Current Affairs Assam - October 29-31, 2018

( Covers all important Assam Current Affairs & GK topics for the week of October 29-31, 2018 )

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October 29

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Manipur tops the medal tally in 1st North East Olympic Games 2018

Assam came second in the 1st North East Olympic Games 2018 held in Imphal. Final medal tally is as follows

Rank	Participating State	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	Manipur	79	47	31	157
2	Assam	45	52	41	138
3	Arunachal Pradesh	18	20	38	76
4	Mizoram	08	15	29	52
5	Nagaland	06	09	26	41
6	Meghalaya	03	08	29	40
7	Sikkim	01	06	18	25
8	Tripura	00	03	17	20

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Justice A. S. Bopanna is the new Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court

• Justice A. S. Bopanna is appointed as the new Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court.
• He was administered the oath of office by Governor Jagdish Mukhi. Justice Bopanna took over the charge from acting chief justice AK Goswami.

BIOGRAPHY – Justice AS Bopanna

• Justice Bopanna enrolled as an advocate in 1984 and practised civil, Constitutional, company, service and labour matters in the High Court as well as in the Civil and Labour Courts.
• He also worked as legal advisor to central public sector undertakings and as additional central government standing counsel from 1999 to 2005.
• He was appointed as an Additional Judge of the Karnataka High Court in 2006, and permanent judge in 2007

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Arunachal Pradesh government signed a MoU with the British Council

• The Arunachal Pradesh government signed a MoU with The British Council here to strengthen educational and cultural cooperation.
• This MoU with the British Council which will enhance the opportunities for young people in Arunachal Pradesh and connect them to international expertise and ideas.
• The MoU was signed by Tayek Talom, Director of Higher and Technical Education of Arunachal Pradesh, and Alan Gemmell, Director, British Council India, on the sidelines of the Tawang Festival.
• As per the MOU, as many as 50 faculty members from government higher education institutions will be trained by the British Council every year, starting from December.
• Further, 50 students of higher and technical education institutes will be trained in English language skills annually.

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BSES launches rooftop solar initiative Phase 2 in Delhi

• The second phase of Delhi power distribution company BSES’ Solar City Initiative was launched by Delhi Power Minister Satyendar Jain on 28^th
• This phase, which will cover the Shakur Basti area, follows the success of the first phase started by the company in Dwarka where around 100 housing societies and apartment complexes have signed up for the initiative.
• The Shakur Basti area is home to several colonies and has a substantial rooftop solar potential of around 15 MWp. BRPL (BSES Rajdhani Power Ltd) is targeting to realise around 5 MWp of rooftop net metering from the area by 2019-20.
• Under the first phase in Dwarka, around 25 societies having installed solar capacity of 1.5 MWp have already been energised or are about to be energised. The work at the remaining societies is at different stages.
• The rooftop soalr tariff identified through competitive bidding in the case of Dwarka residents was Rs 2.66/kWh (kilowatt hour) net of generation based incentive and is around Rs 2.50/kWh less than the electricity tariff.
• The Solar City initiative, launched in January, is being implemented by BRPL in collaboration with Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ India) under its Indo-German Solar Partnership project.

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India, Russia, Iran to meet on North-South Corridor

• India, Russia and Iran will hold a trilateral meeting on the International North South Transport Corridor (INSTC) on November 23 to make the 7,200-km-long ship, road, and rail route operational soon.
• The corridor is an important initiative taken by India, Russia and Iran to promote transport cooperation and to enhance connectivity with central Asian countries.
• The INSTC is the shortest multimodal transportation route linking the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf via Iran to Russia and North Europe.
• The estimated capacity of the corridor is 20 to 30 million tonnes of goods per year and will reduce time and cost by 30 per cent to 40 per cent.

FACTFILE – International North–South Transport Corridor (INSTC)

• The International North–South Transport Corridor (INSTC) is a 7,200 km multi-mode network of ship, rail, and road route for moving freight between India, Iran, Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Central Asia and Europe.
• The route primarily involves moving freight from India, Iran, Azerbaijan and Russia via ship, rail and road.
• The objective of the corridor is to increase trade connectivity between major cities such as Mumbai, Moscow, Tehran, Baku, Bandar Abbas, Astrakhan, Bandar Anzali, etc.
• Dry runs of two routes were conducted in 2014, the first was Mumbai to Baku via Bandar Abbas and the second was Mumbai to Astrakhan via Bandar Abbas, Tehran and Bandar Anzali.
• This will also synchronize with the Ashgabat agreement, a Multimodal transport agreement for creating an international transport and transit corridor facilitating transportation of goods between Central Asia and the Persian Gulf.

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October 30

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Assam Govt planning to take over tea garden hospitals

• Assam state government is planning to take over the hospitals of tea gardens in the state and put in place a new health model to narrow down the healthcare gaps.
• According to a survey by the Regional Resource Centre for North Eastern States of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, 649 tea estates had hospitals run by the TE managements, but the status of healthcare in those hospitals was unsatisfactory.
• The in-patient department was absent in 45% of the tea garden hospitals and functional labour rooms are absent in 54% of the gardens. Newborn care facilities are not available in most of the hospitals. Doctors were not available in 38% of these hospitals.
• State government is considering to run them through the National Health Mission. The government has also decided to provide General Nursing and Midwifery training to tea tribes girls who can later be deployed at the TE hospitals.
• Assam Tea Employees Provident Fund Organisation has also proposed to set up four 100-bed specialty hospitals in the State, with special focus on maternity services. The hospitals will be set up on PPP mode, and the government will have to shell out around Rs 20 crore on each hospital every year, according to preliminary estimates.

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India’s first engine-less train ‘Train 18’ unveiled

• The Rs 100-crore indigenously developed high-tech, energy-efficient, self-propelled or engineless train was flagged off by Railway Board Chairman Ashwani Lohani here on 29^th
• India’s first trainset — Train 18 — will be a game-changer for the Indian Railways. The train was developed at nearly half the cost that is normally incurred for such development.
• The train with a capacity to touch speed of 160 kmph will replace the Shatabdi Express.
• With 16 coaches, the train will have the same passenger carrying capacity. There are now separate power cars. But it is about 15-20 per cent energy efficient and leaves less carbon footprint.
• The trainset was conceived, designed and developed in about 18 months’ time as against the industry norm of about 3-4 years.
• The trainset has aerodynamically designed driver cabins at both ends for quicker turnaround at destinations.
• The train sports advanced regenerative braking system which saves power.

