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Current Affairs Assam – November 15 - 21, 2019

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

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November 15, 2019

Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal Sonowal launches app ‘Shishu Suraksha’ for securing child rights

• Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal launched a mobile app ”Shishu Suraksha” of the Assam State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, which is expected to help securing the rights of children.
• Remembering the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, on his birth anniversary, which is also observed as Children”s Day across the country.
• Sonowal urged the society to put emphasis on the holistic development of children, who will carry forward the society.
• Calling on the people to sustain the qualities of humanity, empathy and respect in the society, Sonowal underlined the importance of keeping the children away from superstitions and dogmas by instilling a scientific temperament in them.

Children design postage stamps on child rights

• Two postage stamps touching of the theme of child rights, designed by Indian children as part of a UNICEF competition, were released on the occasion of Children’s Day in India.
• The top two winners, who will receive Rs 50,000 and Rs 25,000 respectively, were selected out of over 14,000 entries and were announced by the Department of Posts and UNICEF.
• Nidhi Rahul Mhatre, 15, from Maharashtra and Vibhushi Agarwal, 12, from Uttar Pradesh. The winners, along with other runners-up, will be awarded at a national event on November 20, World Children’s Day.

MHA appoints 2 advisors to assist J&K Lt Governor

• The Ministry of Home Affairs has appointed two advisors to assist the Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The two are retired IAS officer K.K. Sharma and former IPS officer Farooq Khan.
• An IAS officer of 1983 batch, Sharma retired as the Secretary Higher Education in the Union ministry of Human Resources Development in February last year.
• Farooq Ahmad Khan, an IPS officer of 1994 batch, was appointed as advisor to then J& K Governor Satya Pal Malik after being shifted from Lakshawdeep, where he served as administrator.
• He was instrumental in creation of the Special Task Force, J& K police”s anti-militancy wing, in 1994-95 when the erstwhile State was under President”s rule.

Andhra Pradesh launches new scheme to upgrade government schools

• Andhra Pradesh state government launched a new programme to revamp Government schools by providing better infrastructure and amenities at a cost of Rs 12,000 crore.
• Under the scheme ”Mana Badi Nadu Nedu” (our school then and now), 45,000 government-run schools will undergo a complete makeover in the next three years, bringing them on par with or even better than the ones in private and corporate sectors.
• The programme, launched by Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy at Ongole on Children”s Day, gives a pictorial view of schools showing how they look now and how they will look after implementing the scheme.
• Taking nine parameters into consideration – provision of lights, fans, blackboards, furniture and compound wall, construction of toilets, repairs and painting of classrooms, providing safe drinking water and provision for English labs.
• The first phase will cover 15,715 government schools for a period of one year, at a cost of Rs 3,500 crores.
• This programme in addition to upgrading teaching and learning skills, introducing English as the medium of instruction from class 1 to 6 with Telugu or Urdu as a compulsory subject
• Improving quality of mid-day meals, supply of textbooks, uniforms and shoes to the students on time and maintaining teacher-student ratio is expected to transform the education sector.
• The government has also formed a committee to monitor the functioning of private schools.

November 16, 2019

 Union Govt plans to set up NE Industrial Corridor

• Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the Government is planning to set up a North East Industrial Corridor that will create numerous job opportunities for the people of the region.
• Singh said the Arunachal corridor would act as a land bridge between India and South East Asia, that will provide employment opportunities and give a fillip to trade and tourism.
• The Union Defence Minister was speaking at the 11th Maitree Diwas celebrations at Tawang bordering China.
• The two-day socio-military cultural extravaganza is being jointly organised by the Indian Army, Tawang civil administration and volunteers at the Gyalwa Tsangyang Gyatso High Altitude Stadium, Tawang.

Odisha takes conservative measures for protection of Olive Ridley turtles

• The Odisha government has geared up the efforts for the protection and conservation of the endangered Olive Ridley turtles during the mass nesting.
• The government directed the departments of Fishery, Forest and Marine police to operate in close coordination and ensure strict enforcement of the conservation rules.
• Chief Secretary Asit Tripathy chaired a meeting of the high power committee for protection and conservation of Olive Ridley turtle.
• The Coast Guard was requested to have realtime intelligence sharing with the departments about any illegal fishing.
• The state government has already imposed a seven-month ban on fishing from November 1 to March 31 next year.
• It has decided to pay a compensation amount of Rs 7,500 to around 8,000 fishermen families who will bear a loss for fishing ban.
• The conservation and protection activities will be carried on in coordination with coast guard, naval wing, Integrated Test Range (ITR), Fisheries and Animal Resource department, police, various port authorities, community based organisations and forest and environment department.

FACTFILE – Olive Ridley Sea Turtle

• The olive ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea), also known as the Pacific ridley sea turtle, are the second smallest and most abundant of all sea turtles found in the world; this species of sea turtle is found in warm and tropical waters, primarily in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. They can also be found in the warm waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
• These turtles, along with the related Kemps ridley turtle, are best known for their unique mass nesting called arribada, where thousands of females come together on the same beach to lay eggs.
• Olive ridley turtles are best known for their behavior of synchronized nesting in mass numbers, termed arribadas. Females return to the same beach from where they hatched, to lay their eggs.
• In the Indian Ocean, the majority of olive ridleys nest in two or three large groups near Gahirmatha in Odisha. The coast of Odisha in India is the largest mass nesting site for the olive ridley, followed by the coasts of Mexico and Costa Rica.
• The Gahirmatha Beach in Kendrapara district of Odisha (India), which is now a part of the Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary, is the largest breeding ground for these turtles.
• Bhitarkanika mangroves were designated a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance in 2002. It is the world’s largest known rookery of olive ridley sea turtles. Apart from Gahirmatha rookery, two other mass nesting beaches have been located, which are on the mouth of rivers Rushikulya and Devi.

TiE Women raises $70,000 during New Delhi summit

• TiE Women, an initiative launched by not-for-profit organisation TiE Global to promote women entrepreneurs across its 61 chapters globally, raised $70,000 during two days of its global summit.
• The initiative aims to empower women entrepreneurs globally through sustainable and easy-to-adopt programmes that will track the entire entrepreneurial journey with measurable metrics.
• Hemalatha Annamalai, Founder, Ampere Vehicles Ltd., and President TiE Coimbatore, will be the Chair for TiE Women.
• The programme will culminate in an annual mega event where these women will showcase their successes and get access to funds, scholarships, accelerators and more.
• Hosted by TiE Delhi-NCR, the fourth edition of TiE Global Summit witnessed power-packed conversations by eminent ecosystem stakeholders.

