore for Union Territory of Ladakh

State of Indian Economy §

Between 2006-2016, 271 million are out of poverty and we should be proud of it.
Total of 60 lakh new taxpayers and 105 crore e-way bills generated under GST
Central government debt reduced to 48.7 per cent of GDP in 2019 from 52.2 per cent.
India is now 5th largest economy in world.
Gross enrollment of girls is 94.32 per cent in elementary levels, 81.32 per cent in secondary level and 59.7 per cent in higher secondary level.
Foreign direct investment (FDI) into the country has increased to $284 billion during 2014-19 from $190 billion in previous five years.
Nominal growth of GDP for 2020-21 has been estimated at 10 per cent
Receipts for 2020-21 estimated at 22.46 lakh crore rupees, and expenditure at 30.42 lakh crore rupees
‘Vivad se Vishwas’ scheme for direct tax payers whose appeals are pending at various forum. 4.83 lakh direct cases pending in various appellate forums. Under the scheme, taxpayer to pay only amount of disputed tax. They will get complete waiver on interest and penalty if scheme is availed by March 31, 2020.
15th Finance Commission has cut state share of central taxes by one percentage point to 41 per cent.
Rs 12.7 lakh crore to be transferred to states and union territories in 2020-21.
Government has insured 6.11 crore farmers under Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojna.

Centre to soon release National Logistics Policy

To create a single window e-logistics market, the Centre plans to release a ”National Logistics Policy”.
It will create a single window e-logistics market and focus on generation of employment, skills and making MSMEs competitive.
At present, India”s logistics sector is highly fragmented and the policy aims to reduce the logistics cost from 14 per cent of GDP to less than 10 per cent by 2022.
The sector provides livelihood to more than 22 million people and improving the sector will facilitate 10 per cent decrease in indirect logistics costs, leading to the growth of 5 to 8 per cent in exports.
The policy which has been formulated by the Commerce and Industry Ministry will improve India”s trade competitiveness, create more jobs, improve India”s performance in global rankings and pave the way for India to become a logistics hub.

Gopal Baglay appointed as High Commissioner to Sri Lanka

The government appointed Gopal Baglay as the next High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka.
Baglay, who is currently in the Prime Minister”s Office in New Delhi, will take over from Taranjit Singh Sandhu who was recently appointed as Ambassador to the US.
An 1992 batch IFS officer, Baglay has served in Moscow, London, Kathmandu and Islamabad besides holding key positions in the Ministry of External Affairs.

Government to launch new schemes to support export sector

To support and promote exports, the Centre proposed to launch new schemes in FY 2020-21.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, said that the Centre plans to launch the Nirvik and ”Reversion of duties and taxes on exported products” scheme.
To achieve higher export credit disbursement, a new scheme, Nirvik is being launched, which provides for higher insurance coverage, reduction in premium for small exporters and simplified procedure for claim settlements.
It is proposed to digitally refund to exporters, duties and taxes levied at the Central, State and local levels, such as electricity duties and VAT on fuel used for transportation, which are not getting exempted or refunded under any other existing mechanism.
The development assumes significance as these schemes are expected to facilitate higher exports.

National Recruitment Agency for all computer based exams

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that a National Recruitment Agency (NRA) will be set up for all computer-based examinations for recruitment to non-gazetted government and public sector banks posts.
The move has the potential to give a breath of fresh air for the youth of the country, who have been stuck in the vicious cycle of recruitment exams and an indefinite wait for jobs.
The Minister said that at present, candidates have to appear for multiple examinations conducted by multiple agencies at different points of time for similar posts.
To mitigate the hardship faced, it is proposed to set up a NRA as an independent, professional, specialist organisation for conduct of a computer-based online Common Eligibility Test for recruitment to non-gazetted posts
Non-gazetted jobs are the government jobs or posts which do not give the person the authority to issue an official stamp on the behalf of the government.
In terms of types of jobs, this includes Group B, Group C and Group D government jobs.

