Assam Current Affairs – March 15 - 21, 2019

Current Affairs Assam – March 15 - 21, 2019

( Covers all important Assam Current Affairs & GK topics for the week of March 15 – 21, 2019 )

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March 15, 2019

Guwahati Lok Sabha seat has highest, Diphu has lowest number of voters in Assam

The Guwahati constituency has the highest number of electorates among all the 14 Lok Sabha seats in Assam, while the Diphu constituency has the lowest number of voters who are eligible to exercise their franchise in the forthcoming general elections.
There are a total of 21,49,230 voters in the Guwahati Lok Sabha constituency, the highest in Assam. Dhubri constituency with 18,44,040 voters and Mangaldai with 17,75,182 voters are the seats having the second and third highest number of electorates in the State.
Nagaon has 17,74,467 voters, followed by 17,48,865 voters in Kokrajhar, 17,10,939 in Kaliabor, 16,81,434 in Lakhimpur, 16,65,689 in Barpeta, 14,82,368 in Tezpur, 13,43,872 in Jorhat, 13,13,469 in Karimganj, 12,97,671 in Dibrugarh, 11,89,667 in Silchar and 7,83,711 voters in Diphu.
The total number of general electors in the State stands at 2,17,60,604, of which, 1,11,32,782 are males, while 1,06,27,319 are females and 503 are from the ‘third gender’. The number of third gender voters is highest in Guwahati and Silchar constituencies. There are 78 voters belonging to the third gender in both the constituencies.
There will be a total of 28,143 polling stations across the State for the Lok Sabha polls. Guwahati constituency will have the highest number of polling stations (2,592), followed by Dhubri (2,450) and Mangaldai (2,353).
The number of polling stations under Kokrajhar constituency will be 2,347, while it will be 2,283 in Nagaon, 2,188 in Barpeta, 2,174 in Kaliabor, 2,110 in Lakhimpur, 1,880 in Tezpur, 1,753 in Jorhat, 1,721 in Karimganj, 1,657 in Dibrugarh and 1,461 in Silchar. Diphu constituency will have the least number of polling stations (1,174) in the State.

DRDO test-fired anti-tank missile successfully

A man-portable anti-tank guided missile (MPATGM) was successfully test-fired in Rajasthan desert, the missile has been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
The indigenously developed, low-weight missile operates on a “fire and forget” principle, which means it does not require guidance after the launch.
MPATGM is incorporated with advanced features, including state-of-the-art imaging infrared radar-seeker with integrated avionics.
The first test was conducted on March 13. In both the missions, the missiles hit the designated targets precisely at different ranges. All the mission objectives have been met.

FACTFILE – The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)

DRDO is charged with the military’s research and development, headquartered in New Delhi, India.
It was formed in 1958 by the merger of the Technical Development Establishment and the Directorate of Technical Development and Production with the Defence Science Organisation.
It is under the administrative control of the Ministry of Defence, Government of India.
With a network of 52 laboratories, which are engaged in developing defence technologies covering various fields, like aeronautics, armaments, electronics, land combat engineering, life sciences, materials, missiles, and naval systems.
DRDO is India’s largest and most diverse research organization, having around 5,000 scientists belonging to the Defence Research & Development Service (DRDS) and about 25,000 other scientific, technical and supporting personnel.

India’s February 2019 WPI rises to 2.93%

India’s annual rate of inflation based on wholesale prices rose to 2.93 per cent in February from 2.74 per cent reported for the corresponding month of 2018.
Wholesale prices rose on a faster rate than the rise of 2.76 per cent reported for January 2019.
Build up inflation rate in the financial year so far was 2.75 per cent compared to a build up rate of 2.56 per cent in the corresponding period of the previous year

FACTFILE – Wholesale Price Index (WPI)

WPI is the price of a representative basket of wholesale goods.
It also influences stock and fixed price markets. Some countries (like the Philippines) use WPI changes as a central measure of inflation.
India has adopted new CPI to measure inflation. The advanced base year 2011-12 uses 697 items.
The WPI is published by the Economic Adviser in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
The Wholesale Price Index focuses on the price of goods traded between corporations, rather than goods bought by consumers, which is measured by the Consumer Price Index.
The purpose of the WPI is to monitor price movements that reflect supply and demand in industry, manufacturing and construction. This helps in analyzing both macroeconomic and microeconomic conditions.

