Current Affairs Assam – February 15 - 21, 2019
( Covers all important Assam Current Affairs & GK topics for the week of February 15 – 21, 2019 )
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February 17, 2019
India withdraws MFN status and imposes 200% import duty on Pakistan
- India after withdrawing the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status to Pakistan, also slapped a 200 per cent import duty on all goods originating or exported from Pakistan.
- The government decision comes as part of retaliation on the neighbour after 49 CRPF troopers were killed in the worst terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir by an activist belonging to Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohhammed which accepted the responsibility for the attack.
- India has accorded the MFN status to all members of the World Trade Organisation in accordance with provisions of the Article 1 of General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, 1994.
FACTFILE – Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status
- It is a status or level of treatment accorded by one state to another in international trade.
- Most Favoured Nation status is given to an international trade partner to ensure non-discriminatory trade between all partner countries of the WTO.
- A country which provides MFN status to another country has to provide concessions, privileges, and immunity in trade agreements. It is the first clause in the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT).
- The members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) agree to accord MFN status to each other. Exceptions allow for preferential treatment of developing countries, regional free trade areas and customs unions.
- Under rules of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), a member country is not allowed to discriminate between trade partners and if a special status is granted to one trade partner, the country is required to extend it to all members of the WTO.
- Together with the principle of national treatment, MFN is one of the cornerstones of WTO trade law.
Prime Minister Narendar Modi lays foundation stone of Patna Metro Rail
- Prime Minister Narendar Modi laid the foundation of the Patna Metro Rail through video conferencing from Begusarai in Bihar.
- He also opened the city’s gas distribution at Patna and the Patna River Front Development’s first phase.
- The Prime Minister then launched the expansion work of Barauni’s oil refinery which would be increased to 9 million tonnes and other projects estimated to cost Rs 33,000 crore.
- The Patna Metro Rail project will cost about Rs 13,365.77 crore. It comprises two corridors of a total length 31.39 km.
- In the first phase, a 33.1-km-long track having two corridors – east-west and north-south – will come up in Patna.
BIGO announces $100 million investment in India
- Singapore-based social media platform BIGO Technology announced an investment of over $100 million to expand its business in India in the next three years.
- As part of the investment, the internet company will start a regional centre by the end of this year in the country that will create employment opportunities for more than 1,000 tech professionals.
- This step is the first-of-its-kind for BIGO, and a testament to the growing need for overseas centres as our user base grows
FACTFILE – BIGO Technology
- With over 40 patents in VoIP/video-related technology and over 60 patents under the process of application, BIGO Technology is one of the major companies globally in the field of app development and publishing of apps.
- The company, which has built a strong team of over 100 Artificial Intelligence (AI) experts and engineers, recently received series D funding of $272 million.
- In addition to the India Centre, BIGO would open two more regional research centres – one in the US and another one in MENA-Europe region by the end of this year.
February 18, 2019
Invest India Grid launched in Saudi Arabia
- Invest India Grid was launched in Saudi Arabia during the visit of Niti Aayog delegation with 40 opportunities of investment, trade and business.
- The delegation, led by NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant, comprised of leading Indian CEOs who took part in discussions with the Saudi Centre for International Strategic Partnerships (SCISP).
- Discussions were also held with senior representatives from 12 Saudi ministries in Riyadh during the two-day visit.
- Officials from ministries of tourism, Housing and Urban Affairs, Electronics and Information Technology and commerce took part in the deliberations.
- The NITI Aayog-SCISP workshop held wide ranging discussions on the possible opportunities of joint cooperation.
- During the workshop, Invest India Grid was launched in Saudi Arabia. Invest India is setting up a dedicated team for facilitating Saudi investments in India.
- NITI Aayog and SCISP agreed to provide continuing momentum to the India-Saudi Arabia Strategic Partnership.
- Six working groups have identified 40 investment, trade and business opportunities with vast potential for expansion.
- India-Saudi Arabia bilateral trade during April to November 2018 reached $23.24 billion.
The Saudi Center for International Strategic Partnerships (SCISP) aims to coordinate all the Kingdom’s efforts in relation to its international strategic partnerships with countries targeted for partnership.It’s efforts are towards building, developing and strengthening such partnerships, as well as coordinating and monitoring their programs with relevant agencies.
Modi inaugurates 3 medical colleges in Jharkhand
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated three medical colleges located in Dumka, Palamau and Hazaribagh of Jharkhand and laid the foundation stone for the Women’s Engineering College in Ramgarh district.
- He also laid the foundation stone for the Women’s Engineering College in Ramgarh district, a Rs 517 crore drinking water project for Hazaribagh and pending and new irrigation projects worth Rs 160 crore.
- Modi also opened the Jharkhand government’s scheme to provide mobile phones to the farmers by handing over cheques worth Rs 2,000 each to five farmers.
Sonowal inaugurates CM’s Gyan Jyoti educational tour
- Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated the Chief Minister’s Gyan Jyoti Scheme at the Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra’s International Auditorium.
- The Gyan Jyoti Scheme is designed especially to stimulate the knowledge base of the students by enabling them to undertake educational tours, which have been instrumental in increasing the mental horizon of the students.
- The four-day programme in which 1,000 students and their teachers participated from 18 districts will culminate on February 18.
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