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FEBRUARY 03, 2020

Karbi New Year ‘Nikam Kimi’ celebrated

Nikam Kimi, the Karbi New Year was celebrated with pomp and gaiety throughout the district by different celebration committees.
As per the Karbi calendar, February 1 is considered as New Year by the community.
Nikam Kimi was celebrated throughout the day by holding various Karbi traditional events and games where male, female and youth participated.
It may be mentioned here that Ningkam Kimi was welcomed by symbolically releasing pigeons in the sky by the dignitaries.
The Karbi Ningkan Kimi (Karbi New Year) was celebrated with splendour and exuberance across the twin hill district of Karbi Anglong on February 1.
The Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) declared February 1 as official holiday.

US, India celebrate 70th Fulbright exchange program

The United States and India celebrated the 70th anniversary of the prestigious Fulbright exchange program which has awarded scholarships to over 11,000 Indians and Americans so far.
US Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Marie Royce from Washington to attend the gala event in New Delhi.
The Fulbright program, created by Senator J. William Fulbright in 1946, was designed to increase mutual understanding among the people of the United States and the people of other countries. It has now grown into the premier US international educational exchange program in the world.
The binational United States-India Educational Foundation (USIEF) was among the earliest of the Fulbright Commissions or foundations.
On February 2, 1950, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and US Ambassador to India Loy Henderson signed a bilateral agreement to implement and administer a country Fulbright Program on behalf of the partner governments.
Since its inception, USIEF has awarded approximately 11,128 Fulbright Fellowships to Indians and Americans.
On July 4, 2008, the United States and India signed a historic new Fulbright agreement that made India a full partner in the governance and funding of the Fulbright Program.

Sakhi centre, one-stop centre to provide support to women of sexual violence, inaugurated in Tezpur

Sakhi, a one-stop centre to provide integrated support and assistance under one roof for women affected by sexual and physical violence, was inaugurated at VidyaMandir building at Dhanua Nagar, Morabharalipaar.
The one-stop centre has been set up by the Sonitpur district administration and the Social Welfare Department to provide integrated services of medical and legal aid, guidance on the procedure of registering police complaints, along with psycho-social counselling and temporary shelter to women who have been victims of sexual or physical violence.
A toll-free number 181 has also been made available for women in distress.
The scheme is Centrally sponsored by the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development under the National Mission for Empowerment of Women.

FEBRUARY 04, 2020

Madhya Pradesh’s Kalidas Awards for Assam dance guru, Kathak danseuse

Veteran classical dance guru from Assam, Jatin Goswami, and renowned Kathak danseuse Guru Uma Sharma will be conferred Madhya Pradesh”s prestigious cultural award, National Kalidas Samman, for 2017 and 2018 respectively during the Khajuraho Dance festival.
The award amount comprises Rs 2 lakh and a plaque.
Goswami, 87, is a legendary choreographer of the Sattriya dance form which originated in eastern Assam.
It is a dance-drama form with origins in the Krishna-centric Vaishnavist monasteries of Assam and attributed to the 15th century Bhakti movement scholar and saint Mahapurush Srimanta Sankardev.
Sharma has a reputation as a senior guru, choreographer and dancer in the field of Kathak dance.
Born in Delhi in 1942, she received dance education from Guru Hiralal and GirivarDayal.
Following the Kathak tradition of the Jaipur Gharana, she also received guidance from ShambhuMaharaj and BirjuMaharaj. Her dedication to Kathak is acknowledged the world over. She has also received the Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan.

India to have 10 more Defence Attaches

To strengthen India’s defence diplomacy, the Ministry of Defence announced creation of 10 new posts of Defence Attaches (DAs).
The government has introduced a new scheme to promote defence exports through Defence Attaches to their respective countries.
Under this scheme, funds have been allocated for export promotion to 34 countries.
The Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) have also opened offices for their liaison officers in countries like Vietnam, Singapore, Myanmar, Oman and others.
India has also offered several defence Line of Credits (LOC) to friendly countries to allow Indian defence exports and increase their presence in the global market.

