Assam Current Affairs – November 1-7, 2018

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Current Affairs Assam – November  1-7, 2018

( Covers all important Assam Current Affairs & GK topics for the week of November 1-7, 2018 )

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November 1

Mary Kom named brand ambassador of 10th Women’s World Championship
  • Five time world champion and Olympic bronze medalist M C Mary Kom was named as the brand ambassador of the 10th Women’s World Championship to be held at the Indira Gandhi Stadium in New Delhi from November 15 to 24.
  • The elite AIBA event will see the highest participation so far as close to 300 pugilists from 70 countries will vie for top honours across 10 weight categories.
  • Mary Kom, who is seeking her sixth crown will be eyeing her second gold at home since 2006.
  • Since its inception India had hosted the tournament once in 2006 and had registered the best ever haul of eight medals, including four gold, one silver and three bronze.

FACTFILE – Mary Kom

  • Chungneijang Mary Kom Hmangte is an Indian Olympic boxer from Manipur.
  • She is the only woman to become World Amateur Boxing champion for a record six times, and the only woman boxer to have won a medal in each one of the seven world championships.
  • She is the only Indian woman boxer to have qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics, competing in the flyweight (51 kg) category and winning the bronze medal.
  • She has also been ranked as No. 1 AIBA World Women’s Ranking Light Flyweight category.
  • She became the first Indian woman boxer to get a Gold Medal in the Asian Games in 2014 in Incheon, South Korea and is the first Indian Woman Boxer to win Gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
  • On 26 April 2016, Kom was nominated by the President of India as a member of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian Parliament.
  • In March 2017, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India, appointed Mary Kom along with Akhil Kumar as national observers for boxing.
Tea Board bans plucking of tea after December 10 across
  • The Tea Board of India issued an order to the all the tea manufacturing units of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Manipur to stop plucking of tea leaves from tea gardens so that the quantity of substandard teas can be reduced.
  • The order, issued for the first time, said the last date for intimation/declaration to the Tea Board by all tea manufacturing units in the Northeast regarding closure of their manufacturing is December 12.
  • If the order is found to be violated, then the Tea Board may take action under the Tea (Marketing) Control Order.
  • In Assam, tea fibres are used by many factories for re-manufacturing tea and they even use colour and this type of tea is unsuitable for human consumption as tea fibre is a form of waste product.

FACTFILE – North Eastern Tea Association

  • The North Eastern Tea Association (NETA) is an association of tea producers’, formed in the year 1981, has headquartered at Golaghat of Assam, India.
  • The association promotes interests of its members, in addition to playing a pivotal for the enrichment of the tea industry in Assam.
  • It issues advice and the consensus of professional opinions’ of tea producers to its members and associated groups, and to the government about current issues as they arise pertaining to Assam’s tea industry, besides making suggestions for the upscaling of the industry sector.
  • NETA has recently suggested to move the Tea Board of India’s head office to Guwahati on the basis of the fact that the other five statutory Commodity Boards under the Department of Commerce, Govt. of India – Tea, Coffee, Rubber, Spices and Tobacco are headquartered in the State where the product is mainly grown. Although Assam produces 52.9% of the country’s total tea production as opposed to Bengal which produces 24.8%, the Tea Board is headquartered in Kolkata.
  • NETA also urged the Tea Board to amend the definition of Small Tea Grower in order to accommodate the one who holds land up to 50.6 hectares as a small tea grower.

FACTFILE – Tea Board of India

  • The Tea Board of India is a state agency of the Govt of India to promote the cultivation, processing, and domestic trade as well as export of tea from India.
  • It was established on 1st April 1954 by the enactment of the Tea Act in 1953 with its headquarters in Kolkata.
  • The Tea Board India is responsible for the assignment of certification numbers to exports of certain tea merchants.
  • The Tea Board India’s tasks include endorsement of the diverse production and productivity of tea, financial support of research organisations and the monitoring of advances in tea packaging as it relates to health beneficial aspects.
  • It coordinates research institutes, the tea trade and government bodies, ensuring the technical support of the tea trade in the global industry.
  • It has offices in Kolkata, London, Moscow and Dubai.
India jumps to 77th spot in World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business rankings
  • India leapfrogged to the 77th rank in the World Bank’s latest Ease of Doing Business rankings, jumping 23 notches from last year.
  • The report also recognises India as one of the top 10 improvers in this year’s assessment, for the second successive time.
  • India is the only large country this year to have achieved such a significant shift.
  • The jump is significant, as it comes after last year’s 30-rung climb when India moved into the top 100 rankings among 190 countries.
  • India has improved its rank by 53 positions in the last two years, and 65 positions in the last four years (2014-18). A measure to gauge how far an economy’s policies are from global best practices, India’s score improved to 67.23 from 60.76 last year.
  • India has improved its rank in six out of the 10 indicators and has moved closer to international best practices on seven out of 10 indicators.