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November 17, 2019

 Mizoram accounts for 14% of bamboo cultivation in India

• With 32.07 per cent of its total geographical area under bamboo cover (estimated at 6,760.71 square km), Mizoram accounts for 14 per cent of the bamboo cultivation in India.
• This was highlighted during a seminar ‘Bamboo Composite Materials for Structural Applications’ held in Aizawl. The seminar was co-organised by the Mizoram Science, Technology & Innovation Council (MISTIC), Directorate of Science and Technology and Bhopal-based Council of Scientific and Industrial Research – Advanced Materials and Processes Research Institute (CSIR-AMPRI).
• Mizoram is said to have 36 species of bamboo, of which 24 are indigenous and 12 have been introduced.
• The dominant species Melocanna baccifera – locally referred to as ‘Mautak’ – constitutes almost 95 per cent of the state’s bamboo forests.
• Bamboo forests are found mainly along the river banks and abandoned jhumland as a dominant secondary vegetation.

 Dr Jiten Gohain Memorial Green Awarded to Nagaon Govt Boys’ HS School

• Nagaon Govt Boys’ HS School was presented the ‘Dr Jiten Gohain Memorial Green Award’ for taking up cleanliness drive.
• The award has been introduced for the first time and will be conferred to a Government-run educational institute every year to encourage for a green and healthy environment.
• Noted innovator, Dr Uddhab Bharali presented the award to Dipika Laskar, Principal of Nagaon Govt Boys’ HS School. Dr Bharali.

Amit Shah launched winter grade diesel for Ladakh region

• Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched winter grade diesel for the entire Ladakh region. The Indian Oil Corp”s (IOC) Panipat refinery has come up with a kind of diesel that can withstand the harsh winter conditions.
• The winter grade diesel produced by Panipat Refinery for the first time has a pour point of – 33 degree C and does not lose its fluidity function even in the extreme winter weather of the region, unlike the normal grade of diesel which becomes exceedingly difficult to utilize.
• Amit Shah launched the supply of this special grade diesel in Ladakh via video conferencing from the national capital. Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and BJP MP from Ladakh, Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, were present on the occasion.
• The first tank truck containing winter grade HSD has been flagged off from IOC”s Panipat marketing complex.
• Subsequent supplies of such diesel would be sent from the Jalandhar Terminal to the Leh and Kargil depots to meet demands of customers in the Leh-Ladakh region during peak winters.

WWF-India’s ‘Ek Prithvi’ programme

• The WWF-India witnessed coming together of 700 students, principals, teachers and dignitaries at the Panda Fest organised by WWF Assam State Office at Pobitora.
• WWF-India conceived the ‘Ek Prithvi’ programme in 2016 to build conservation leadership among students through experiential learning.
• The programme aims to embed the approach of environment education into the schools’ education system through innovative teaching methodologies, which ultimately facilitate awareness generation, skill building and action competence in students for pro-conservation attitudes and sustainable lifestyle choices.
• Over 2,400 students from eight Government schools in Morigaon district are enrolled in the ‘EK Prithvi’ programme.

November 18, 2019

 Justice SA Bobde takes oath as 47^th Chief Justice of India

• Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde took oath as the 47th Chief Justice of India. President Ram Nath Kovind administered him the oath of office at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
• Justice Bobde succeeds Justice Ranjan Gogoi. Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP Veteran L K Advani were present on the occasion among others.
• Justice Bobde will have a tenure of around 18 months till his retirement on April 23, 2021.
• Justice Bobde was elevated as a Judge of the Supreme Court on April 12, 2013.

FACTFILE – The chief justice of India (CJI)

• CJI is the head of the judiciary of India and the Supreme Court of India. The CJI also heads their administrative functions.
• As head of the Supreme Court, the chief justice is responsible for the allocation of cases and appointment of constitutional benches which deal with important matters of law.
• As per Article 145 of the Constitution of India and the Supreme Court Rules of Procedure of 1966, the Chief Justice allocates all work to the other judges.
• The Chief Justice also carries out the following functions: maintenance of the roster; appointment of court officials and general and miscellaneous matters relating to the supervision and functioning of the Supreme Court.
• Once appointed, the chief justice remains in the office until the age of 65 years.
• He can be removed only through a process of impeachment by Parliament.

Assam Cabinet approved Assam Bamboo and Cane Policy

• Assam Cabinet also approved the Assam Bamboo and Cane Policy that aims at sustainable development and utilisation of bamboo and cane resources in the state through scientific management and stakeholders participation.
• Incentives will be provided for establishment of various bamboo-based industries, processing units and development of traditional sectors like handicraft and furniture making.
• Among other incentives are 50 per cent capital investment subsidy on eligible plant and machinery and internal electrical installations subject to a ceiling limit of Rs 5 crore and for startups in bamboo & cane sector a grant of up to Rs 5 lakh for innovative ideas.
• The Cabinet made it compulsory for industries and factories to keep sanitary napkins for women employees. The Cabinet also approved the policy for financial autonomy to veterinary farms, pig breeding policy and goat farming policy.

Unio Govt working to set up new tech training centres

• Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said that the government was working to set up new technology training centres for quality production.
• The Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways and MSME said this while addressing an event to inaugurate the 39th India International Trade Fair (IITF).
• The theme for the 2019 edition of IITF was revealed as “Ease of Doing Business inspired by the unique achievement of India of rising up to the 63rd rank on the World Bank”s Ease of Doing Business index from 142nd rank in 2014.”
• Several countries, including Australia, Iran, the UK, Vietnam, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Egypt, Hong Kong and Indonesia are participating in the 14-day trade fair.
• This year, the status of partner country has been accorded to Afghanistan, while Bihar and Jharkhand are the focus states.

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November 19, 2019

 Meghalaya to ink with Korean tech firm for waste management

• The Meghalaya government would be seeking the expertise of a South Korean company for solid waste management and an agreement is likely to be inked during Chief Minister Conrad Sangma’s visit to Seoul.
• Ambassador of South Korea to India Shin Bong-Kil said that the Meghalaya government has expressed interest in a Korean company’s expertise in solid waste management.
• The Meghalaya government gave a presentation on mining highlighting the pollution caused by it over the years.
• The State government sought access to Korean technology to find ways to purify the rivers and streams.
• Bong-Kil was the chief guest at the closing ceremony of Cherry Blossom Festival, which was held at the Polo Grounds yesterday. South Korea was the partner country of the festival this year.

Bengaluru-based environment think-tank Ashoka Trust to receive UNESCO prize for eco-conservation

• Bengaluru-based environment think-tank Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) will be awarded the 2019 UNESCO Sultan Qaboos Prize for environmental conservation.
• The award is being given in recognition of ATREE”s socially-just environment conservation and sustainable development activities in Sikkim and Darjeeling regions.
• The prize also recognises its contributions towards the discovery of new species in the Western Ghats, outreach to raise awareness about India”s biodiversity and training environmental leaders.
• The prize consists of $100,000, a diploma and a medal. The award ceremony will be held in Budapest, Hungary, during the upcoming World Science Forum.