IIT-Madras builds AI technology to convert brain signals into language

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-Madras) have developed an Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology to convert brain signals of speech impaired humans into language.
The researchers can potentially interpret nature’s signals such as the plant photosynthesis process or their response to external forces.
Electrical signals, brain signals, or any signal in general, are waveforms which are decoded to meaningful information using physical law or mathematical transforms such as Fourier Transform or Laplace Transform.
The output result is the ionic current, which represents the flow of ions which are charged particles.
These electrically driven ionic current signals are worked on to be interpreted as human language meaning speech. This would tell us what the ions are trying to communicate with us.
They tested this concept by getting experimental electrical signals through experiments in the laboratory to get signals from nanofluidic transport inside nanopores.
The nanopores were filled with saline solution and mediated using an electric field.

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FEBRUARY 05, 2020

Highest priority accorded to North Eastern Region in Union Budget 2020-21

Union Minister of Development of North Eastern Region is Jitendra Singh (Minister of state, Independent Charge) said the hallmark of the Union Budget 2020-21 is that it accords the highest priority to the overall development of the Northeastern region.
The budgetary allocation for the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) saw a hike of over 14 per cent from Rs 2,670 crore last year to Rs 3,049 crore in 2020-21.
The budget for the North Eastern Council (NEC) has been doubled from Rs 700 crore to Rs 1,474 crore in the last five years.
The budget has accorded the highest priority to the overall development of the Northeastern region keeping in tune with the vision and declaration of Prime Minister Narendra Modi since he came to power in 2014.
He said there is a constant and progressive rise in funds for the development of the Northeastern region since 2014.
In case of the Ministry of DoNER, the budgetary allocation for 2020-21 is Rs 3,049 crore as against Rs 2,670 crore in the Revised Estimate (RE) 2019-20. Of the total Rs 3,049 crore, the provision for development of infrastructure is around Rs 2,900 crore compared to Advance Estimate (AE) 2014-15 of Rs 1,719 crore.
The budget allocation of the Ministry of DoNER in 2020-21 is higher by 77.26 per cent, he said.
In case of schemes being implemented by the North Eastern Council (NEC), the current year’s budgetary allocation is Rs 1,474 crore, an increase of 19.23 per cent over RE 2019-20 allocation of Rs 1,237 crore.
The government is ensuring smooth access to financial assistance from multilateral and bilateral funding agencies to help introduce innovative and global best practices. The Central government has effectively used an online portal to reduce gestation period. This has improved the flow of funds to the Northeast region.
The inland waterways received a boost in the last five years. The Jal Vikas Marg on National Waterway-1 will be completed. Further, the 890-km Dhubri-Sadiya waterway will be completed by 2022.
Plans are afoot to energise eco-heritage sites. Government proposes to establish an Indian Institute of Heritage and Conservation under the Ministry of Culture; it shall have the status of a deemed university to start with.
Five archaeological sites – Rakhigarhi (Haryana), Hastinapur (Uttar Pradesh), Sivasagar (Assam), Dholavira (Gujarat) and Adichanallur (Tamil Nadu) – would be developed as iconic sites with on-site museums.

Union Cabinet approves amendment Bill for IIITs

The Union Cabinet has approved the Indian Institutes of Information Technology Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2020.
The Bill grants statutory status to five Indian Institutes of Information Technology in Public-Private Partnership mode at Surat, Bhopal, Bhagalpur, Agartala and Raichur and declare them as Institutions of National Importance along with the existing 15 Indian Institutes of Information Technology under the Indian Institutes of Information Technology (Public-Private Partnership) Act, 2017.
The Bill, once it gets parliamentary approval, will amend the principal Acts of 2014 and 2017 to enable these IIITs to use the nomenclature of Bachelor”s in Technology (B.Tech) or Master”s in Technology (M.Tech) or Ph.D degree as issued by a university or Institution of National Importance.
It will enable the institutes to attract enough students required to develop a strong research base in the country in the field of information technology.
The five IIITs at Surat, Bhopal, Bhagalpur, Agartala and Raichur are already functioning as societies registered under the Societies Registration Act of 1860.
After changes in the existing laws, these institutions will be covered under the IIIT (PPP) Act, 2017, similar to 15 others established under the scheme in the PPP mode.