IITs collaborate to develop Himalayan climate change vulnerability assessment

The Indian Institute of Technology-Guwahati, Indian Institute of Technology-Mandi and Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru have collaborated to develop a climate change vulnerability assessment for the Indian Himalayan region using a common framework.
The assessment exercise is unique because for the first time all 12 Himalayan states have used a common framework resulting in the production of comparable state-level and within state, district-level vulnerability maps.
The 12 states are Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, hilly districts of West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir.
The adaptation to climate change is a collaborative effort between appropriate use of technology, a vision that produces policies, a change at ground level and engaging the local communities.
Swiss national policy for climate change adaptation has been complemented by local government strategies, based on detailed and locally anchored risks assessment, maps and preparedness, plans and actions.

FACTFILE – Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT)

IIT are autonomous public institutes of higher education, located in India.
They are governed by the Institutes of Technology Act, 1961 which has declared them as institutions of national importance and lays down their powers, duties, and framework for governance etc.
The Institutes of Technology Act, 1961 lists twenty-three institutes (after the last amendment in 2016).

Facebook launch “Facebook Hubs” to foster innovation and support entrepreneurs

Facebook Hubs will provide support for the start-up community by hosting mentor hours and conducting trainings, workshops, discussions across 20 locations in Delhi, Gurugram, Noida, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Pune, Navi Mumbai and in Goa.
Facebook Hubs also encompasses co-working community hosting, planning and organizing structured activities such as learning and skill development programs for budding entrepreneurs.
Facebook Hubs aims to be part of a global network for training and mentoring facilities for not just start-ups, but also developers, small and medium businesses, creators, and job seekers.

March 16, 2019

Major General Rana Pratap Kalita of Assam promoted to top post in Indian Army

Major General Rana Pratap Kalita from Assam, who is presently serving as the Additional Director General (ceremonial and welfare) in the Army Headquarters, New Delhi, has been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General in the Indian Army.
He is the second Army official from Assam who has been promoted to this rank after the first Assamese Lieutenant General Pranab Bharali.
Lieutenant General Kalita, an alumnus of Sainik School, Goalpara (SSG) and National Defence Academy (NDA), was earlier awarded ‘Sena Medal’ and ‘Vishisht Seva Medal’.
He was also conferred with the prestigious ‘Ati Vishisht Seva Medal’ for his outstanding performance and service to the nation during his tenure as the General Officer Commanding of XIX Infantry Division at Baramulla in the aftermath of the fidayeen attack in Uri in the Kashmir valley.

FACTFILE – Officer ranks in Indian Army, Air Force and Navy

Indian Army	Indian Navy	Indian Air Force
*Field Marshal	*Admiral of the Fleet	*Marshal of the Air Force
General	Admiral	Air Chief Marshal
Lieutenant General	Vice Admiral	Air Marshal
Major General	Rear Admiral	Air Vice Marshal
Brigadier	Commodore	Air Commodore
Colonel	Captain	Group Captain
Lieutenant Colonel	Commander	Wing Commander
Major	Lieutenant Commander	Squadron Leader
Captain	Lieutenant	Flight Lieutenant
Lieutenant	Sub-Lieutenant	Flying Officer

FACTFILE – 5-star ranks

The top ranks of the three Indian Defence forces Field Marshal (in Army), Marshal of the Air Force (in Air Force), and Admiral of the Fleet (in Navy) are 5 star ranks. It is considered a huge prestige to receive such a rank
The Field Marshal rank has been awarded to Kodandera Madappa Cariappa and Sam Manekshaw till date.
Arjan Singh has received the rank of the Marshal of the Indian Air Force and is the only living Indian military officer with a 5 star rank
Till date, no one has never been awarded the Admiral of the Fleet rank.
Officers who hold a 5 star rank are considered to be serving officers till death and hold their rank for life.

IIT Roorkee ties up with ISRO to set up a Space Technology Cell

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee in Uttarakhand tied up with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to set up a Space Technology Cell at its campus.
The ISRO-IIT Roorkee Space Technology Cell shall pursue advanced research in the areas of relevance to the future technological and programmatic needs of the Indian space programme.
The cell shall ensure to maximise the use of research potential, infrastructure, expertise and experience that exist in ISRO and IIT Roorkee.
The institute will be providing the infrastructure and administrative support in setting up of the cell.
The research facility will consist of faculty members, visiting scientists, experts, research personnel, technical, administrative and support staff.