FACTFILE – Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE)

• Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) is a research institution founded by Kamaljit S. Bawa based in Bangalore, India focusing in the areas of biodiversity conservation and sustainable development.
• The trust works to generate rigorous interdisciplinary knowledge for achieving environmental conservation and sustainable development in a socially just manner, to enable the use of this knowledge by policy makers and society, and to train the next generation of scholars and leaders.
• ATREE contributes to the conservation of diverse environments throughout India, including the Eastern Himalayas, the UNESCO Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve and the Western Ghats world heritage site, Vembanad lake, Kaziranga and Manas National Parks, the grasslands of Kutch, the wetlands of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, and the urban landscapes of Karnataka.

National Green Tribunal (NGT) fine Rs 10 crore penatly on UP Govt

• The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has imposed a penalty of Rs 10 crore on the Uttar Pradesh government for failing to check sewage discharge containing toxic chromium into river Ganga at Rania and Rakhi Mandi in Kanpur. Besides, the NGT has also slapped a fine of Rs 280 crore on 22 tanneries for causing pollution.
• A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel said the problem has not been tackled for the last 43 years and this has resulted in contamination of groundwater affecting the health and life of the inhabitants.
• The environment compensation of Rs 280.01 crore was also assessed by the state pollution control board.
• The NGT also held UPPCB liable and directed it to pay Rs 1 crore for ignoring illegal discharge of sewage and other effluent containing toxic chromium directly into Ganga.

FACTFILE – National Green Tribunal Act, 2010

• National Green Tribunal Act, 2010 is an Act of the Parliament of India which enables creation of a special tribunal to handle the expeditious disposal of the cases pertaining to environmental issues.
• It draws inspiration from the India’s constitutional provision of Article 48A which assures the citizens of India the right to a healthy environment.
• On 18 October 2010, Justice Lokeshwar Singh Panta became its first Chairman. Retired justice Adarsh Kumar Goel is the incumbent chairman of national green tribunal.
• The Principal Bench of the NGT is in New Delhi and has regional benches in Pune (West), Bhopal (Central), Chennai (South) and Kolkata (East).

India and Singapore exchanges Letter of Intent in defence sector

• India and Singapore exchanged a Letter of Intent (LoI) for a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) whereby the latter’s defence establishment could use the Chandipur Integrated Test Range in Odisha.
• The exchange of the Letter of Intent took place in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who is on a two-day trip to the Southeast Asian nation, and his Singaporean counterpart Dr Ng Eng.
• The Integrated Test Range, a missile testing facility of the Defence Research & Development Organisation, is located on Dr Abdul Kalam Island, formerly known as Wheeler Island, off the eastern coast of India in the Bay of Bengal.
• Singh co-chaired the 4th Singapore-India Defence Ministers Dialogue. Singh also offered setting up of Joint Test Facilities under the Defence Testing Infrastructure Scheme of India following which Dr Ng agreed to explore opportunities for a joint collaboration.
• The Ministers also agreed to explore cooperation in the fields of Artificial Intelligence, Geo-Spatial Data Sharing and Cyber Security.
• It was also agreed to hold the 5th Defence Ministers Dialogue in India next year on mutually convenient dates.

November 20, 2019

  Arunachal Pradesh gets ‘Best Emerging Green Tourist Destination Award’

• Arunachal Pradesh has been awarded the ‘Best Emerging Green Tourist Destination Award’ by Travel & Leisure magazine.
• Arunachal Pradesh is one of the last ‘Truly Unexplored’ destinations in the world which offers an awe-inspiring experience to the discerning tourist.
• The award is a boost to the efforts of the Tourism department in bringing Arunachal Pradesh prosperity through sustainable tourism.
• The awards were given to Tourism departments and stakeholders in recognition of their efforts towards promoting green tourism.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met Deputy PM of Singapore

• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore Heng Swee Keat. Singh is on a two-day visit to Singapore to co-chair the 4th India-Singapore Defence Ministers” Dialogue.
• The Defence Minister referred to India’s stand on the South China Sea and the Indo-Pacific region and stressed that the Indo-Pacific for India meant an open, inclusive and stable region, connected through secure seas, integrated by trade and anchored by the unity and centrality of Asean.
• He said India’s stand on implementation of international laws and norms, freedom of navigation, unimpeded lawful commerce and peaceful settlement of disputes was the only way to ensure a rule-based order in the Indo-Pacific region.
• Singh conveyed to Keat that India”s vision of a comprehensive agenda of regional cooperation was rooted in ”SAGAR”, that”s ”Security and Growth for All in the Region”.
• During the meeting, they also agreed upon furthering bilateral defence cooperation.
• Singh also took a sortie in the Super Puma Helicopter of the Singapore Air Force at the Sembawang Air Base and visited Singapore naval ship RSS Stalwart.
• He paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at his Marker in Singapore and also to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and Indian National Army martyrs at their memorial.

Facebook partners with WCD Ministry to boost digital literacy

• In a bid to make social networking secure and safe for women and children, Facebook made partnership with the Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) at Facebook”s “South Asia Safety Summit”.
• Formation of an ideal “Internet Consortium” to propose recommendations for online child safety and launch of ”We Think Digital”, the company”s global digital literacy programme.
• The summit was joined by over 100 organisations from Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and India.
• Facebook is set to launch another campaign called “Thumbstoppers” next year, which will be a series of short creative mobile videos under 10 seconds from India”s advertising community, focusing on empowering and educating people on issues like gender equality, domestic violence and education for the girl child.
• Facebook said it is committed to support economic growth and social good in India and is working with partners to train more than five million people by 2021.

ISRO to launch Cartosat-3, 13 commercial nano satellites

• India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, PSLV-C47 will launch Cartosat-3 and 13 commercial nanosatellites into Sun Synchronous orbit from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota.
• PSLV-C47 is the 21st flight of PSLV in ‘XL’ configuration, that is with 6 solid strap-on motors.
• This will be the 74th launch vehicle mission from SDSC SHAR, Sriharikota.
• Cartosat-3 satellite is a third-generation agile advanced satellite having high-resolution imaging capability.
• PSLV-C47 will also carry 13 commercial nanosatellites from the United States of America as part of commercial arrangement with NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), Department of Space.

FACTFILE – Cartosat-3 satellite

• Cartosat-3 is an advanced Indian Earth Observation satellite built and developed by ISRO, which will replace the IRS series.
• It has a panchromatic resolution of 0.25 metres making it the imaging satellite with highest resolution in the world and Mx of 1 metre with a high quality resolution which is a major improvement from the previous payloads in the Cartosat series.
• Potential uses include weather mapping, cartography or army defence, and strategic applications
• ISRO launched additional satellites in the Cartosat-2 series through 2016, 2017 and 2018.

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November 21, 2019

 Assam State Cabinet approved the Assam Excise (Amendment) Bill 2019

• The State Cabinet approved the Assam Excise (Amendment) Bill 2019 that seeks to bring molasses in the list of excisable items.
• The Bill seeks to amend section 2(h) and section 84(2)(d) of the Assam Excise Act, 2000 such that the list of excisable articles will be expanded to include molasses as an excisable item.
• It also seeks to regulate import, export, transport or possession of molasses. A new section will be inserted to define the term molasses for the purpose of the Assam Excise Act.
• The amendments in the Excise Act will facilitate the introduction of necessary rules to control and regulate the production, storage, distribution, possession and sale of molasses in the State to deal effectively with the challenges posed by the rampant production, trade and consumption of the spurious liquor.