FACTFILE – Train 18

• Train 18 is an Indian semi-high speed train and India’s first engine-less train.
• It is also the first train to be designed and built entirely in India.
• It was designed and built by Integral Coach Factory (ICF) Chennai under the Indian government’s Make in India Initiative over a span of 18 months.
• The unit cost of the first rake was given as ₹100 crore (US$14 million), though the unit cost is expected to go down with subsequent production. It is estimated to be 40% less costly than a similar train imported from Europe.
• The first set of trains will run between New Delhi and Bhopal, replacing the Delhi–Bhopal Shatabdi Express, which has been running for thirty years and reducing travel time along the route by 15 percent.
• At an operating speed of 160 kilometres per hour (99 mph), it will outpace the Shatabdi Express by 30 kilometres per hour (19 mph).
• Train 18’s exterior appearance has been likened to that of a bullet train, with an aerodynamic narrowing of each end of the train.
• Indian Railways and ICF are also planning the development of Train 20, another semi-high speed train that will replace the Rajdhani Express. 

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India and Qatar establish joint commission

• India and Qatar recently established a joint commission to review all bilateral matters, as well as regional and global issues of mutual interest.
• Both countries have decided to establish a joint commission to strengthen the relations between the two countries in various fields with a view to further the common interests of their two friendly peoples.
• The joint commission will be charged with the following tasks: formulating the required basis to strengthen the relations between the two countries particularly in the economic, commercial, cultural, scientific, technological, information technology and educational fields; following up the implementation of the agreements concluded between the two countries; finding suitable solutions for the resulting problems of the implementation thereof; facilitating the exchange of information and expertise, and encouraging bilateral consultation in service of cooperation between the two countries.
• The commission will be co-chaired by the Ministers of External Affairs and Foreign Affairs of the two countries or their representatives and may include representatives of the sectors concerned with bilateral cooperation in both the countries.

FACTFILE – Qatar

• The State of Qatar, is a country located in Western Asia, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula.
• Its sole land border is with neighboring Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) monarchy Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its territory surrounded by the Persian Gulf. An arm of the Persian Gulf separates Qatar from the nearby Bahrain.
• Qatar’s total population is 2.6 million comprising of just around 313,000 Qatari citizens and rest 2.3 million are expatriates.
• The country has the highest per capita income in the world, backed by the world’s third-largest natural gas reserves and oil reserves.
• Qatar is regarded as the most advanced Arab state for human development.
• Following Ottoman rule, Qatar became a British protectorate in the early 20th century until gaining independence in 1971.
• Qatar emerged as a significant power in the Arab world, through its globally expanding media group, Al Jazeera Media Network.

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India, Japan to enter into $75 billion currency swap agreement

• India and Japan on Monday decided to enter into a $75-billion bilateral currency swap agreement which is expected to bring stability in foreign exchange and capital markets in the country.
• The swap arrangement was 50 per cent higher than the previous such agreement between the two countries. The $75-billion agreement was one of the largest swap arrangements in the world.
• The decision to conclude the arrangement was taken during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Japan where he discussed a range of issues with his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe.
• With the arrangement in place, prospects of India would further improve in tapping foreign capital for country’s developmental needs.
• Further India and Japan will start a 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue involving their respective foreign and defence ministers to work for peace and stability in the world.

FACTFILE – ‘Foreign Currency Swap’

• It is an agreement to exchange currency between two foreign parties.
• The agreement consists of swapping principal and interest payments on a loan made in one currency for principal and interest payments of a loan of equal value in another currency.
• The purpose of engaging in a currency swap is to procure loans in foreign currency at more favorable interest rates than if borrowing directly in a foreign market.
• The World Bank first introduced currency swaps in 1981 to obtain German marks and Swiss francs.
• Each party continues to pay interest on the swapped principal amounts throughout the length of the loan and when the swap is over, principal amounts are exchanged once more at a pre-agreed rate or the spot rate.

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October 31

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Indian Army and Chinese Army hold meet at Bum-La of Arunachal Pradesh

• The Indian Army and China’s People’s Liberation Army held military border personnel meeting on the Chinese side at Bum-La.
• The meeting followed after 11 PLA troopers had intruded in the Upper Dibang Valley district of Arunachal Pradesh earlier this month.
• The Indian delegation was led by Brigadier Zubin Bhatnagar. Senior Colonel Yao Shi Cheng led the PLA team.
• Both sides highlighted importance of such meetings for maintenance of Peace and Tranquility along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
• The BPM mechanism in Bum-La sector was established in 1990, for enhancing interaction between the border guarding troops of the two sides.
• The delegations interacted in a friendly environment and parted with a feeling of commitment towards enhancing cooperation and maintaining the peace along the LAC.
• Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to uphold the agreements and protocols signed between their governments to maintain peace and tranquillity along the borders.

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Prime Minister Modi unveils world’s tallest statue ‘Statue of Unity’

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the world’s tallest statue, the ‘Statue of Unity’, built as a tribute to the freedom fighter icon Sardar Vallabhai Patel, on 31^st
• The 182-meter statue is built at Sadhu Bet Island in Kevadiya in Narmada district of Gujarat, at a cost of about Rs.3,000 crore.
• The project also includes a memorial park at the base of the statue, a visitor facilitation centre and a reception desk.
• The statue is 29 metres taller than China’s Spring Temple Buddha (153 metres) and almost twice as high as the 93-metre Statue of Liberty in New York.
• The construction was started on 31 October 2014 and completed in mid-October 2018. It was designed by Indian sculptor Ram V. Sutar.

FACTFILE – Vallabhbhai Patel

• Sardar Patel was an Indian politician and served as the first Deputy Prime Minister of India.
• He was a founding father of the Republic of India who played a leading role in the country’s struggle for independence and guided its integration into a united, independent nation.
• His commitment to national integration in the newly independent country was total and uncompromising, earning him the sobriquet “Iron Man of India”.
• He is also remembered as the “patron saint of India’s civil servants” for having established the modern all-India services system.

