Assam Current Affairs September 29-30, 2018

Current Affairs Assam - September 29-30, 2018

( Covers all important Assam Current Affairs & GK topics for the week of September 29-30, 2018 )

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September 29

India, Bangladesh working on Free Trade Agreement

India and Bangladesh are working on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), or free trade agreement (FTA), which would set an example for giving a boost to regional trade in South Asia.
India and Bangladesh have agreed to upgrade trade logistics for seamless movement of cargo and have already identified seven dual hubs, some of which will start working immediately,
The Bangladesh Trade Minister along with a delegation has been invited to visit India in October to discuss the trade and investment potential between the two countries.
The World Bank report – “A Glass Half Full: The Promise of Regional Trade in South Asia” – says India’s trade with South Asia at around $19 billion is only 3 per cent of its global trade worth $ 637 billion.
The report also points out that current trade between India and Pakistan at a paltry $2 billion annually, could go up to $37 billion in the absence of artificial barriers.

PM Modi and Cochin Airport awarded with UN’s highest honour ‘Champions of the Earth’ award

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was awarded UN’s highest environmental honour ‘Champions of the Earth’ in the Policy Leadership category, for his leadership in establishing the International Solar Alliance and pledge to eliminate single-use plastic in India by 2022.
Cochin International Airport was also honoured with the award in the category of Entrepreneurial Vision, for its use of sustainable energy, along with four other environmental change makers.
The UN Champions of the Earth awards would be presented during the Champions of the Earth Gala in US’ New York City, on the sidelines of the 73rd UN General Assembly (UNGA).

FACTFILE – UN Champions of the Earth award

Champions of the Earth award is the United Nations highest environmental honour recognizing visionary people and organisations all over the world that exemplify leadership and advocate action on sustainable development, climate change and a life of dignity for all.
To achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals the environment plays a key role. About half of the SDGs are directly environmental or address the sustainability of natural resources: poverty, health, food and agriculture, water and sanitation, human settlements, energy, climate change, sustainable consumption and production, oceans, and terrestrial ecosystems.
The award supports this process by illustrating, through the examples of the laureates, that the transition to a low-carbon, resource-efficient, inclusive and sustainable world is not just possible, but already in progress.

Google and Ministry of Railways launched a project to preserve cultural heritage of the Indian Railways

Google and Ministry of Railways launched a project that aims to preserve the cultural heritage of the Indian Railways. The two-year digitisation project “The Railways-Lifeline of a Nation” is a comprehensive digital document viewable on Google’s Arts and Culture website. It was launched at the National Rail Museum.
The project is divided into “Journeys”, “People”, “Heritage” and “Engineering” sections, each containing visual and textual narratives that rail enthusiasts can access for free.
It comprises photographs, documentaries, text, virtual tours, 360-degree videos, online exhibits, and maps, pertaining to the Indian Railways.
Along with several railway lines, the project also documents stories of 32 railway employees including engineers, ticket checkers, trackmen, and shunters.
The online project will also materialise as digital exhibits at 22 stations in India including New Delhi, Bengaluru, Coimbatore, Guwahati, Howrah, Secunderabad and Varanasi
The Indian Railways started its journey in 1853 between Boribunder and Thane, and has expanded to be the fourth largest railway network in the world.

Goa PWD, Portuguese Environment Ministry signs water management deal

The Goa Public Works Department (PWD) and the Portuguese Environment Ministry will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on water management.
The main points are water supply operation and energy efficiency and resource valorisation, waste water and sewerage planning, management and technological solutions, asset management procedure and standards, energy management operational workflows, operational data and information management.
Fernandes, who is on a two-day visit to Goa, is slated to visit water filtration facilities in the state.

September 30

Myanmar-India border trade reached $87 million since April, 2018

Border trade between Myanmar and India reached $87 million as of September 21 during the six-month transitional period which started in April, 2018.
The six-month transitional gap aroused as Myanmar changed its fiscal year period from April-March to October-September beginning 2018-19.
The country’s total border trade with India during this period saw a sharp increase of $54 million, compared to the same period of last fiscal 2017-18 when it was $33 million.
From April to September this year, the country’s exports to India through the border gates totaled $78 million and imports totaled $9 million.
Myanmar has been conducting trade with India via the Tamu and Reed border gates.

FACTFILE – Myanmar-India Economic relations

India is the largest market for Burmese exports, buying about US$ 220 million worth of goods in 2000; India’s exports to Burma stood at US$75.36 million.
India is Burma’s 4th largest trading partner after Thailand, China and Singapore, and second largest export market after Thailand, absorbing 25 percent of its total exports.
India is also the seventh most important source of Burma’s imports.
The Indian government has worked to extend air, land and sea routes to strengthen trade links with Myanmar and establish a gas pipeline.

Infrastructure initiatives – In 2001, India and Burma inaugurated 250 kilometre Tamu-Kalewa-Kalemyo highway, popularly called the Indo-Myanmar Friendship Road, aimed to provide a major strategic and commercial transport route connecting North-East India, and South Asia as a whole, to Southeast Asia.