India, Uzbekistan sign security cooperation agreement

• India and the central Asian country of Uzbekistan inked an agreement on security cooperation including in the field of counter-terrorism, organized crime and human trafficking.
• The agreement was signed during a meeting between a delegation from Uzbekistan, led by Minister of Internal Affairs, Pulat Bobojonov, with an Indian delegation, led by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi.
• The two sides discussed areas of mutual interest, including counter-terrorism cooperation and training for Uzbek security personnel in Indian institutions, capacity building, border guarding and disaster management.
• The Agreement on Security Cooperation, signed by the two ministers, will further strengthen cooperation between India-Uzbekistan in the diverse fields including counter-terrorism, organized crime and human trafficking.
• The Indian delegation included Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai along with other senior officers from the Ministry.

LS passes Bill for transparency in Chit Fund schemes

• The Lok Sabha passed a Bill that aims at putting in place a mechanism to ensure transparency in chit fund schemes, protect subscribers and regulate the industry.
• To facilitate orderly growth of the chit fund sector, Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs Anurag Thakur said through the Chit Fund (Amendment) Bill, 2019 the government was making changes in the rules for starting a chit fund.
• The Minister had moved the Bill, which seeks to amend the Chit Funds Act, 1982.
• With the amendments, the prescribed ceiling of aggregate chit fund amount for individuals would be raised to Rs 3 lakh from Rs 1 lakh, and Rs 18 lakh from Rs 6 lakh for firms.
• Besides, words ”gross chit amount”, ”share of discount” and ”net chit amount” would be substituted with ”chit amount”, ”dividend” and ”prize amount”, respectively.
• The amended Act would confer powers upon the state governments to specify the amount up to which any chit fund shall be exempted under the Act.

India successfully test-fires nuke-capable Prithvi-II

• India successfully testfired its indigenously developed nuclear capable surface-to-surface Prithvi-2 missile as part of a user trial by the Army from a test range off Odisha coast.
• The trial of the missile, which has a strike range of 350 km, was carried out from a mobile launcher from launch complex-3 of the ITR.
• The missile was randomly chosen from the production stock and the entire launch activity was carried out by Strategic Force Command (SFC) of the Army and monitored by scientists of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) as part of the training exercise.

FACTFILE – Prithvi-II missile

• Prithvi-2 is capable of carrying 500-1,000 kg of warheads and is powered by liquid propulsion twin engines.
• The state-of-the-art missile uses advanced inertial guidance system with maneuvering trajectory to hit its target.
• Inducted into the armory of Indian defence forces in 2003, nine-metre tall ‘Prithvi’ was the first missile to have been developed by DRDO under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP).

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh holds bilateral meets on ADMM-Plus

• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held bilateral meetings with his counterparts from US, Japan, Australia and New Zealand in Bangkok where they have come to attend the 6th ASEAN Defence Ministers” Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus). He reviewed the entire gamut of bilateral defence relations with his various counterparts and discussed ways to further improve the ties.
• Rajnath Singh and US Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper expressed satisfaction over the increasing defence engagements between the two countries. The two will be meeting again for the 2+2 meeting in Washington DC later next month.
• He had a detailed discussion on adding further momentum to India-Japan defence cooperation with Japanese counterpart Taro Konowas.
• He also met his counterparts from Australia – Linda Reynolds – and New Zealand – Ron Mark – and discussed ongoing defence cooperation and potential areas for enhanced engagement.

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Current Affairs Assam – November 1 - 7, 2019

( Covers all important Assam Current Affairs & GK topics for the week of November 1 – 7, 2019 )

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November 01, 2019

 Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu to inaugurate NE Book Fair at Guwahati

• Vice President of India, M Venkaiah Naidu will inaugurate the 21^st North East Book Fair, 2019, organised by the All Assam Publishers and Book Sellers Association at the AEI Field in Guwahati.
• The book fair, scheduled from November 1 to November 12, has this year attracted a total of 75 publishers and book sellers from all over the country, besides one publishing house from Bangladesh.
• More than 150 Assamese books will be released during the fair that will also see a series of cultural and literary activities.
• The book fair has been dedicated in the memory of eminent educationist Tabu Ram Taid, who passes in August this year. The main stage of the book fair is dedicated in the memory of social worker GL Agarwala and artist Benu Misra.
• The cultural programmes of the book fair have been dedicated in the memory of Vaishnavite scholar Purnabrata Deva Goswami, Natya Samrat Chandra Choudhury and freedom fighter Ramesh Chandra Sarma. The main auditorium of the fair is dedicated in the memory of eminent anthropologist Annada Charan Bhagabati. The sabhaghar of the book fair has been dedicated in the memory of Prof Dilip Kumar Dutta.
• Remembering litterateur Purabi Bormudoi, a special women’s day will be observed during the book fair. Similarly, a senior citizens day in the memory of folk scholar and linguist Pramod Chandra Bhattacharya and a children’s day remembering writer Manik Bora.

BIOGRAPHY – Tabu Ram Taid

• Tabu Ram Taid was an Indian educationist, linguist, author and administrator.
• Hailing from the Mising community, a small indigenous tribe of Assam, India, and from an economically challenged and geographically remote village ‘Ghunasuti Ayengia’, tackling various challenges and obstacles, eventually earned a Post Graduate degree from Delhi University, which was quite uncommon in his community at that time.
• Starting his career as a lecturer of English language in Cotton College, Guwahati, he further proceeded to obtain a Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Linguistics from the University of Reading, UK, and also successfully completed a course in Distance Teaching at University of London Institute of Education, UK.
• He served in various senior level posts in various educational arms of the Government of Assam.
• He was the founder President of the Mising Agom Kebang (Linguistic Society of the Mising, also known as Mising Sahitya Sabha), the apex body of the Mising community aiming for the preservation and development of the Mising language.
• His body of work includes the ‘Mising Gompir Kumsung’ a dictionary of the Mising language with an introduction to Mising grammar), ‘EkuNki nibondho’, a collection of selected articles written in Assamese, ‘Glimpses’, a collection of articles written in English, research work on the Mising and Assamese language, editorial work on traditional Mising literary artifacts like folk songs, along with lexicographical works like dictionary, grammar and phonology of the Mising language.
• His work on his mother tongue, Mising, is his invaluable contribution to the Mising community and also to the Assamese people and culture at large.