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India’s 1^st container movement on inland waterways begins

• India’s first container vessel movement on the river Ganga (National Waterways-I) began on 30^th October, with the Inland Waterways Authority of India transporting container cargo belonging to the food and beverages giant PepsiCo (India) from Kolkata to Varanasi.
• Union Shipping Secretary Gopal Krishna along with IWAI Chairman Pravir Pandey flagged off the vessel carrying the consignment in the presence of PepsiCo representatives.
• Cargo movement to the east and northeastern states will become easier with the new mode of transportation through waterways.
• Development of multi-modal hubs within three years will lead to considerable increase in volume of cargo movement through waterways.
• The central government is developing NW-1 (River Ganga) under Jal Marg Vikas Project form Haldia to Varanasi (1,390 km) at about Rs 5,369 crore with the technical and financial assistance from the World Bank.
• The project would enable commercial navigation of vessels with a capacity of 1,500-2,000 DWT.
• IWAI officials said container cargo transport reduces handling cost, allows for easier modal shift, decreases pilferage and damage, besides enabling cargo owners to lessen their carbon footprints.

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IBM to acquire Red Hat for $34 billion

• IBM announced to acquire Open Source Solutions leader Red Hat for a sum of $34 billion, in a deal which will make IBM dominant in the emerging $1 trillion Hybrid Cloud market.
• IBM’s biggest acquisition will provide open approach to Cloud, featuring unprecedented security and portability across multiple clouds. Red Hat will operate as a distinct unit within IBM’s Hybrid Cloud team.
• IBM’s and Red Hat’s partnership has spanned 20 years, with IBM serving as an early supporter of Linux, collaborating with Red Hat to help develop and grow enterprise-grade Linux and enterprise Kubernetes and hybrid cloud solutions to customers.
• This acquisition is the third-biggest in the history of US technology, after the $67 billion merger between Dell and EMC in 2016 and JDS Uniphase’s $41 billion acquisition of optical-component firm SDL in 2000.

FACTFILE – Hybrid Cloud

• Hybrid cloud is a computing environment which combines a public cloud and a private cloud by allowing data and applications to be shared between them.
• When computing and processing demand fluctuates, hybrid cloud computing gives businesses the ability to seamlessly scale their on-premises infrastructure up to the public cloud to handle any overflow
• Organisations gain the flexibility and computing power of the public cloud for basic and non-sensitive computing tasks, and at the same time, securely keeps business-critical applications and data on-premises, behind a company firewall.
• It can allows companies to scale computing resources and also eliminates the need to make massive capital expenditures to handle short-term spikes in demand.
• Oragnisations pay only for resources they temporarily use instead of having to purchase, programme and maintain additional resources which could remain idle over long periods of time.

 

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Current Affairs Assam – October  15-21, 2018

( Covers all important Assam Current Affairs & GK topics for the week of October 15-21, 2018 )

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October 15

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Sikkim wins the Future Policy Award 2018

• Sikkim beat out 51 other nominees from 25 countries for the Future Policy Award 2018, the world’s best laws and policies promoting agro-ecology.
• The “100 per cent organic state” Sikkim, the first in the world, will get the “Oscar for best policies” at a UN ceremony in Rome and it bolsters efforts to attain the Sustainable Development Goals.
• This year’s award is co-organised by the FAO, the World Future Council (WFC) and IFOAM-Organics International.
• Sikkim is the first organic state in the world, having all of its farmland as certified organic. At the same time, Sikkim’s approach reaches beyond organic production and has proven truly transformational for the state and its citizens.
• The policy implemented a phase out of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and achieved a total ban on sale and use of chemical pesticides in the state.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 19, 2016 declared Sikkim as the first organic state in the country, and expected it to become the harbinger of organic farming not only in India but around the world.

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Textile Tourism Complex to be setup in Meghalaya

• Union Minister of State for Textiles Ajay Tamta announced that Union Govt. will provide funds of Rs 7.8 crore for setting up a Textile Tourism Complex in Ri-Bhoi district of Meghalaya.
• The production of mulberry, berry and muga in Meghalaya, has now risen to 1,000 metric ton from 500 metric tons in 2014.
• Union Government also sanctioned an amount close to Rs 43 crore under the Integrated Sericulture Development Project and the Intensive Bivoltine Sericulture Development Project, to Meghalaya in the last few years, to develop the textile sector in the region.
• A apparel manufacturing centre is built at Rs. 14 crore at Ampati, Garo Hills, which would further garments production for exporting across the globe.

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India record best-ever show at Asian Para Games with 72 medals

• India ended the 2018 Asian Para Games on a high after bagging a total of 72 medals, their best show in the event’s history.
• India clinched 15 gold, 24 silver and 33 bronze medals to finish the campaign at the ninth place.
• In the last edition in 2014, India had won just 33 medals (3 gold, 14 silver, 16 bronze).
• China topped the competition with 172 gold, 88 silver and 59 bronze followed by South Korea (53 gold, 25 silver and 47 bronze) and Iran (51, 42, 43).

FACTFILE – The 2018 Asian Para

• The 2018 Asian Para or the 3rd Asian Para Games, was a pan-Asian multi-sport event that held from 6 to 13 October 2018 in Indonesia’s capital city of Jakarta.
• The event paralleled the 2018 Asian Games and was held for Asian athletes with disability.
• As is the tradition of the event, since 2010, the Asian Para Games are usually held after every Asian Games in the same host country.
• Indonesia signed the Asian Para Games host city contract, having confirmed as host city of the 2018 Asian Games in October 2014.
• Before the Asian Para Games were held, FESPIC Games existed and was participated by athletes from the Asia Pacific region. The FESPIC Games was first held in 1975 in Oita, Japan with 18 participating nations.
• The inaugural Asian Para Games was held in 2010 in Guangzhou, China after the formation of the Asian Paralympic Council. The 2^nd edition was held in 2014 South Korea.

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India, China launch training programme for Afghan diplomats

• India and China launched a joint programme to train Afghan diplomats in pursuance of an understanding between the two countries to undertake joint projects in the war-torn nation.
• At their informal summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Wuhan, China, in April 2018, agreed to jointly implement projects in Afghanistan as part of a rebuilding process in what was seen as a fresh impetus to ties between New Delhi and Beijing.
• The summit was held held after Indian and Chinese troops were locked in a 73-day face-off at Doklam on the India-Bhutan-China international trijunction last year.
• The seeds for joint cooperation in Afghanistan were sown at the meeting between the Prime Minister of India and the President of China when they met in Wuhan in April 2018
• Development partnership, based on the priorities of the government and the people of Afghanistan, has been the cornerstone of multifaceted bilateral cooperation
• India had embarked on an ambitious development partnership programme with Afghanistan with a commitment of over $3 billion.
• High priority was being accorded to enable Afghanistan tap the true potential of its talented youth.
• The capacity-building programme was being implemented through scholarships and training programmes for over 3,500 Afghan nationals every year in India.