India bats for banning single-use plastics

India has piloted resolutions on two important global environment issues related to single-use plastics and sustainable nitrogen management at the UN Environment Assembly. Both resolutions were adopted with consensus.
After five days of negotiations at the Fourth UN Environment Assembly in this Kenyan capital, ministers from more than 170 UN member states delivered a bold blueprint for change.
The Indian delegation, led by the High Commissioner of India Rahul Chhabra, also participated in the panel discussion in high-level segment on need for additional commitments of public finance and the ways to maximise mobilization of climate finance.
India has been initiating domestic climate actions, both related to climate change mitigation and adaptation, primarily through its own financial resources.

FACTFILE – United Nations Environment Programme

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), an agency of the United Nations, coordinates the organization’s environmental activities and assists developing countries in implementing environmentally sound policies and practices.
It was founded by Maurice Strong, its first director, as a result of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment (Stockholm Conference) in June 1972 and has overall responsibility for environmental problems among United Nations agencies
UNEP’s activities cover a wide range of issues regarding the atmosphere, marine and terrestrial ecosystems, environmental governance and green economy.
It has played a significant role in developing international environmental conventions, promoting environmental science and information and illustrating the way those can be implemented in conjunction with policy, working on the development and implementation of policy with national governments, regional institutions in conjunction with environmental non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
UNEP has also been active in funding and implementing environment related development projects.

World Kidney Day 2019 observed on 14th March

Second Thursday of March every year is observed as World Kidney Day as a global health awareness campaign focusing on the importance of the kidneys and reducing the frequency and impact of kidney disease and its associated health problems worldwide.
The theme of the World Kidney Day 2019 is “Kidney Health for Everyone Everywhere.”, emphasizing on Universal Health Coverage (UHC) for prevention and early treatment of kidney disease.
World Kidney Day is an initiative of the International Society of Nephrology (ISN) and the International Federation of Kidney Foundations (IFKF).
The kidneys are two bean-shaped organs found in vertebrates. They receive blood from the paired renal arteries; blood exits into the paired renal veins.
The nephron is the structural and functional unit of the kidney. Each human adult kidney contains around 1 million nephrons, while a mouse kidney contains only about 12,500 nephrons.

India gets first TIR shipment via Chabahar Port from Afghanistan

The first shipment under the United Nations ‘Transports Internationaux Routiers’ (TIR) convention has arrived in India from Afghanistan through the Chabahar Port of Iran.

FACFILE – Transports Internationaux Routiers’ Convention

The Transports Internationaux Routiers is an international Convention aimed at harmonising the administrative formalities of international road transport.
The customs officials only verify the carnet and check the seal without requiring physical checking of the contents. This enables shipments to pass through countries without being opened at borders.
Reciprocal recognition of customs controls is at the heart of the TIR Convention. The convention enables a facilitative and non-intrusive environment for multi-modal transport of goods through several countries.
The convention acts as a strong catalyst for moving goods using the multi-modal transportation route like Chabahar and International North-South Transport (INSTC) Corridor.
The convention offers a great opportunity for the landlocked countries by providing seamless border crossing facilitation and intermodal capabilities.
India joined the TIR Convention in 2017.

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March 17, 2019

Security feature to be included in mineral transport challans, says Meghalaya CM

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma has informed that the State Government has taken a serious view on reports of fake challans issued for mineral transportation and so security features are being incorporated in these challans.
A committee has been constituted to look into incorporation of security features in the mineral transportation challans.
The challans with the security features would include QR codes, bar codes and other security features to reduce duplicity and fake challans.
With regards to issuance of fake challans, whenever such reports are received the department files complaints and FIRs so that the guilty persons are booked.
Three departments – Mines and Minerals, Forest and Transport – are being sensitised so that the new technology can work seamlessly in these departments.

Mizoram House passes bill for supplying cadavers to Medical college

Mizoram Assembly Thursday passed a Bill to facilitate the supply of cadavers to the medical college in the State. Health Minister Dr R Lalthangliana introduced the Mizoram Anatomy Bill, 2019, and it was passed unanimously.
The Bill, after enactment, would facilitate availability of bodies for the Mizoram Institute of Medical Education and Research (MIMER) at Falkawn, about 20 km.
Cadavers are required by medical colleges for the purpose of anatomical examination and dissection.