Punjab CM launches job helpline under ‘Ghar Ghar Rozgar’ programme

• In a first-of-its-kind initiative in the country, the Punjab government launched a job helpline for job-seekers. As part of the state government’s flagship ‘Ghar Ghar Rozgar’ programme, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said it would help connect job-seekers and job providers and open up job opportunities for thousands.
• The helpline aims to reach every household in Punjab and is designed to call 75,000 mobile and landline numbers a day through a 110-seat back-end call centre.
• The Chief Minister asked the Secretary of the Employment Generation and Training Department, which has come up with the initiative, to popularise it to enable youth, especially in the rural areas, to get the maximum benefit from the helpline.
• Singh also asked the department to intensify its efforts to provide job opportunities to youth to tap their massive latent potential.
• He stressed synergy among the Department of Employment Generation and Training, the Technical Education and the industries to create job opportunities for youth.

Pavan Kapoor appointed as Ambassador to UAE

• Pavan Kapoor, a 1990 batch Indian Foreign Service officer took charge as the new Ambassador to UAE. Ambassador Kapoor replaced Navdeep Singh Suri, who retired last month.
• During his diplomatic career Pavan Kapoor has served in different capacities at the Indian Missions in Moscow, Kyiv, London and Geneva.
• Mr Kapoor served as the Ambassador to Israel.
• He has also served in the Ministry of External Affairs and the Prime Minister’s Office in New Delhi.
• Pavan Kapoor was India’s High Commissioner to Mozambique and the Kingdom of Swaziland from January 2014 to February 2016.
• He has an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad and also holds a Masters in International Political Economy from the London School of Economics.

Odisha govt signs MoU with J-PAL South Asia

• The Odisha government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) South Asia to engage in a strategic evidence-based approach to policy making.
• The partnership targets to maximise the impact of anti-poverty programmes of the state across a wide range of sectors.
• J-PAL is co-founded by Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo, joint winners of 2019 Nobel Prize in economics for their experimental approach to alleviating global poverty.
• Under this partnership, J-PAL South Asia will provide the Odisha government technical assistance for scaling up evidence backed programmes to improve development outcomes across the state.
• This partnership aims at bringing transformation in the lives of people through research based intervention in policy formulation.
• The partnership also establishes an overarching collaboration between J-PAL South Asia and the state government under which J-PAL will work with several departments to conduct policy-relevant randomised evaluations of new anti-poverty and development programmes.
• Additionally, a diagnostic exercise and subsequent workshops will be conducted to build state capacity in the area of monitoring and evaluation.
• The MoU was signed by Odisha Development Commissioner Suresh Mahapatra and Executive Director of J-PAL South Asia Shobhini Mukerji in the presence of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
• J-PAL and the state government will conduct an annual policy dialogue to identify the government”s top policy priorities, conduct discussions to share evidence, and jointly come up with innovative solutions that can be field-tested through rigorous randomised evaluations.
• Topics for the policy dialogues include malnutrition, women”s empowerment, distress migration, health-worker performance, and improving agricultural productivity.

FACTFILE – The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL)

• J-PAL is a global research center working to reduce poverty by ensuring that policy is informed by scientific evidence.
• J-PAL conducts randomized impact evaluations to answer critical questions in the fight against poverty, and builds partnerships with governments, NGOs, donors, and others to generate new research, share knowledge, and scale up effective programs.
• J-PAL was founded in 2003 as the “Poverty Action Lab” by professors Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo and Sendhil Mullainathan, to support randomized evaluations measuring interventions against poverty on topics ranging from agriculture and health to governance and education.
• The Lab was renamed in honor of Sheikh Abdul Latif Jameel when his son, MIT alumnus Mohammed Abdul Latif Jameel, supported it with three major endowments in 2005.
• 2019 Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel has been awarded to J-PAL founder Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo and Michael Kremer “for their experimental approach to alleviating global poverty”.

November 02, 2019

IIT Guwahati, PCBA join hands to tackle air pollution

• The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati and the Pollution Control Board Assam (PCBA) have joined hands to tackle the problem of air pollution in some major urban centres of the state, including Guwahati.
• The two have joined hands under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) launched by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
• IIT-G and PCBA signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) recently in this regard.
• Under the project, IIT-G and PCBA will work together to deal with air pollution in Guwahati, Nagaon, Nalbari, Sivasagar and Silchar.
• In these urban centres, the particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) levels exceed the annual average ambient air quality standard of 60 microgram per cubic metre.
• PCBA will work to prepare city-specific interventions and action plans with the target of reducing PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations by at least 20 to 30 per cent by 2024. IIT-G will act as the technical partner.
• The institute will assist PCBA in carrying out air pollution studies like identifying critical sources, building state-of-the-art air quality monitoring networks, and investigating mitigations in the five identified towns and cities and implementing them with the help of the Board.
• NCAP was launched in January as part of the government’s agenda to put in place a time-bound national level strategy for pan India implementation to tackle the increasing air pollution problem across the country in a comprehensive manner.
• The approach for NCAP includes collaborative, multi-scale and cross-sectoral coordination between the relevant Central ministries, state governments and local bodies.
• NCAP’s objective is to have comprehensive mitigation actions for prevention, control and abatement of air pollution, besides augmenting the air quality monitoring network across the country and strengthening the awareness and capacity building activities.

India-US Economic and Financial Partnership Meeting

• At the Seventh Meeting of the India-US Economic and Financial Partnership, India and the US on Friday discussed trade issues and also resolved to boost cooperation in tackling money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT).
• India and the US discussed policies to stimulate economic growth and noted the significant steps India has taken to strengthen the financial sector, including Public Sector Bank recapitalization and plans to merge some of the state-owned banks.
• Both sides also discussed capital flows, investment promotion related issues, and the external economic environment.
• The Indian delegation was led by Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of Finance, and the US delegation was led by Steven Mnuchin, US Secretary of the Treasury.
• Both sides had in-depth exchanges of views on a range of issues such as the global, US, and Indian economic outlooks, global debt sustainability, financial sector reforms, leveraging of capital flows and investment, and tackling money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT)
• Both sides are committed to greater economic cooperation on global economic issues, both bilaterally and multilaterally in the G20 and other fora.
• Both sides are working together to attract more private sector capital to finance India”s infrastructure needs and further raise growth for both countries.
• Both sides took note of the importance of having greater attention to transparency and debt sustainability in bilateral development lending.
• Both sides appreciated the recent signing of an arrangement that enables automatic exchange of Country-by Country Reports for purposes of high level transfer pricing risk assessment.
• Both sides are encouraged with the developments that have taken place since the last meeting of the Economic and Financial Partnership and look forward to continued engagement to strengthen our bilateral relationship, our economies and our economic security.

D.C. Raina appointed as the first Advocate General of J&K UT

• Senior advocate D.C. Raina was appointed as the first Advocate General of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
• The appointment was made by Lt Governor G.C. Murmu a day after the Union Territory came into being.
• The UT was carved out of the state of Jammu and Kashmir along with abolition of its special status granted under Article 370 of the Constitution of India.