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October 16

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Sheorartal is Cachar’s cleanest village under the ‘Swachhata Hi Seva’ drive

• Sheorartal is the cleanest village in Cachar district of Assam. Kachari people belonging to around 150 families in the village at Hawaithang Forest Range under Dholai constituency around 50 km from Silchar next to the Assam -Mizoram border have set an example by helping each other to earn the recognition of the cleanest village in the district under the ‘Swachhata Hi Seva’ drive.
• Among 1015 villages in the district, Sheorartal village stands out to be the most consistent village where the people and the NGO worked in tandem towards cleanliness.

FACTFILE – Swachhata Hi Seva (SHS) 2018

• A janandolan for Swachhata was observed in the run-up to the 4th anniversary of the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) from September 15th to October 2nd 2018.
• All NGOs, schools, colleges, social, cultural and political leaders, corporates, government officials, collectors and sarpanches, are requested to participate in  Swachhata Hi Seva and Shramdaan activities during this period.

FACTFILE – Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM)

• Swachh Bharat Mission is a nation-wide campaign in India for the period 2014 to 2019 that aims to clean up the streets, roads and infrastructure of India’s cities, towns, and rural areas.
• The objectives of Swachh Bharat include eliminating open defecation through the construction of household-owned and community-owned toilets and establishing an accountable mechanism of monitoring toilet use.
• Run by the Government of India, the mission aims to achieve an “open-defecation free” (ODF) India by 2 October 2019, the 150th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi, by constructing 90 million toilets in rural India at a projected cost of ₹1.96 lakh crore (US$30 billion).
• The mission will also contribute to India reaching Sustainable Development Goal Number 6 (SDG 6).

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Industrial Disputes (Assam Amendment) Bill, 2017 gets President’s nod

• President Ram Nath Kovind has signed the Industrial Disputes (Assam Amendment) Bill, 2017 to replace the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 and will enable companies to retrench up to 300 employees without seeking prior approval of the Assam Government.
• The Assam Govt Bill is aimed to achieve the objective of ease of doing business, as companies will be allowed to retrench up to 300 employees instead of 100, as per the existing legislation, without seeking prior approval of the government.
• The compensation to a retrenched labourer will be 60 days’ salary instead of the present 15 days’ salary.

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RBI data localization deadline unlikely to be extended

• The government and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) are not in favour of extending the deadline to store payments data locally, effectively ending all speculation and lobbying by multinational companies.
• The central bank has mandated that all payment firms, including MasterCard, Visa, American Express and Paypal, should store their India-related data locally.
• The deadline for submission of compliance reports by these firms ended on Monday, 15 October.
• Google and WhatsApp were also mandated to store data locally for their payments-related businesses.
• Though more than 60 companies have complied with the RBI directive, some of the big global entities operating in India had sought relaxation from the central bank.

FACTFILE – Data localization

• Data Localisation is the act of storing data on any device that is physically present within the borders of a specific country where the data was generated.
• Free flow of digital data, especially data which could impact government operations or operations in a region, is restricted by some governments.

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Maryse Conde as awarded the New Academy Prize in Literature

• Guadeloupean author Maryse Conde was awarded the New Academy Prize in Literature, an alternative award formed in protest to Nobel Literature Prize. She has authored around 20 novels, including Desirada, Segu and Crossing the Mangrove.
• Her writings mostly describe ravages of colonialism and post-colonial chaos in language which is both precise and overwhelming.

FACTFILE – New Academy Prize in Literature

• New Academy Prize in Literature was formed by New Academy consisting of more than 100 Swedish writers, artists and journalists in protest to denounce Swedish Academy, which selects Nobel laureates.
• The Swedish Academy was plunged into turmoil in 2017 over its ties to Frenchman Jean-Claude Arnault, who was jailed for two years in early October for rape.

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Stanford University is World’s Most Innovative University

• Stanford University is adjudged as the World’s Most Innovative University by a rating conducted by Reuters news agency.
• The Reuters’ top 100 World’s Most Innovative University ranking recognises universities for their work in inventing new technologies, advance science and power new markets and industries and as expected no Indian university was could make the cut.
• In the top 100 list, 48 universities from North America find mention on the list, 23 Asian universities, 27 from Europe and 2 from the Middle East only, and has no mention of universities from South America and Africa.
• 46 US universities, five Chinese varsities were among the top 100.
• Stanford University is followed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University respectively.

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Current Affairs Assam – October  1-7, 2018

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

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October 1

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Over 8,000 children missing in Assam since 2013

• As per an assembly reply by Assam’s Parliamentary Affairs minister Chandra Mohan Patowary, around 8,443 children went missing from Assam in the last five years.
• The trend of children going missing has been increasing every year in Assam.
• Very less number of missing children are recovered. Only 4,377 missing children were recovered in the last five years.
• In 2017, 1,839 children went missing and 1,086 missing children were recovered by the police.

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Reliance Foundation keen to partner with Meghalaya for sports infrastructure

• Nita Ambani said that Reliance Foundation Youth Sports (RFYS) is keen to partner with Meghalaya government in building sports infrastructure ahead of the National Games in the mountainous state.
• It is to be mentioned that Meghalaya will be hosting the National Games 2022 coinciding with the 50th year of the creation of the state.
• Nita Ambani is the founder-chairperson of Reliance Foundation and also a member of international olympic committee.

FACTFILE – Reliance Foundation Youth Sports

• RFYS is an initiative driven by Reliance Foundation, a non-profit and CSR front of the Reliance Group, which focuses on providing a platform for youth sports in India, especially at the school and collegiate level.
• Currently, eight cities are a part of the foundation’s long-term goal which aims at establishing a sports association
• In 2015, Reliance Foundation had also initiated Reliance Foundation Young Champs (RFYC) – a programme to foster football talent in India. The programme was tied to the Indian Super League’s eight cities and the respective teams conduct grassroots initiatives to contribute to the RFYC.