Cardless ATM services inaugurated at Silchar

The State Bank of India (SBI) launched cardless transaction facility at its ATMs via its latest service You Only Need One (YONO).
People can avail the services by downloading the latest version of YONO app from Google Play Store. The OTP is available for 30 minutes for making transactions after which the term will expire.

Erode Turmeric and Sirsi Supari of Karnataka receives GI tag

Erode Turmeric of Tamil Nadu has received GI tag from the Geographical Indication Registry.
Sirsi Supari of Karnataka has got the GI tag by the Registrar of Geographical Indications. It is the first product from the Arecanut sector to get a GI tag.

FACTFILE – Geographical Indication

Geographical Indication defines the goods as originating in the territory of a country or a region or locality in that territory, provided a given quality reputation or other characteristics of the product are attributable to its geographical origin.
The product that is to acquire GI tag has to indicate that the product is of a particular origin has a certain quality or reputation or some other characteristics which are essentially attributable to its geographical origin.

March 18, 2019

Pinaki Chandra Ghose to be the First Lokpal of India

The name of former Supreme Court Judge Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose has been cleared by the Lokpal Selection Committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the first Lokpal of India.
The ambit of Lokpal would cover all categories of public servants, including the Prime Minister with the exception of armed forces.

Features of the Lokpal Act 2013:

The Lokpal Act provides for setting up of an anti-corruption ombudsman called Lokpal at the Centre and Lokayukta at the State-level.
The Lokpal would consist of a chairperson and a maximum of eight members of which 50 per cent shall be judicial members.
50 per cent of members of Lokpal shall be from SC/ST/OBCs, minorities and women.
The Lokpal Act mandated the states to institute Lokayukta within one year of the commencement of the Act.
Lokpal will also have powers of superintendence and direction over any investigation agency including CBI for cases referred to them by the Lokpal.
Lokpal is appointed based on the recommendation of the five-member panel comprising the Prime Minister, the Lok Sabha Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition the Chief Justice of India and an eminent jurist nominated by the President.
President would appoint the eminent jurist based on the recommendations of the other members of the panel.

OIL’s solar solution programme concludes

The OIL Urja Happy Home Solar Solution (UHHSS) programme, a CSR project of Oil India Limited, implemented by the Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship (IIE) in Tinsukia and Dibrugarh districts of Upper Assam, came to an end on March 15.
The concluding event of the programme was held at Zero Point near River Police Station of Dr Bhupen Hazarika Setu wherein 68 households of the anti-poaching camps under Tinsukia Wildlife Division were provided with the solar home lighting system and solar energy lanterns and improved biomass cook stoves.
The objective of the programme was to provide access to clean and affordable energy for domestic lighting and cooking through sustainable and inexhaustible low maintenance solar solutions. The programme has helped in reducing indoor air pollution and the use of kerosene or firewood for cooking, provided adequate lighting facility to enable evening study for students, besides other benefits towards creating a clean energy solution at the household level.
The solar home system includes multiple LED lights, mobile charging points and other home appliances through a battery that can be recharged by using solar photovoltaic panels. The solar energy lanterns consist of a light-emitting diode (LED)-based portable lamp which is powered by small solar panel battery and as an ideal multipurpose solution of rural households.
These lanterns can be used for inhouse lighting and portable outdoor lights. These lights also recharge mobile phones. The improved biomass cooking stoves provided is an efficient devise consuming less biomass fuel and significantly reduces indoor air pollution through better combustion of biomass fuel.
The project also made effort to create village solar entrepreneurs through training and capacity-building.

Goa CM Manohar Parrikar passes away

Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar, a former Defenceminister who had been battling a pancreatic ailment for over a year, died at his private residence.
Born on December 13, 1955 into a middle-class family, his political career began as an RSS pracharak and he continued working for the Sangh even after graduating from IIT-Bombay as a metallurgical engineer.
Parrikar entered electoral politics in 1994 when he won on a BJP ticket from Panaji constituency.
He was the defence minister from November 2014 to March 2017 during the tenure of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

India, Maldives discussed measures to strengthen bilateral ties

India and the Maldives discussed measures to strengthen bilateral ties and collaborate in the fields of defence, development cooperation, capacity building and health
The two countries had also agreed to remain mindful of each other’s concerns and aspirations for the stability of the Indian Ocean region and not allow their respective territories to be used for any activity inimical to their interests.
The two sides discussed ongoing and future cooperation across all spheres, including defence, development cooperation, capacity building, health and consular issues.