UP to procure Dornier aircraft to ferry passengers

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that his government will sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with HAL for two 19 seater Dornier aircraft for non-military purpose.
The aircraft can be used to ferry passenger from one destination to another.
The Chief Minister said that flight services could be started from Lucknow to Varanasi or Lucknow to Agra.
He also said that his government is making a military manufacturing policy so that Uttar Pradesh can become a hub of defence production.
The Chief Minister also said that the corridor is being developed with an objective of promoting indigenisation and supporting the ”Make in India” initiative towards fulfilling equipment requirements worth over $250 billion by 2025.
The Chief Minister announced that his government has planned to develop the Ganga Expressway from Uttar Pradesh to Bihar.

FEBRUARY 06, 2020

Chief Minister Conrad Sangma inaugurated Meghalaya Police Academy

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma inaugurating the Meghalaya Police Academy in Ri-Bhoi district. With this, Meghalaya got its own police academy which, in due course of time, is expected to be developed as a research centre to study the social pattern related to crimes and the health of the State’s population.
The Meghalaya Police Academy is located at Umran, Niangbyrnai, close to the North Eastern Police Academy (NEPA) in Ri-Bhoi district. The academy will initially take in 40 trainees.
This centre should also function as a research centre by bringing together the society, not necessarily in policing, but in maintaining law and order with simple standard operating procedures right from the village level.
Maintaining law and order has become more complicated, and requires specialised training and skill sets under the changing scenario. Issues like cyber crimes have made a huge impact on the society and stressed the need of analysing situations with new skills and technologies.
The first phase of the academy has been built with a total fund of Rs 50 crore provided by the 13th Finance Commission from 2013. Work for the second phase of the academy will start soon with an additional fund of Rs 92 crore from the 15th Finance Commission.
The NEPA, which was established in 1978, is mandated to provide training to recruits in the police forces from all the North Eastern State. Some State Police personnel undergo training at the NEPA, while the majority are trained at the Police Training School (PTS).

HAL signs MoU with Israeli firm to make & sell drones

Indian state-owned aerospace and defence company Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bengaluru based Dynamatic Technologies Limited (DTL) and Israel Aerospace Industries Limited (IAI) at DefExpo 2020.
In India drones are playing significant role in wars and other tactical missions such as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR).
HAL has the best capability and infrastructure available in India to manufacture world class and battle-proven drones.
HAL as a long-time partner of IAI is involved in the depot level maintenance of all ranges of drones supplied by IAI to the Indian forces since 2004.
The partnership would be the first in the country to manufacture IAI designed UAVs in India such as short range tactical class having long endurance.
This collaboration will enhance technology sharing and business partnership between India and Israel.

Union Cabinet decision for Cooperative Banks to come under RBI regulations

The Union Cabinet has taken a major step to reform the cooperative banks of the country. Now the banking operations of as many as 1540 cooperative banks of the country have come under the regulation of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
At present, commercial, scheduled and nationalised banks regulate under RBI.
But now under the Banking Regulation Amendment Act 2019, the norms of commercial banks will be applicable on cooperative banks as well.
The administrative system of the cooperative banks will continue as per the rules of the Co-operative Registrar as usual.
RBI norms will apply only to the banking system of cooperative banks.
Now candidates will have to qualify and fulfil certain conditions to become a cooperative bank officer.
Rules will also have to be followed for loan waiver. If the situation worsens, RBI will also have the rights to supersede and take control of the bank.

South Salmara Mankachar district bagged national award for Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana

The South SalmaraMankachar district has bagged a national award for proper execution of Pradhan Mantri MatruVandanaYojana (PMMVY) scheme.
Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Zubin Irani, presented the award at a function held at New Delhi recently.
Indore of Madhya Pradesh and Kurnool of Andhra Pradesh shared first and the second prize respectively, while South SalmaraMankachar district bagged the third prize.
The Assam team was represented by JishnuBaruah, Additional Chief Secretary of Assam; Hemen Das, Secretary to the Government of Assam, Social Welfare Department; Niva Das, Joint Director, Social Welfare Department and KishoriBaruah, District Social Welfare Officer of South SalmaraMankachar district.