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Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) opens crucial meeting to consider global warming report

• The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) with representatives from 195 countries and leading scientists opened a crucial meeting here to consider its special report on global warming.
• The representatives will work with the scientists from 1^stoct to 5^thoct to finalise the Summary for Policymakers of the report, Global Warming of 1.5 degrees Celsius, an IPCC special report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels and related global greenhouse gas emission pathways.
• The IPCC is the UN body for assessing the science related to climate change.
• The report will analyse the context of strengthening the global response to the threat of climate change, sustainable development and efforts to eradicate poverty.
• Governments invited the IPCC to prepare the report in 2015 when they adopted the Paris Agreement to combat climate change.
• The Paris Agreement sets a long-term goal of holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit it to 1.5 degrees.

The IPCC was established by the N Environment Programme and the World Meteorological Organization in 1988 to provide policymakers with regular scientific assessments concerning climate change, its implications and potential future risks, as well as to put forward adaptation and mitigation strategies.

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GST revenue collection for September 2018 month crosses Rs 94,000 crore

• GST collection in September unlike August witnessed an upward trend. In September, the revenue collected under GST touched Rs 94,000 crore. 
• Goods and Services Tax (GST) revenue for August was the lowest in the five months so far this fiscal. In July the collection was Rs 96,483 crore, in June it was Rs 95,610 crore, in May Rs 94,016 crore and in April Rs 1.03 lakh crore.
• Goods and Services Tax (GST) revenue for August was the lowest in the five months so far this fiscal. In July the collection was Rs 96,483 crore, in June it was Rs 95,610 crore, in May Rs 94,016 crore and in April Rs 1.03 lakh crore.
• The revenues collected in September, 2018 of Rs 94,442 crore shows an upward trend as compared to August, 2018 collection of Rs. 93,690 crore.
• However, compliance improved as 67 lakh GSTR-3B or summary sales returns were filed during August, up from 66 lakh filed in July.

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October 2

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Assam CM launches Wage Compensation Scheme for pregnant women in tea gardens

• Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on 1^st Oct launched Wage Compensation Scheme for Pregnant Women to bring down the mortality rate among pregnant women in tea garden areas of the state.
• Large working labour population in the tea gardens have not been given access to quality healthcare.
• The high maternal mortality ratio (MMR) among pregnant women in tea garden areas has been a major cause of worry they have to work through their pregnancy till the time of delivery.
• To address this concern, the Wage Compensation Scheme for Pregnant Women will provide a total of Rs 12,000 to each pregnant woman working in the tea gardens.
• An amount of over Rs 55 crore has been allotted in the state’s 2018-19 health Budget towards this scheme, which will benefit nearly 48,000 pregnant women of tea garden areas every year.
• All temporary, permanent or non-workers living within the tea garden premises will be eligible for the scheme.

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Assam Police Day 2018 celebrated on 1^st October

• Assam Police Day 2018 celebrated on 1^st October at the 4th battalion of Assam police office in Guwahati’s Kahilipara.
• Leading up to the celebrations, Assam police organised awareness programs on cyber crime, use of social media, drug abuse, mob violence, lynching, superstitions and other social issues throughout the state.
• The foundation day celebrations also strive to boost relation between police and the general public.
• Assam CM said that the State government was taking a lot of steps to modernise the Assam Police, Sonowal said along with infrastructural changes the mentality must also be changed befitting a modern police force. The Cyberdome has been set up in the State to tackle cyber crimes and a lot of other initiatives have been taken to make the Assam Police a smart force.
• Director General of Police Kuladhar Saikia also highlighted the crucial role played by Assam Police in the fight against insurgency and maintenance of law and order.

FACTFILE – Assam Police

• The Assam Police is the law enforcement agency for the state of Assam in India.
• A regular police force was initiated in Assam by the British after the Treaty of Yandaboo to maintain the law and order.
• It functions under the Department of Home Affairs, Assam.
• The Headquarters of Assam police is situated in state capital Dispur.
• The Assam Police is headed by Director General of Police.

Point2Remember – DGP of Assam Police is Kuladhar Saikia, IPS

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India, Uzbekistan sets bilateral trade target of $1 billion

• India and Uzbekistan set an annual bilateral trade target of US $1 billion to be achieved in two years and agreed to cooperate in counter-terrorism efforts as the two sides signed 17 agreements across a range of sectors following delegation-level talks led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
• They also agreed to further strengthen their Strategic Partnership and boost connectivity in a significant manifestation of India’s increasing engagements with Central Asia.
• They noted the favourable conditions for investment by Indian companies in Uzbekistan, including in the framework of the special economic zones and free pharmaceutical zones.
• Both countries positively assessed the establishment of an Uzbek-Indian Business Council between industry body CII and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Uzbekistan.
• Uzbekistan has agreed to be a part of the International North South Transport Corridor (INSTC).
• The INSTC is a 7,200-km-long multi-modal network of ship, rail and road routes to move freight between India, Iran, Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Central Asia and Europe.
• Both sides agreed to deepen cooperation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and other international forums.
• Two countries agreed to strengthen cooperation between their law enforcement agencies and special services, including under the framework of the Uzbekistan-India Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism.
• The 17 agreements signed between the two sides covered the areas of tourism, military training, law and justice, agriculture, science and innovation, health and pharmaceuticals.

FACTFILE – Uzbekistan

• Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia.
• The sovereign state is a secular, unitary constitutional republic.
• Uzbekistan is bordered by five landlocked countries: Kazakhstan to the north; Kyrgyzstan to the northeast; Tajikistan to the southeast; Afghanistan to the south; and Turkmenistan to the southwest.
• Following the breakup of the Soviet Union, it declared independence as the Republic of Uzbekistan on 31 August 1991.
• Total Area of 448,978 km2 and estimated population in 2017 was 32,979,000
• The Registan was the heart of the ancient city of Samarkand of the Timurid dynasty, is in Uzbekistan. And India’s Mughal dynasty is a descendent of the Timurid dynasty.

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IMF appoints Gita Gopinath as the Director of Research Department

• Gita Gopinath, a well-known educationist and economic adviser to the Kerala government, has been appointed the Director of Research Department of International Monetary Fund.
• Announcing her appointment, IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde said that Gopinath is one of the best economists in the world and her last record is very fantastic and she has a great international experience.