India-Myanmar-Thailand Friendship Highway

India and Myanmar have agreed to a 4-lane, 3200 km triangular highway connecting India, Myanmar and Thailand. The route, runs from India’s northeastern states into Myanmar, where over 1,600 km of roads were built or improved.
The route begins from Guwahati in India and connects to Mandalay in Myanmar, route continues to Yangon in Myanmar and then to Mae Sot in Thailand, which then continues to Bangkok.
This will eventually be extended to Cambodia and Vietnam under Mekong-Ganga Cooperation within the wider framework of Asian Highway Network.
This is aimed at creating a new economic zone ranging from Kolkata on the Bay of Bengal to Ho Chi Minh City on the South China Sea.

Kaladan Multi-modal Transit Route

The Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project will connect the eastern Indian seaport of Kolkata with Sittwe seaport in Myanmar by sea; it will then link Sittwe seaport to Lashio in Myanmar via Kaladan river boat route and then from Lashio on to Mizoram in India by road transport.

Union Government sets up panel to review The Competition Act, 2002

Union government has constituted a panel to review the competition law, the committee would review the Competition Act, Rules & Regulations, in view of changing business environment and bring necessary changes, if required.
The nine-member committee chaired by Corporate Affairs Secretary Injeti Srinivas includes Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) Chairperson MS Sahoo and Competition Commission of India’s (CCI) acting chairperson Sudhir Mittal.
Announcing the setting up of the Competition Law Review Committee, the government said it is in pursuance of its objective of ensuring that legislation is in sync with the needs of strong economic fundamentals.
The committee would also look into international best practices in the competition fields, especially anti-trust laws, merger guidelines and handling cross border competition issues. Further, it would study ‘the regulatory regimes, institutional mechanisms and government policies which overlap with the Competition Act’.
The committee would submit its report within three months from the date of its first meeting.
Khaitan & Co’s Haigreve Khaitan, IKDHVAJ Advisers LLP’s Harsha Vardhana Singh and Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co’s Pallavi Shardul Shroff are among the panel members. Other members are S Chakravarthy, Honorary Visiting Professor at ASCII, Aditya Bhattacharjea, Professor of Economics at Delhi School of Economics and Joint Secretary (Competition) from the Corporate Affairs Ministry.

FACTFILE – The Competition Act, 2002

The Competition Act, 2002 was enacted by the Parliament of India and it governs Indian competition law.
It replaced the archaic The Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Act, 1969.
Under this legislation, the Competition Commission of India was established to prevent the activities that have an adverse effect on competition in India.
It is a tool to implement and enforce competition policy and to prevent and punish anti-competitive business practices by firms and unnecessary Government interference in the market.
This act extends to entire India except Jammu and Kashmir.
The Act’s main objectives are –
- To prohibit the agreements or practices that restricts free trading and also the competition between two business entities,
- To ban the abusive situation of the market monopoly,
- To provide the opportunity to the entrepreneur for the competition in the market,
- To have the international support and enforcement network across the world,
- To prevent from anti-competition practices and to promote a fair and healthy competition in the market.

App e-Niyantron launched in Golaghat district

The Deputy Commissioner of Golaghat district Gaurav Bothra formally launched an e-Niyantron App (application) for controlling the speed limit of vehicles plying on National Highway-37 adjacent to Kaziranga National Park at Bokakhat.
This application was developed basically to control the speed of vehicles plying on NH-37 especially during the flood season as most wild animals, including rhinos, deer and elephants prefer to cross towards the southern side of NH-37 and move to the foothills of Karbi Anglong for shelter. But at times the fleeing animals are hit and killed by speeding vehicles.
Forest staff deployed at one end of the highway would insert the registration number of the vehicle once it enters the corridor zone and this registration number would then automatically be reflected in the mobile app (e-Niyantron) of another forest staff guarding another location adjacent to Kaziranga National Park.
If the vehicle reaches the other end before the prescribed speed limit, then penalty can be imposed on the vehicle which violates the rule.
This application is better than the manual time card method which forest staff used to issue during floods in the world-famed Kaziranga National Park.

China to host Fifth World Internet Conference

China will hold the fifth World Internet Conference (WIC) in November which is expected to be attended by delegates from several countries and international organisations.
The conference, scheduled to run from November 7-9, will be held in the river town of Wuzhen, eastern China’s Zhejiang Province.
This year’s WIC is themed “creating a digital world for mutual trust and collective governance — toward a community with a shared future in cyberspace.
The conference has invited guests from governments, international organisations, companies, technology communities and non-governmental organisations.
It will further enhance the establishment of an Internet development outlook characterised by mutual trust and collective governance among countries worldwide.
It will further enhance the establishment of an Internet development outlook characterised by mutual trust and collective governance among countries worldwide.
A total of 19 sub-forums are scheduled, revolving around five themes of “innovation-driven development,” “universal security,” “openness and inclusiveness,” “in pursuit of a better life” and “common prosperity.”
The sub-forums will cover topics such as artificial intelligence (AI), 5G and the digital Silk Road.
World Internet Development Report 2018 and China Internet Development Report 2018 will be released to showcase the latest academic research results in the Internet sector at home and abroad.
The event is co-hosted by the Cyberspace Administration of China and the People’s Government of Zhejiang Province.