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FEBRUARY 07, 2020

Govt proposes jail term for ads promoting magic remedies

The Health and Family Welfare Ministry has proposed the draft amendment to the Drugs and magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements Act, 1954), with a stringent punishment of a jail term of up to five years and a fine of up to Rs 50 lakh.
For advertisements for magic remedies and drugs for fair skin, enhancing sexual performance, stammering, infertility in women, premature ageing and greying, increasing brain capacity among others.
The draft amendment has made several additions to the list of diseases, disorders, conditions covered in the Act.
The Act says that medicines, “magic remedies” and products to cure any of these 78 diseases, disorders, conditions named should not be advertised.
Under the Act, the first conviction is punishable with imprisonment of up to six months or fine or both; and a subsequent conviction can result in imprisonment of up to a year or fine, or both.
The amendment proposes to increase the penalties. For the first conviction, the proposed punishment is imprisonment of up to two years and fine up to Rs 10 lakh. For subsequent conviction, the imprisonment may extend to five years with a fine of up to Rs 50 lakh.
The draft bill also proposes an expansion of definition of an advertisement.
It says, “any audio or visual publicity, representation, endorsement or pronouncement made by means of light, sound, smoke, gas, print, electronic media, internet or website and includes any notice, circular, label, wrapper, invoice, banner, poster or such other documents.

Tripura CM seeks Israeli help in security, water management

Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb held a meeting with Israeli Ambassador to India Ron Malka in New Delhi and discussed mutual cooperation in a variety of fields including security and surveillance systems.
Deb discussed diverse potential areas of cooperation with the Israel Ambassador.
The Chief Minister discussed about the joint cooperation on the areas of security and surveillance system, water management, agriculture, food processing, packaging, cold storage, technology transfer, tourism and culture.
The Israeli Ambassador expressed willingness to visit Tripura along with his team soon.

J&K Administrative Council approved the implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission

The Jammu & Kashmir Administrative Council approved the implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) and the roadmap to achieve 100 per cent coverage of piped water supply by December 2021 across the region aligning it to the National Mission of Jal Jeevan.
The objective of the mission is to provide Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTC) to every rural household with priority to desert, drought prone,border areas, schools, anganwadi and health centres.
Under the mission, sustainability of the water supply system will be ensured besides empowerment and development of human resource in the sector so as to meet the demands of construction, plumbing and water quality management.
Under the National Jal Jeevan Mission, every rural household of the country will be connected with piped water supply by 2024 with an aim ”HarGharNal Se Jal”.
At present, 30.5% of J&K’s rural households have piped water connections compared to the national average of 18%.
To achieve 100 per cent coverage under JJM in a phased manner by December 2021, the PHE Department has carried out a detailed exercise to prepare a District Water Security Plan through the District Water and Sanitation Mission headed by the concerned Deputy Commissioners.
In the initial phase, seven districts viz. Poonch, Reasi, Samba, Srinagar, Ganderbal, Shopian and Pulwama will be covered for 100% piped water supply by June 2020.
In the second phase, seven more districts will be covered by June 2021 and the remaining six districts shall be covered in the third phase ending December 2021.

Indian, Russian companies ink 14 defence MoUs

As many as 14 MoUs were signed between Russian original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and Indian companies at Defexpo currently on in Lucknow.
The MoUs were signed during the fifth round of India-Russia military industrial conference which was co-chaired by Ajay Kumar, Defence Secretary, and Oleg Ryazantsev, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of Russian Federation.
The first ”Request for Proposal” for manufacturing of parts in India under the provision of inter-governmental agreement was also handed over by the Indian Navy to the identified Indian industry.
Representatives from both the countries acknowledged that the MoUs would pave the way for more contracts for joint manufacturing of spares parts.
The IGA provides framework for partnership of Russian OEMs with Indian industry for manufacturing of spare parts of Russian origin equipment in use by the Indian defence forces.
The Indian side has taken steps to expedite the collaboration between the Indian and Russian companies as the country looks forward to expeditious commencement of manufacturing in India.

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