BIOGRAPHY – Gita Gopinath

• She has got her Bachelor degree from Lady Shri Ram College, New Delhi and MA degree from the Delhi School of Economics.
• She joined Harvard in 2005, before she was an assistant professor in the University of Chicago.
• She is a John Zwaanstra Professor of International Studies and Economics at Harvard University.
• She is also the economic adviser to the Chief Minister of Kerala, and according to her life introduction in Harvard, her appointment to this honorary post took place in 2016 and she has been given the rank of Chief Secretary.
• She has also been included in the G-20 Advisory Committee of India’s Ministry of Finance as a reputed member.

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Current Affairs Assam September 22-28, 2018

( Covers all important Assam Current Affairs & GK topics for the week of September 22-28, 2018 )

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September 22

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Arunachal Pradesh CM launches universal healthcare scheme

• Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu dedicated the Chief Minister Aarogya Arunachal Yojana (CMAAY) a universal healthcare scheme of the state government to the people of the state.
• The launching of the health insurance scheme in this frontier state coincides with the nationwide launch of Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana.
• The state s healthcare scheme will be dovetailed with the centre s PMJAY scheme with Rs 50 crore earmarked to provide cashless treatment of Rs 5 lakh per family per year.
• The state s healthcare scheme will provide coverage to those beneficiaries left out in the PMJAY scheme.
• About 88 928 families as per 2011 Socio Economic Caste Census (SECC) in Arunachal are eligible for PMJAY scheme out of 3.05 lakhs families.

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Maharashtra to start a new Cyber University

• Maharashtra Government is setting up a new Cyber University dedicated to mitigating cyber threats. It will train 3,000 professionals to fight online space cyber-attacks, internet crimes and conduct cyber forensics.
• The Cyber University will provide for and prepare internet professionals on lines of Microsoft Certified Professional Program.
• It will conduct courses in data analytics, cloud computing, blockchain, AI, cyber forensics and cyber investigations.
• It will also impart training in 15 other Internet of Things (IoT) areas such as Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence (AI).
• For this university, state government will provide different levels of training and enable affiliated colleges to impart certification for the 15 courses.
• The current demand of cyber professionals hovers around 30 lakh. The university will be a remedy for this by providing required human resource and bridge skill gap.

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271 million people moved out of poverty in India, UNDP estimates

• India has made momentous progress in reducing multidimensional poverty with its incidence almost halving between 2005-6 and 2015-16 climbing down to 27.5 per cent from 54.7 per cent according to estimates from the 2018 global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI).
• Among South Asian countries only Maldives has a lower headcount ratio than India at 1.9 per cent with Nepal (35.3) Bangladesh (41.1) and Pakistan (43.9) having higher incidences of multidimensional poverty.
• Across states castes religions and ages -are still the poorest they have also experienced the biggest reductions in MPI through the decade showing that they have been “catching up”
• Pockets of poverty are found across India but multidimensional poverty is particularly acute — and significant — in the four states of Bihar Jharkhand Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. These accounted for 196 million MPI poor people — more than half of all MPI poor in India.
• But there was also progress. Jharkhand made the biggest strides among all states in reducing multidimensional poverty with Arunachal Pradesh Bihar Chhattisgarh and Nagaland only slightly behind.
• Delhi Kerala and Goa have the lowest incidence of multidimensional poverty.
• Despite the massive gains made in reducing multidimensional poverty 364 million Indians continue to experience acute deprivations in health nutrition schooling and sanitation.
• Globally around 1.3 billion people live in multidimensional poverty which is almost a quarter of the population of the 104 countries for which the 2018 MPI is calculated.
• Of these 1.3 billion almost half — 46 per cent — are thought to be living in severe poverty and are deprived in at least half of the dimensions covered in the MPI.

FACTFILE – Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI)

• The global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) is an international measure of acute poverty covering over 100 developing countries. It complements traditional income-based poverty measures by capturing the severe deprivations that each person faces at the same time with respect to education, health and living standards.
• The MPI assesses poverty at the individual level. If someone is deprived in a third or more of ten (weighted) indicators, the global index identifies them as ‘MPI poor’, and the extent or intensity of their poverty is measured by the number of deprivations they are experiencing.
• Multidimensional Poverty Index(MPI) was developed in 2010 by the Oxford Poverty & Human Development Initiative (OPHI) and the United Nations Development Programme, and uses different factors to determine poverty beyond income-based lists.
• It replaced the previous Human Poverty Index. The global MPI is released annually by OPHI and the results published on its website.
• The MPI looks beyond income to understand how people experience poverty in multiple and simultaneous ways. It identifies how people are being left behind across three key dimensions: health education and living standards and 10 indicators – nutrition child mortality years of schooling school attendance sanitation cooking fuel drinking water electricity housing and assets.

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Germany rolls out world’s first hydrogen-powered train

• Germany has rolled out world’s first hydrogen-powered passenger train. These locomotives named iLint trains and emit zero emissions, making them eco-friendly.
• This train technology offers greener and quieter alternative to diesel on non-electrified railway lines.
• These hydrogen trains are manufactured by French TGV-maker Alstom and are commercially running on 100km route between towns and cities of Cuxhaven, Bremerhaven, Bremervoerde and Buxtehude in northern Germany.

FACTFILE – Hydrogen trains

• Hydrogen trains are equipped with fuel cells that produce electricity by combining hydrogen with oxygen.
• This conversion process only emits steam and water, thus producing zero emissions.
• Excess energy produced is stored in lithium-ion batteries on board. These trains also make very little noise.
• Moreover, hydrogen fuel cells have advantages over batteries. Instead of recharging, they can easily be refueled like gas or diesel engine.
• It is also easier to build refueling infrastructure for these trains at railway stations.
• These trains can run for around 1,000 km on a single tank of hydrogen, similar to the range of diesel trains.
• These trains offer attractive prospect to many cities scrambling to combat air pollution.