FACTFILE – India–Maldives relations

The bilateral relations between India and Maldives have been friendly and close in strategic, economic and military cooperation.
India contributed to maintaining security on the island nation.

NGT directs 6 states to submit action plan on air pollution

The National Green Tribunal has directed six states to submit their Action Plans for bringing air quality standards within the prescribed norms, failing which they would be liable to pay environment compensation of ₹1 crore each.
A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel ordered the chief secretaries of Assam, Jharkhand Maharashtra, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Nagaland governments to submit their plan within the stipulated time.
The States, where action plans are found to be deficient and deficiencies are not removed till April 30, 2019, will be liable to pay ₹25 lakh each and the timeline for execution of the action plans is six months from the date their finalization.
The tribunal warned that if action plans are not executed within the specified timeline, the defaulting states will be liable to pay environmental compensation and may also be required to furnish performance guarantee for execution of plans in extended timeline as per recommendations received from the Central Pollution Control Board.

FACTFILE – National Green Tribunal

The National Green Tribunal has been established on 18.10.2010 under the National Green Tribunal Act 2010 for effective and expeditious disposal of cases relating to environmental protection and conservation of forests and other natural resources including enforcement of any legal right relating to environment and giving relief and compensation for damages to persons and property and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.
It is a specialized body equipped with the necessary expertise to handle environmental disputes involving multi-disciplinary issues.

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March 19, 2019

Assam has 1.2 lakh ‘D’ voters

Former Speaker of Goa legislative assembly and BJP MLA PramodSawant was sworn in as the 11th Chief Minister of Goa.
VijaiSardesai from the Goa Forward Party and SudinDhavalikar from MaharashtrawadiGomantak Party, both alliance partners, have been inducted as Deputy Chief Ministers.
Sawant succeeds former Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, who died on Sunday due to complications arising from advanced pancreatic cancer.

India to provide humanitarian assistance to Mozambique

There are around 1.2 lakh ‘D’ voters in Assam, State’s chief electoral officer Mukesh Sahu said.
To encourage all sections of voters, especially the new generation, to cast their votes in the upcoming election, the State election department has been carrying out a massive awareness drive across Assam. The videos and posters portray personalities such as singer Tarali Sarma, sprinter Hima Das, actor Kapil Bora, bodybuilder Golap Rabha and environmental activist Purnima Devi Barman who have been appointed as State icons by the election department to sensitize people on the Lok Sabha elections.
The chief electoral officer also released a handbook titled Aaideur Hatputhi as part of its ‘Aaideur Chora’ campaign undertaken in collaboration with the Assam State Rural Livelihood Mission (ASRLM) and Assam State Urban Livelihood Mission (ASULM) to sensitize women voter of the State. The handbook will be distributed by the department across the State among female voters.
The state election department will appoint 2,556 village ambassadors across the State. To be known as ‘Chandraprava’, the village ambassador will spread the message of voter education and electoral participation among the masses.

Pramod Sawant sworn in as Goa CM

Former Speaker of Goa legislative assembly and BJP MLA PramodSawant was sworn in as the 11th Chief Minister of Goa.
VijaiSardesai from the Goa Forward Party and SudinDhavalikar from MaharashtrawadiGomantak Party, both alliance partners, have been inducted as Deputy Chief Ministers.
Sawant succeeds former Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, who died on Sunday due to complications arising from advanced pancreatic cancer.

RN Bhattacharya literary awards to Assamese poet Anubhav Tulasi and Bengali poet Pijush Kanti Routh

The Ramanath Bhattacharya Foundation literary awards for 2017 in the memory of Padmanath Vidyabinod and Ramnath Biswas would be given to Assamese poet Anubhav Tulasi and Bengali poet Pijush Kanti Routh of Tripura respectively.
Both the awards comprise a cash prize of Rs 51,000, a citation, a memento and a specially designed Muga scarf.
The awards would be presented at a function to be held on March 24 at the Vivekananda Kendra.
A souvenir will also be released on the occasion by Nandita Bhattacharjee Goswami.