Point2Remember – Top 10 economies

  1. New Zealand
  2. Singapore
  3. Denmark
  4. Hong Kong SAR, China
  5. Republic of Korea
  6. Georgia
  7. Norway
  8. United States
  9. United Kingdom
  10. FYR Macedonia.

FACTFILE – Ease of doing business index

  • The ease of doing business index is created by Simeon Djankov at the World Bank Group. The academic research for the report was done jointly with professors Oliver Hart and Andrei Shleifer.
  • Higher rankings (a low numerical value) indicate better, usually simpler, regulations for businesses and stronger protections of property rights.
  • Empirical research funded by the World Bank to justify their work show that the economic growth impact of improving these regulations is strong.
  • A nation’s ranking on the index is based on the average of 10 subindices:
    • Starting a business – Procedures, time, cost and minimum capital to open a new business
    • Dealing with construction permits – Procedures, time and cost to build a warehouse
    • Getting electricity – procedures, time and cost required for a business to obtain a new permanent electricity connection
    • Registering property – Procedures, time and cost to register commercial real estate
    • Getting credit – Strength of legal rights index, depth of credit information index
    • Protecting investors – Indices on the extent of disclosure, extent of director liability and ease of shareholder suits
    • Paying taxes – Number of taxes paid, hours per year spent preparing tax returns and total tax payable as share of gross profit
    • Trading across borders – Number of documents, cost and time necessary to export and import
    • Enforcing contracts – Procedures, time and cost to enforce a debt contract
    • Resolving insolvency – The time, cost and recovery rate (%) under bankruptcy proceeding
Cabinet approves India-Morocco Agreement on criminal matters
  • The Union Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Approved an agreement between India and Morocco on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters aimed at increasing effectiveness in investigation and prosecution.
  • The agreement will provide a broad legal framework for bilateral cooperation between India and Morocco in investigation and prosecution of crime, tracing, restraint, forfeiture or confiscation or proceeds and instruments of crime.
  • It will further be instrumental in gaining better inputs and insights in the modus operandi of organised criminals and terrorists, which in turn can be used to fine-tune policy decisions in the field of internal security.

FACTFILE – India–Morocco relations

  • India and Morocco have enjoyed cordial and friendly relations and over the years bilateral relations have witnessed significant depth and growth
  • Morocco has an embassy in New Delhi. It also has an Honorary Consul based in Mumbai. India operates an embassy in Rabat.
  • Both nations are part of the Non-Aligned Movement.
  • In the United Nations, India supported the decolonisation of Morocco and the Moroccan freedom movement.
  • India recognised Morocco on June 20, 1956 and established relations in 1957.

FACTFILE – Morocco

  • The Kingdom of Morocco is a country located in the far west of North Africa with an area of 710,850 km2 (274,460 sq mi).
  • Its capital is Rabat, the largest city Casablanca.
  • It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, bordered to the east by Algeria and to the south by Mauritania.
  • Morocco is a member of the Arab League, the Union for the Mediterranean and the African Union. It has the fifth largest economy of Africa.

November 2

World’s tallest Chenrezig Shingkham Riwo Potala statue unveiled in West Sikkim
  • The Buddhist pilgrimage site at Pelling in West Sikkim is all set to attract tourists as the world’s tallest 137-feet Chenrezig statue is opened in the site.
  • Sikkim Government has been planning to promote the State as a Buddhist pilgrimage tourism circuit. A destination park with the 41.758 m tall statue of Chenrezig and a new complex with a skywalk, café and a gallery have been built at Sangha Choeling in Pelling at a cost of Rs 46.65 crore.
  • The Chief Minister of Sikkim promoted the idea of making the state a Shingkham or a Buddhist paradise, by building the statues of Lord Buddha, Guru Padmasambhava and Chenrezig. Sikkim has two additional Buddhist pilgrimage circuits in south Sikkim.
  • CM Chamling stated that Sikkim has become a ‘Cheosam’ (altar) completed with the statues of Lord Buddha at Tathagata Tsal in Rabongla, Guru Padmasambhava at Samdruptse and Chenrezig at Sanghachoeling. He urged that the people of Sikkim to take ownership and responsibility to protect and maintain these holy places.
Hojai’s Ajmal Foundation receives ASSOCHAM’s best NGO Award
  • The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) has awarded Hojai’s Ajmal Foundation in the category of the best NGO, Skill Development-2017-18 during Summit-cum-Awards on Skilling India from Skills to Employability organised by ASSOCHAM in New Delhi.
  • Union Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Anantkumar Hegde, handed over the award (Best NGO – Skill Development Award Gold Trophy 2017-18) to Ajmal Foundation representatives.
  • Ajmal Foundation has completed a number of Government projects under the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Ministry of Rural Development & Ministry of Minority Affairs of Government of India and various departments of Government of Assam and Meghalaya in different States of the country including Assam, Meghalaya, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh.
  • Ajmal Foundation is also implementing two more projects namely ‘Nai Manzil’ and DDU-GKY with a target of training and placement of 1940 and 800 youths respectively in the State of Assam and Meghalaya.