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September 23

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Meghalaya Cabinet approves state education policy

• The Meghalaya Cabinet approved the State Education Policy after 46 years of statehood. The Cabinet meeting, which was chaired by Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, also approved a proposal to bring an official resolution in the Assembly on the need to to include Khasi and Garo languages in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.
• The resolution will be tabled by the government during the ongoing autumn session of the 10th Meghalaya Assembly.
• Meghalaya has been without education policy for over 46 years after the state was created in 1972.
• The first draft State Education Policy, 2018 was based on a comprehensive analysis of the education sector in the state and evolved out of numerous consultations held with national and state level experts, practitioners, administrators, and key stakeholders.
• The education policy, which was finalised by a 24-member Task Force, would also address the problem of having different categories of schools and teachers in the state.

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Indian satellite-linked GPS module launched for Navigation

• Ramakrishna Electro Component Pvt Ltd Group (REC), an India-based semiconductor distribution company, launched a Vehicle Tracking System (VTS), the first of its kind module that will primarily use an Indian satellite for navigation.
• The company’s UTRAQ brand which is manufactured by Shanghai Mobiletek is an endeavour to provide an alternative to the Indian customers from the currently used GPS application that is working on US Satellites.
• Major change anticipating is that the VTS industry will be changing their designs as in the coming year it will be mandatory from the government to use Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) device.
• Two UTRAQ models L100 and L110 were launched and are planning to start mass production of the products soon in India under ‘Make In India’ programme.

FACTFILE – Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS)

• The Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), with an operational name of NAVIC (NAVigation with Indian Constellation), is an autonomous regional satellite navigation system that provides accurate real-time positioning and timing services.
• It covers India and a region extending 1,500 km (930 mi) around it, with plans for further extension. An Extended Service Area lies between the primary service area and a rectangle area enclosed by the 30th parallel south to the 50th parallel north and the 30th meridian east to the 130th meridian east, 1,500–6,000 km beyond borders.
• The system at present consists of a constellation of seven satellites, with two additional satellites on ground as stand-by.
• NAVIC will provide two levels of service, the “standard positioning service”, which will be open for civilian use, and a “restricted service” (an encrypted one) for authorized users (including military).
• There are plans to expand NavIC system by increasing constellation size from 7 to 11

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Tamil Nadu Govt. started scheme for protection of exotic Neela Kurinji plants

• Tamil Nadu government has announced a Scheme for the protection of exotic Neelakurinji (Strobilanthus kunthianus) plants that flower only once in 12 years.
• This scheme comes following complaints that these rare and ecologically unique flowers are being packaged and sold on the commercial basis.

FACTFILE – Neelakurinji plant

• Neelakurinji is a tropical plant species, it is native to the Shola forests in Western Ghats and is also found in Shevroys Hills in Eastern Ghats, Anamalai hills and Sanduru hills.
• The flowers of Neelakurinji are purple-blue in colour and because of these flowers, Nilgiri hills on the southern tip of Western Ghats are called blue mountains.
• It is a rarest of rare plant species that grows in Western Ghats and does not grow in any other part of the world has been categorized as an endangered species.

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Current Affairs Assam – September 8-14, 2018

( Covers all important Assam Current Affairs & GK topics for the week of September 8-14, 2018 )

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September 8

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Japan to conduct world’s first test of space elevator

• Japanese researchers will conduct the world’s first experiment to test a prototype of a space elevator in space by using two mini satellites.
• The test equipment will be launched by Japan’s space agency on board of H-2B rocket from the southern island of Tanegashima.
• Two ultra-small cubic satellites developed by Shizuoka University Faculty of Engineering will be used for demonstration of space elevator technology. Each satellite measures 10 centimeters on each side.
• The pair of satellites will be released from the International Space Station (ISS) and the container acting like elevator car will be moved on a cable connecting satellites using motor.

FACTFILE – Space Elevator

• It is a proposed type of planet-to-space transportation system.
• Its components mainly are cable anchored to the surface of the planet and extending into space.
• It will permit vehicles to travel along cable from planetary surface,  without the use of large rockets.
• The idea of space elevator was first proposed in 1895 by Russian scientist Konstantin Tsiolkovsky after he saw the Eiffel Tower in Paris and later by Arthur C. Clarke.
• The one end of the cable of space elevator will be attached near to surface and the other end in space beyond the geostationary orbit.
• Once cable (tether) is deployed at a fixed position, climbers can repeatedly climb it to venture into space by mechanical means, releasing their cargo to orbit.

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Airtel Payments Bank enables card-less withdrawal at ATMs

•  Airtel Payments Bank started card-less withdraw of cash at ATMs across the country without using the debit or credit card.The customers would be able to withdraw cash through mobile phone using USSD, a communication technology and the “MyAirtel” app.
• Airtel Payments Bank has tied up with cloud-based payment solution provider, Empays, for the service.The bank would use Empays’ cardless technology, Instant Money Transfer (IMT) to provide the cardless withdrawal service.The customers can generate a cash withdrawal request which can be used for withdrawal at any of the IMT-enabled ATMs.

FACTFILE – Airtel Payments Bank

• Airtel Payments BankLimited is a public limited company.
• It was the first company in India to receive a payments bank license from the Reserve Bank of India.
• Airtel Payments Bank is a joint venture between BhartiAirtel Ltd. and Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd..Kotak Mahindra Bank holds 19.9% stake in the Airtel Payments Bank.
• AirTel Money is a digital wallet by AirTel Payment Bank that lets users make payments using “My Airtel app” or USSD.
• Airtel mobile number is the account number of the wallet, so Airtel mobile number is mandatory to use the service.

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Mega tree plantation launched by Delhi CM Kejriwal

• Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal 9^thsep launched a mega tree plantation drive by planting a sapling at the Yamuna floodplain in Usmanpur village, with thousands others joining him in the initiative.The government wants to plant 5 lakh trees and shrubs in the city in a day as part of the drive.
• Around one lakh students and residents are participating in the campaign at 600 locations across the city to fight air pollution. A large number of school children attended the tree plantation event held at Yamuna flood plains at GarhiMandu in Usmanpur. 
•  The Delhi government’s Environment and Forest Secretary A K Singh said the target is to plant 32.5 lakh trees in the current year. So far, around 15 lakh have been planted.

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HDFC Bank raises MCLR across tenures, 1-year MCLR at 8.6%

• HDFC Bank increased its marginal cost of funds based lending rate or MCLR by 20 basis points across tenures.
• One basis point (1bps) is one-hundredth of a percentage point. Subsequent to the hike, bank’s one-year MCLR is 8.6%.
• Earlier in this week, SBI, ICICI Bank and BOB hiked MCLR rate by 20, 15 and 5 bps, respectively. 
• The one-year MCLR at SBI stands at 8.45% while for ICICI Bank and BOB, the revised MCLR rate is same at 8.55%.
• The rise in MCLR will make home, auto and other loans costlier for customers.