Special Olympics World Games inaugurated in Abu Dhabi

The Special Olympics World Games 2019 are being hosted by the cities of Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. This is the first time that the Special Olympics are being held in the Middle East and North Africa region.
The host UAE had introduced the term “people of determination” as part of a new National Strategy for Empowering People with Disabilities.

FACTFILE – The Special Olympics

Special Olympics is a global movement of people creating a new world of inclusion, where every single person is accepted and welcomed, regardless of their ability or disability.
The Special Olympics are held every two years and alternates between summer and winter.
Previous Special Olympics were held in Austria (2017) and the next Special Olympics will be held in Sweden (2021).
The motto of Special Olympics “Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me brave in the attempt.”

March 20, 2019

President Kovind appoints chief & eight other members of Lokpal

President Ram Nath Kovind appointed chief and eight other members of Lokpal, the anti-corruption ombudsman will be headed by retired Supreme Court judge PC Ghose. Four judicial and non-judicial members are also part of first Lokpal.
The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act was enacted in 2013 and received the President’s signature on January 1, 2014.
As per the law, a Lokpal for Centre and Lokayuktas for states have to be set up to probe corruption complaints against MPs, MLAs, former PMs, and government employees.
President Kovind appointed four non-judicial members to the body. Maharashtra Chief Secretary Dinesh Kumar Jain, former first woman chief of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) Archana Ramasundaram, retired IRS official Mahender Singh, and retired IAS officer IP Gautam, were given the important responsibility.

First Workshop on the Development of the IEMF Organized

NITI Aayog in association with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) organized the first workshop on the development of the India Energy Modelling Forum (IEMF)
The workshop was organized under the Sustainable Growth Pillar of the India-U.S. Strategic Energy Partnership.

FACTFILE – The India Energy Modelling Forum

IEMF is envisaged as a pan-stakeholder platform for debating ideas, scenario-planning & discussing India’s energy future.
IEMF seeks to provide a platform for leading experts and policymakers to study important energy and environmental issues and ensure the induction of modelling and analysis in the informed decision-making process.
IEMF aims to improve cooperation and coordination between modelling teams, the Government of India, knowledge partners and think-tanks, build the capacity of Indian institutions, and identify issues for joint modelling activities and future areas of research.

FACTFILE – The India-U.S. Strategic Energy Partnership:

India-U.S. Strategic Energy Partnership affirms the strategic importance of energy cooperation to the U.S.-India bilateral relationship and sets the stage for deeper and more meaningful engagements through government and industry channels.
Under the Strategic Partnership, the United States and India will pursue four primary pillars of cooperation:

Oil and Gas
Power and Energy Efficiency
Renewable Energy and Sustainable Growth
Coal

Indian firms invest in Afghanistan healthcare

Three Indian health bodies have entered agreement with an Afghan health firm at Afghanistan’s Ministry of Public Health to facilitate quality healthcare across the country.
The contracts worth $6.5 million aim to set up a fully equipped diagnostic centre, an advanced dialysis centre and a manufacturing plant for the production of pharmaceuticals in the Afghan capital.
These agreements have grown over the initial talks in the USAID-sponsored Passage to Prosperity: India-Afghanistan Trade and Investment Show held last year.
The quality of secondary and tertiary healthcare is yet to improve in Afghanistan despite an overall progress in the sector and as a result, several Afghans go for medical treatment abroad.

The United Nations Environment Programme released the Global Environment Outlook 2019

The Global Environment Outlook (GEO) is the UN Environment Programme’s (UNEP) flagship environmental assessment.
The first publication was in 1997 and the Global Environment Outlook Report 2019 is the sixth edition.
The report notes that a quarter of all premature deaths and diseases worldwide are due to manmade pollution and environmental damage.
The report warns that deadly emissions, chemicals polluting drinking water, and the accelerating destruction of ecosystems crucial to the livelihoods of billions of people are driving a worldwide epidemic that hampers the global economy.
The report observed that India could save at least $3 trillion in healthcare costs if India implements policy initiatives which are consistent with ensuring that the globe didn’t heat up beyond 1.5 degrees Celsius by the turn of the century.
Among India’s commitments under INDC, India is on track to achieve the target of lowering the emission intensity of its GDP by 33-35% compared to 2005 levels by 2030 and increasing the total cumulative electricity generation from fossil-free energy sources to 40% by 2030.
To achieve the goal to limit the global temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celcius, India needs to abandon plans to build new coal-fired power plants.