India, Germany inks pacts in various fields & resolved to jointly combat terrorism

• India and Germany inked over 20 agreements, including in the field of Artificial Intelligence, green urban mobility and agriculture, and resolved to jointly combat terrorism.
• German Chancellor Angela Merkel held talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi as part of the 5th Inter Governmental Consultations.
• While strengthening Cooperation in the Field of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Transformation formed a major part of the joint statement, there was also a large section on combating terrorism.
• Both sides are also focusing on strategic cooperation in the field of new and advanced technology.
• The two sides have stressed on cooperation in the fields of new and advanced technology, Artificial Intelligence, skills, education, cyber security.
• The two countries have also agreed to explore cooperation in news areas like e-mobility, fuel cell technology, smart cities, inland water ways, coastal management, cleaning of rivers and climate change.
• The five Declarations of Intent, were in the field of Consultations for the period 2020-2024, cooperation in strategic projects, in green urban mobility, for joint cooperation in research and development in the field of Artificial and Intelligence and in the field of prevention of marine litter.
• The 17 MoUs included for Exchange of Personnel between ISRO and German Aerospace Centre, Cooperation in the Field of Civil Aviation, Cooperation within the International Smart Cities Network, Cooperation in Skills Development and Vocational Education and Training, in the field of Start-ups, in Agricultural Market Development, among others.
• The others included cooperation in Inland, Coastal and Maritime Technology, Setting up of Academic Collaboration in Ayurveda, Yoga and Meditation, in Higher Education, between All India Football Federation (AIFF) and Deutscher FuAYball-Bund e.V (DFB), and on Indo-German Migration and Mobility Partnership Agreement.

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November 03, 2019

 French Development Agency (AFD) to provide Rs 400 crore loan to Assam

• The French Development Agency (AFD) will provide a Rs 400-crore loan to Assam to implement a forest and biodiversity conservation project.
• The agreement signed in the presence of French ambassador Emmanuel Lenain.
• The Rs 251.50-crore Assam Project on Forest and Biodiversity Phase I was co-funded by AFD and the State government and it covered the entire State in a phase manner.
• The Phase I of the project, implemented by 32 territorial divisions, seven wildlife divisions and 13 social forestry divisions, ended in May this year.
• The project vision is to enable sustainable forest and biodiversity conservation and management in Assam through multi-scale integrative planning and involvement of forest dependent communities in target areas and giving fillip to their livelihood activities through sustainable use of forest and non-forest resources.
• There are three components of the project – conservation of ecosystems, community engagement and institutional strengthening of forest department – to be implemented over a period of five years.
• The counterpart funding of Rs 100 crore for the second phase of the project will be done by the State government.

FACTFILE – The French Development Agency

• AFD is a public financial institution that implements the policy defined by the French Government. It works to fight poverty and promote sustainable development.
• This public institution is active in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, the Caribbean and the French overseas territories, where it finances and supports projects that improve living conditions for populations, promote economic growth and protect the planet.
• In 2014, AFD earmarked EUR 8.1bn to finance projects in developing countries and for the French overseas territories, a commitment up by 4% compared to 2013.
• Its headquarters is located in Paris. Its teams are based in Paris, Marseille and in a network of 72 agencies and representations abroad and in the French overseas territories.

West Bengal, UNICEF jointly set 5-step agenda to fight malnutrition

• The West Bengal government and UNICEF have come together to implement a five-step agenda laying stress on empowering families and building a healthy food environment to fight the triple burden of malnutrition.
• The UNICEF”s flagship report – The State of the World’s Children (SOWC) – for this year has focused on food and nutrition, given the importance of healthy diets, especially among children and young people.
• The report says that poor diet is damaging children’s health, and that poverty, urbanisation, climate change and poor eating choices are driving unhealthy diets.
• The SOWC report calls for a shift in the way the authorities address and respond to malnutrition.
• Children across the world are facing a triple burden of malnutrition in the form of undernutrition (stunting and wasting), hidden hunger (deficiencies in micronutrients) and overweight (including obesity).
• The topmost priority in the five-step agenda is empowering families, children and young people to demand nutritious food, including by improving nutrition education.
• There is also stress on collecting, analysing and using good-quality data and evidence to guide action and track progress.

PM Modi releases commemorative coin on Guru Nanak and thai translation of ‘Tirukkural’

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi released a commemorative coin marking the 550^th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev. Besides releasing a Thai translation of the Tamil classic ”Tirukkural” at the ”Sawasdee PM Modi” community event in Bangkok.
• Tirukkural is written by poet Thiruvalluvar and has been translated into many languages. The Tamil community in Thailand got it translated into Thai language for the first time.

FACTFILE – The Tirukkural

• Tirukkural is a classic Tamil language text consisting of 1,330 couplets or Kurals. The text is divided into three books, each with aphoristic teachings on virtue, wealth and love.
• It is considered as one of the great works on ethics and morality, is known for its universality and secular nature.
• Its authorship is traditionally attributed to Valluvar, also known in full as Thiruvalluvar. The text has been dated variously from 300 BCE to 5th century CE.
• The traditional accounts describe it as the last work of the third Sangam, but linguistic analysis suggests a later date of 450 to 500 CE and that it was composed after the Sangam period.
• The Kural is traditionally praised with epithets and alternate titles such as “the Tamil Veda” and “the divine book”. It emphasizes non-violence and moral vegetarianism as virtues for an individual.
• In addition, it highlights truthfulness, self-restraint, gratitude, hospitality, kindness, goodness of wife, duty, giving, and so forth, besides covering a wide range of social and political topics such as king, ministers, taxes, justice, forts, war, greatness of army and soldier’s honor, death sentence for the wicked, agriculture, education, abstinence from alcohol and intoxicants.
• The Kural has been widely admired by scholars and has been translated into at least 40 Indian and non-Indian languages.

China launches high-resolution Earth observation satellite ‘Gaofen-11’

• China launched Gaofen-11, an optical remote sensing satellite, as part of its high-resolution Earth observation project.
• The Gaofen-11 satellite was launched on a Long March 4B rocket from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre in northern Shanxi Province. It was the 282^nd flight mission by a Long March carrier rocket.
• The satellite can be used for land survey, urban planning, road network design, agriculture, and disaster relief. Its data will also be used for the Belt and Road Initiative.

 India, EU launch call on research on developing local energy system

• The European Commission and India”s Department of Science and Technology (DST) launched an 18 million euros joint call on research and innovation to develop integrated local energy systems.
• Proposals should develop and demonstrate novel solutions, integrating all energy vectors including possibilities offered by batteries and electric vehicles, interconnect them and optimize joint operation with increased share of renewables and a higher energy efficiency.
• Cooperation should take the form of a proposal demonstrating a local energy system (or several) in Europe and/or India.
• The Technology Readiness Level (TRL) will range between 5 and 8.
• The call text and call deadlines are the same for applicants from Europe and India.
• This call targets minimum three participants from India as well as from Europe.
• A total budget of euro 18 million is foreseen. The Indian selected participants will be funded by DST and the European partners by the EU Research and Innovation programme ”Horizon 2020”.