FACTFILE – ASSOCHAM

  • The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India is one of the apex trade associations of India.
  • The organisation represents the interests of trade and commerce in India, and acts as an interface between issues and initiatives.
  • ASSOCHAM was established in 1921 by promoter chambers, representing all regions of India.
  • The Association’s head office is located in New Delhi and regional offices are located in the cities of Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, and Kolkata.
  • ASSOCHAM members represent the Trade (national and international), Industry (domestic and international) and Professionals (E.g.: CAs, lawyers, consultants) 
Union Home Ministry approved Safe City project for Lucknow
  • The Union Home Ministry approved a Safe City project for Lucknow at a total cost of Rs.194.44 crore under the Nirbhaya Fund Scheme. The project would be implemented as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with Centre and State sharing the funding in 60:40 ratio.
  • Under this project, Lucknow will have integrated control room, special unit for women protection and pink out posts to tackle atrocities against women, special desks for women in each police stations in the city.
  • This approval is a part of MHA’s plans to implement Safe City projects in eight selected cities, namely, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Lucknow under Nirbhaya Fund with the purpose of strengthening safety and security of women in public places.
  • The projects are being implemented in consultation with Ministry of Women and Child Development, Ministry of Urban Development,Ministry of Electronic and Information Technology, respective Municipal & Police Commissioners of the cities and civil society organisations.
IIT-Madras develops India’s first microprocessor Shakti
  • Researchers at Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IITM) have designed and booted up India’s first microprocessor, Shakti, which could be used in mobile computing and other devices.
  • The Shakti microprocessor can be used in low-power wireless systems and networking systems besides reducing reliance on imported microprocessors in communication and defence sectors.
  • The microprocessor can be used by others as it is on par with international standards.
  • The Shakti family of processors was fabricated at Semi-Conductor Laboratory (SCL), Indian Space Research Organizations (ISRO) in Chandigarh, making it the first ‘RISC V Microprocessor’ to be completely designed and made in India.
  • The other crucial aspect of such an indigenous design, development and fabricating approach is reducing the risk of deploying systems that may be infected with back-doors and hardware Trojans.
  • This development will assume huge significance when systems based on Shakti processors are adopted by strategic sectors such as defence, nuclear power installations, government agencies and departments.
  • India has now attained independence in designing, developing and fabricating end-to-end systems within the country, leading to self-sufficiency.
India-Japan begins joint military exercise ‘Dharma Guardian 2018’
  • The armies of India and Japan began a first-of-its-kind joint military exercise ‘Dharma Guardian’ at Counter-Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School, Vairengte, Mizoram, to build and promote relations between the forces of the two countries in addition to exchanging skills and experiences.
  • Approximately one platoon strength each of Japanese and Indian contingents took part in the 14-day exercise.
  • The Japanese contingent is being represented by 32nd Infantry Battalion while the Indian side is being represented by Gorkha Rifles.
  • The exercise will consist of a balance of indoor classes and outdoor training activities. Due emphasis will be laid on enhancing tactical skills to fight against global terrorism and on increasing interoperability between forces of both countries which is crucial for the success of any joint operation.

FACTFILE – Counter-Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School (CIJWS), Vairengte, Mizoram

  • CIJWS is a training and research establishment of the Indian Army specialising in unconventional warfare, especially counter-insurgency and guerrilla warfare.
  • It is one of the premier counter-insurgency training institutions in the world.
  • Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, then the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-IN-C) of the Indian Army’s Eastern Command, was the first proponent for the institute as a counter-insurgency unit to train soldiers came about following the government response to the Mizo militancy in the 1960s.
  • CIJWS was established in 1967 as the Jungle Training School in Meghalaya and in 1968, the designation was changed to Eastern Command Counter Insurgency Training School.
  • On 1 May 1970, it was upgraded to a Category A Training Establishment of the Indian Army, given its current name and relocated to Vairengte.
  • CIJWS has hosted visiting military units for training from the United States, Singapore, Nepal, Bhutan, Russia, United Kingdom, Israel, France, Bangladesh and many other nations.

Point2Remember – Kaziranga Special Jungle Warfare Training School in Assam.

 

November 2018 – Monthly PDF | Monthly Quiz eBook

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