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March 21, 2019

President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated FINE in Gujarat

The Festival of Innovation & Entrepreneurship (FINE) was inaugurated by President Ram Nath Kovind at Grambharti near Gandhinagar in Gujarat.
The Festival of Innovation & Entrepreneurship is an initiative of the Office of the President of India to recognise, respect and reward grassroots innovations and foster a supportive ecosystem.
The Festival of Innovation & Entrepreneurship is organised by the President’s office in association with National Innovation Foundation-India and Department of Science & Technology.
The Festival of Innovation & Entrepreneurship aims to provide a platform to the innovators for building the linkages with potential stakeholders whose support can improve their prospects in the coming years for the larger social good.
The Festival helps in promoting lateral learning and linkages among the innovators to enrich the ecosystem for new India.

International Day of Forests 2019 Observed on March 21^st

International Day of Forests 2019 was observed on March 21st with the theme ‘Forests and Education’ to raise awareness on how sustainably managed forests provide a wide array of contributions.
International Day of Forests 2019 promotes education to ‘Learn to Love Forests’.
March 21st was established as International Day of Forests by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on November 28, 2012. International Day of Forests was observed for the first time on March 21, 2013

Chinese scientists Xie Hui develop robotic swarm

Chinese scientists Xie Hui have developed a robotic system inspired by a colony of ants that can collectively achieve complex tasks like gathering large prey.
The nanorobots fleet that have demonstrated potential for in-body diagnosis and treatment at the cellular or even molecular level.
A single robot is two micrometre in diameter, 40 times smaller than a hair, thus capable of running through blood capillaries.
The peanut-shaped iron microrobots can be energised by an alternating magnetic field, offering high flexibility to collectively perform multiple tasks in a confined environment.
By tuning the frequency of the rotating magnetic field and its polarisation in three-dimensional space, the researchers obtained a series of well-controlled, fast and reversible transformations.
Those formations include liquid, chain, vortex and ribbon. They can form narrow paths or channels to deliver heavy loads beyond a single robot’s capability.

WHO urges global framework on human genome editing

The World Health Organization (WHO) called for a strong international governance framework on developing global standards for governance and oversight of human genome editing.
the WHO’s new advisory committee on human genome editing reviewed the current state of science and technology in this field, and agreed on core principles of transparency, inclusivity and responsibility.
It also urged a central registry on human genome editing research in order to create an open and transparent database of ongoing work, and had asked the WHO to immediately begin working to establish such a registry.
The committee will develop essential tools and guidance for all those working on this new technology to ensure maximum benefit and minimal risk to human health.
For the next two years, the WHO committee is expected to hold a series of in-person meetings and online consultations with a wide range of stakeholders, with an aim to provide recommendations for a comprehensive governance framework on human genome editing.

FACTFILE – Genome editing

It is a type of genetic engineering in which DNA is inserted, deleted, modified or replaced in the genome of a living organism. Unlike early genetic engineering techniques that randomly inserts genetic material into a host genome, genome editing targets the insertions to site specific locations.
In 2018, the common methods for such editing use engineered nucleases, or “molecular scissors”.
These nucleases create site-specific double-strand breaks (DSBs) at desired locations in the genome. The induced double-strand breaks are repaired through nonhomologous end-joining (NHEJ) or homologous recombination (HR), resulting in targeted mutations (‘edits’).

Afghanistan Registers its First Test Cricket Win

Afghanistan’s cricket team claimed a historic first Test win as they beat Ireland by seven wickets in Dehradun, India. Afghanistan were steered to their target by a 139-run partnership between Shah, who made 76, and debutant Janat, who hit an unbeaten 65.
It was Afghanistan’s second Test outing after making their debut last year when they lost to India inside two days in Bangalore.

FACTFILE – Afghanistan’s cricket team

Afghanistan is the 12th test cricket playing Full Member nation.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board was formed in 1995 and became an affiliate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 2001 and a member of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) in 2003.
After nearly a decade of playing top class international cricket, on 22 June 2017, in an ICC meeting in London, full ICC Membership was granted to Afghanistan, taking the number of Test cricket playing nations to twelve.
They are also the first country to ever achieve full member status after holding Affiliate Membership of the ICC from 2001 until 2013 and were the only Affiliate member country to ever compete in a major ICC international cricket tournament.
They hold the world record for the highest ever T20 score with their 278-3 against Ireland in the same ground

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