November 04, 2019

Union Govt and UNICEF launch ‘YuWaah’ initiative

• A national initiative – YuWaah – aimed at imparting skills among the youth and providing employment to more than 300 million young Indians was launched by Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani with an alliance of national and international partners, including UNICEF.
• India is one of the first countries to launch the YuWaah national initiative linked to the global Generation Unlimited movement which began in New York in September 2018.
• Supported by Unicef, Generation Unlimited brings young people together with the private sector, governments, international and local organisations to tackle the urgent challenge of investing in their learning and training so that they are prepared for the complex and fast-changing world of work and can be active and engaged citizens.
• On the occasion, Irani and Fore also launched a special “U-Report” digital survey, aimed at listening to and engaging youth throughout the country to ensure that their voices and solutions shape the actions of YuWaah! Partners.

NASSCOM, SAP India signed an MoU to skill, reskill and upskill workforce across industries

• NASSCOM and business software solutions major SAP India signed an MoU to skill, reskill and upskill the workforce across industries.
• The “FutureSkills” programme of IT industry”s apex body, launched in February 2018, aims to reskill 2 million professionals, potential employees as well as students in the industry over a period of next five years.
• SAP will support NASSCOM”s “FutureSkills” with its skill development initiatives that focus on content, evangelism and industry connects, thus, enabling the skilling, re-skilling and up-skilling imperative for the IT-BPM industry and related stakeholders in the country.
• SAP would provide content and enable select SAP experts as mentors for this programme while NASSCOM, through its “FutureSkills” platform, would host these content and expose the SAP mentors as experts on these technology domains which would be made available for the end beneficiaries on a zero-cost subscription model.
• The automotive, textile, banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI), retail and IT-BPM are set be the most disrupted industry with the inclusion of AI, ML and data analytics, etc.
• People from the IT, IT-enabled services industry workforce, potential workforce and college-going students are expected to benefit from the programme.

Satya Pal Malik takes oath as Governor of Goa

• Satya Pal Malik was on Sunday sworn in as the Governor of Goa.
• Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court Justice Pradeep Nandrajog administered the oath of office to Malik at Raj Bhavan.
• Malik had earlier served as the governor of Jammu and Kashmir.
• Malik, 73, replaced Mridula Sinha who was holding the Goa governor’s post since August 2014.

India and Uzbekistan signs 3 MoUs and initiated first-ever joint exercise ‘Dustlik 2019’

• India and Uzbekistan inked three Memorandum of Understanding in Tashkent, Uzbekistan during the visit of Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh.
• Pacts were inked in the field of Military Medicine and Military Education to further strengthen Defence cooperation between both the countries.
• Rajnath Singh also held discussions with Uzbekistan’s Defence Minister Major Gen Nizamovich.
• Singh and his Uzbekistan counterpart witnessed the first-ever exchange over a video-link between College of Defence Management in Secunderabad, India and the Armed Forces Academy of Uzbekistan, Tashkent.
• The two Defence Ministers also presided over a curtain raiser of the first-ever India-Uzbekistan joint exercise Dustlik 2019.
• Both Defence Ministers expressed satisfaction at the enhanced level of engagement between their respective countries in the defence sphere.
• The defence ministers agreed that both nations would continue to work together to further raise their level of engagements in the defence sphere in keeping with strategic partnerships.

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November 05, 2019

 Assam gets 15 electric buses under ‘Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles’ (FAME-1)

• Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal flagged off 15 electric buses which were introduced under Assam State Transport Corporation in the city.
• The new buses procured under ‘Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles’ (FAME-1) and introduced as a pilot project will ply from Panbazar to Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati.
• The state government is working to transform Guwahati as the gateway to the South East Asian countries, the Chief Minister said that such a vision to materialise requires great deal of support from all sections of society.
• The state government is likely to introduce 100 additional electric buses under FAME-2 for which necessary process have been started. Out of these buses 50 buses will ply in Guwahati, 25 each will be pressed into service at Jorhat and Silchar.

FACTFILE – The National Electric Mobility Mission Plan (NEMMP) 2020

• The National Electric Mobility Mission Plan (NEMMP) 2020 is a National Mission document providing the vision and the roadmap for the faster adoption of electric vehicles and their manufacturing in the country.
• As part of the NEMMP 2020, Department of Heavy Industry formulated a Scheme viz. Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles in India (FAME India) Scheme in the year 2015 to promote manufacturing of electric and hybrid vehicle technology and to ensure sustainable growth of the same.
• The Phase-I of this Scheme was initially launched for a period of 2 years, commencing from 1st April 2015, which was subsequently extended from time to time and the last extension was allowed up to 31st March 2019.
• The 1st Phase of FAME India Scheme was implemented through four focus areas namely (i) Demand Creation, (ii) Technology Platform, (iii) Pilot Project and (iv) Charging Infrastructure.
• Market creation through demand incentives was aimed at incentivizing all vehicle segments i.e. 2-Wheelers, 3-Wheelers Auto, Passenger 4-Wheeler vehicles, Light Commercial Vehicles and Buses.

India to launch National Disaster Management Scheme

• Urging all SCO countries towards joint assistance in dealing with earthquakes, Home Minister Amit Shah said India would soon come up with a national scheme which would not only cover the disaster risk renewal Sendai Framework but also the goals of permanent development and climate related agreement.
• Shah said India has completed the amendment process in the country’s National Disaster Management Scheme launched in 2016.
• Shah said that all 28 states, nine Union Territories and 90 per cent districts have completed their disaster management schemes.
• Shah said will come up with a national scheme which not only would cover disaster risk renewal Sendai framework but also the goals of permanent development and climate related agreement.
• Sendai Framework is a 15-year, voluntary, non-binding agreement which recognizes that the state has the primary role in reducing disaster risk but that responsibility should be shared with other stakeholders, including local government, the private sector and other stakeholders.
• The Joint Exercise on Urban Earthquake Search and Rescue 2019 is a four-day exercise, which would help the SCO countries in a situation when they need the support of others to deal with any disaster-like situation.

Odisha Govt inks pacts for youth skill development

• The Odisha government has signed an MoU and two agreements with TATA Strive and Tech Mahindra for skill development and to create employment opportunities for the youth.
• The Directorate of Technical Education and Training (DTE&T) and TATA Strive signed an agreement to impart life skills to students in all 49 government ITIs.
• The Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO) signed an agreement with Tech Mahindra to set up a state-of-the-art facility to start its operations for international BPO for global customers.
• A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between Tech Mahindra, Biju Patnaik University of Technology (BPUT) and College of Engineering and Technology (CET) to set up a Centre of Excellence in the area of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML).
• The students will get an opportunity to work on proof of concept on real life business problems to keep up with the market demand and to enhance the employability of engineering students. Every year, 30 students will get training in the field of AI and ML for a period of 12 months.

IBM launch ‘SkillsBuild‘ platform for skilling students in collaboration with MSDE

• IBM announced launch of SkillsBuild platform in collaboration with the Directorate General of Training under the aegis of the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE).
• As part of the programme, a two-year advanced diploma in information technology (IT), networking and cloud computing will be offered at the Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and the National Skill Training Institutes (NSTIs).
• The platform will also be extended to train ITI and NSTI faculty in artificial intelligence (AI) skills.
• SkillsBuild offers digital learning content from IBM and partners, like CodeDoor, Coorpacademy and Skillsoft.
• The digital platform will also provide personal assessment for cognitive capabilities and personality via MyInnerGenius to students. They will then learn basics about digital technologies as well as professional skills, like resume writing, problem solving and communication.
• Students will also receive recommendations on role-based education for specific jobs, that include technical and professional learning.

November 06, 2019

 Assam CM opens Brahmaputra Pushkar Mahotsav

• Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated the Brahmaputra Pushkar Mahotsav, a mega river festival on the bank of the Brahmaputra in Guwahati highlighting the river’s important role in Assam’s sociocultural life.
• The Pushkar Mahotsav, to be held for 12 days from November 5 to November 16, is a river festival which is organised on the banks of 12 important rivers in India, including the Ganga, Yamuna, Narmada, Kaveri, etc.
• The festival occurs once in every 12 years for each river. As per mythological beliefs, Pushkar is celebrated on the banks of each river according to the zodiac sign of that river.
• The Mahotsav has been organised at Sonaram High School Field at Bharalumukh here by the Purva Tirupathi Sri Balaji Samiti, Guwahati in collaboration with the Sri Mahalakshmi Charitable Trust, Chennai.
• The State tourism department and a number of other departments are assisting the festival, which is supposed to host approximately two lakh devotees, mostly from South India.

Justice Rajendra Menon appointed AFT Chairperson

• Former Chief Justice of Delhi High Court, Justice (Retired) Rajendra Menon was appointed the new Chairperson of the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT).
• The tenure of appointment of Justice (Retired) Menon will be for a period of three years from the date of assumption of charge of the post or till he attains the age of 70 years, or until further orders, whichever is the earliest
• The tribunal, established by the government of India, has the power provided for adjudication or trial of disputes and complaints with respect to commission, appointments, enrolments and conditions of service in respect of persons subject to the Army Act, 1950, The Navy Act, 1957 and the Air Force Act, 1950.

FACTFILE – Armed Forces Tribunal

• Armed Forces Tribunal is a military tribunal in India. It was established under the Armed Forces Tribunal Act, 2007.
• In 1999, the Law Commission’s 169^th report stated that disciplinary and service matters required quick resolutions and proposed a special tribunal for the military and paramilitary forces.
• Armed forces tribunal bill was steered through Parliament only by the Defence Ministry, leaving paramilitary forces, even the Assam Rifles and Coast Guard, outside the tribunal’s purview.

IIT Madras launches first indigenously designed standing wheelchair

• Indian Institute of Technology, Madras has launched country’s ‘first indigenously’ designed standing wheelchair- ‘Arise’ for assisting the specially-abled person in day to day activities.
• These customised wheelchairs enable a differently-abled person to shift from sitting to standing position and vice-versa independently.
• Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Thawar Chand Gehlot was also present at the launch of ‘Arise’.
• Lauding the efforts of IIT Madras, Gehlot said, IIT Madras has done a wonderful job, I have never seen such a standing wheelchair even in a foreign country.
• He also stated that ministry will be extended the necessary help, if required to extend the benefits of this initiative to more and more specially-able citizens.

P S Sreedharan Pillai sworn-in as the new Governor of Mizoram

• P S Sreedharan Pillai was sworn-in as the new Governor of Mizoram at the Raj Bhavan.
• The oath of office was administered by Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court Justice Ajai Lamba.
• Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthangam his cabinet colleagues, legislators, former chief minister Lal Thanhawla and senior officials attended the swearing-in ceremony.

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November 07, 2019

 Assam Governor adopts Morigaon as model district for agriculture

• To develop agriculture and to use it for the socio-economic development of the people of the State, Governor Jagadish Mukhi has adopted Morigaon district for development of agriculture and allied activities.
• Governor Mukhi said that the Morigaon district has enormous potential as most of the people are associated with agriculture, so developing the district in agriculture will lead to capacity building of its people. Moreover, as practising the single-cropping system amounts to inadequate use of land resources, the Governor also advised the farmers to adhere to multi-cropping system.
• The Governor also distributed power tillers, rickshaws for carrying agriculture goods and electric water pump sets.
• The Department of Fisheries, Assam has already initiated an effort under ‘Morigaon Special intervention of the Governor of Assam Project: 2019-2022’ to develop supporting infrastructure to achieve sustainable development in fisheries.

India, Russia to expand military technical cooperation

• India and Russia are working on a programme of military technical cooperation by 2030, Work is underway to agree on a programme of Russian-Indian military-technical cooperation till 2030.
• The Russian government said after a meeting between Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov and Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in Moscow
• During the meeting, Borisov noted that despite of external pressure, Russia and India are successfully implementing joint cooperation in the military-technical sphere, particularly the supply of S-400 air defence systems.
• The topics of discussion included a wide range of issues related to bilateral military technical cooperation, as well as interaction in the field of science and high-tech.

Nasscom Foundation rewards 7 entities for social impact

• The Nasscom Foundation, the Indian IT industry body’s social arm, and software firm Mphasis declared Rs 60 lakh in grants to seven entities for innovatively applying technology for social impact.
• The seven entities recognised as part of the National Association of Software and Services Companies” (Nasscom) Social Innovation Forum include Meraki Foundation, Inali Foundation, Padcare Labs, MHS City Lab, Watsan Envirotech, Bombay Bijlee and Anukai Solutions.
• Meraki Foundation was awarded for skilling low income parents to act early to unleash a child”s potential, PadCare Labs for sanitary napkin disposal and recycling solution and MHS City Lab for developing digital tools for affordable low-income housing, among others.
• In addition to the catalytic grants, all the winners are eligible for industry mentorship worth Rs 20 lakh, offering a 12-month ”support to scale” mentoring from experts
• As many as 15,000 entities applied in the categories of education, accessibility, healthcare, financial inclusion, environment and others.

 PM Modi inaugurated the 5^th edition of the India International Science Festival (IISF)

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the fifth edition of the India International Science Festival (IISF) via video conference.
• The theme of the festival – ‘RISEN: Research, Innovation and Science Empowering the Nation’
• The function was attended by West Bengal Governor J Dhankar and Union Science and Technology Minister Dr Harsh Vardan.
• Diplomats from Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, South Korea and the United Kingdom, among others, attended the conclave.

FACTFILE – India International Science Festival (IISF)

• India International Science Festival (IISF) launched in 2015 is a celebration to promote Science and Technology and demonstrate how science could lead India towards a developed nation within a short span of time.
• The aim is to engage the public with science and celebrate the joy of science and show the ways how science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) provide us with the solutions to improve our lives.
• Ministry of Science and Technology and Ministry of Earth Sciences in association with Vijnana Bharati (VIBHA), has created a unique platform of India International Science Festival which intends to inspire curiosity and make learning more rewarding.

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