FACTFILE – Marginal Cost of Funds Based Lending Rate(MCLR)

• The Marginal Cost Of Funds Based Lending Rate (MCLR) refers to minimum interest rate of a bank below which it cannot lend, except in some cases allowed by the RBI.
• It is an internal benchmark or reference rate for the bank.
• MCLR actually describes the method by which the minimum interest rate for loans is determined by a bank – on the basis of marginal cost or the additional or incremental cost of arranging one more rupee to the prospective borrower.
• The MCLR methodology for fixing interest rates for advances was introduced by the Reserve Bank of India with effect from April 1, 2016. This new methodology replaces the base ratesystem introduced in July 2010.
• Allrupee loans sanctioned and credit limits renewed w.e.f. April 1, 2016 would be priced with reference to the Marginal Cost of Funds based Lending Rate (MCLR) which will be the internal benchmark (means a reference rate determined internally by the bank) for such purposes.

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September 9

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RBI to auction state government securities for Rs 8650 crore

• The Reserve Bank of India said that State Governments have offered to sell securities by way of auction for an aggregate amount of Rs 8650 crore. The auction will be conducted on the Reserve Bank of India Core Banking Solution (E-Kuber) system on September 11, 2018.
• The Government Stock up to 10 per cent of the notified amount of the sale of each of the stock will be allotted to eligible individuals and institutions subject to a maximum limit of 1% of its notified amount for a single bid per stock as per the Scheme for Non-competitive Bidding Facility
• Both competitive and non-competitive bids for the auction should be submitted in electronic format on the Reserve Bank of India Core Banking Solution (E-Kuber) system on September 11, 2018
• The non-competitive bids should be submitted between 10.30 A.M. and 11.30 A.M. and the competitive bids should be submitted between 10.30 A.M. and 12.00 noon.
• Securities will be issued for a minimum nominal amount of Rs. 10,000.00 and multiples of Rs. 10,000.00 thereafter.
• The results of the auction will be announced on September 11, 2018 and payment by successful bidders will be made during banking hours on September 12, 2018 at Mumbai and at respective Regional Offices of RBI.

RBI as Banker to State Governments

• All the State Governments are required to maintain a minimum balance with the Reserve Bank, which varies from state to state depending on the relative size of the state budget and economic activity.
• To tide over temporary mismatches in the cash flow of receipts and payments, the Reserve Bank provides Ways and Means Advances/Overdraft to the State Governments.
• The WMA scheme for the State Governments has provision for Special Drawing Facility (SDF) and Normal WMA. The SDF is extended against the collateral of the government securities held by the State Government.
• To encourage the State’s participation to the Consolidated Sinking Fund and Guarantee Redemption Fund, incremental investments in these funds are also eligible to avail SDF.
• After the SDF limit is exhausted, the State Government is provided a normal WMA. The normal WMA limits are based on three-year average of actual revenue and capital expenditure of the state.
• The withdrawal beyond the WMA limit is considered an overdraft. A State Government account can be in overdraft for a maximum 14 consecutive working days with a limit of 36 days in a quarter.

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India, Bulgaria signs five MoUs on various fields

• India and Bulgaria on 5^th Sep signed five MoUs in the field of Investment, Tourism, Civil Nuclear Cooperation, Establishment of Hindi Chair at Sofia University and enhancing scientific cooperation.
• The five important MoUs were signed following the detailed talks between Indian delegations led by President Kovind and Bulgarian delegations.
• During the high-level meeting, President Ram Nath Kovind and his Bulgarian counterpart Rumen Radev held detailed talks on issues of mutual importance to the two countries including defence, IT sector and Make in India programme.
• President Ram Nath Kovind was on a three-nation visit to Europe. During his three day visit to Cyprus, the two countries signed two very important agreements in the field of Combating Money Laundering and Cooperation in Environment.

FACTFILE – Bulgaria–India relations

• Bulgaria has an embassy in New Delhi and honorary consulates in Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mumbai. The embassy is jointly accredited to Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Bhutan, and also observes the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). India has an embassy in Sofia, that is also jointly accredited to Macedonia.
• In mid-1954, preliminary negotiations were held between Bulgaria and India in Moscow, and diplomatic relations were established in December 1954.
• Bulgaria opened a diplomatic mission (Legation) in New Delhi in April 1955. The mission was re-organized into an embassy in March 1961. India’s diplomatic representatives to Bulgaria resided in Belgrade and Bucharest from July 1955 until April 1970. India opened its embassy in Sofia in May 1970.
• Indira Gandhi became the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Bulgaria in October 1967. TodorZhivkov was the first Bulgarian Prime Minister to visit India in January 1969.
• The first bilateral protocol for trade exchange was signed between the two countries in New Delhi on 16 September 1956, and the first agreement for economic, scientific and technical cooperation was signed in Sofia on 2 May 1967. A Joint Commission for Economic, Scientific & Technical Cooperation (with sub-branches for machine-building, electronics, agriculture, chemistry, defense industry, food industry, etc.) was established in November 1973. In 1975, the first cultural agreement between Bulgaria and India.
• Bilateral trade between Bulgaria and India totaled $218.3 million in 2014.

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Dibrugarh wins Pradhan Mantri Matritva Vandana Yojana Award

• Dibrugarh district bagged an award for its outstanding performance in implementation of the PradhanMantriMatritvaVandanaYojana in the country from the northeastern zone. The award, which was given in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, was announced by the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development.
• The award was jointly received by DebeshwarMallakar, Director of Social Welfare Department, JyotirekhaBorgohain, District Social Welfare Officer and Ranu Borah, Child Development Project Officer of ICDS, Borborooah on behalf of the district.
• The district stood second in overall performance.

FACTFILE – Pradhan Mantri Matritva Vandana Yojana

• It is a maternity benefit programme run by the Government of India and implemented by the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development.
• It is a conditional cash transfer scheme for pregnant and lactating women of 19 years of age or above for the first live birth.
• It provides partial wage compensation to women for wage-loss during childbirth and childcare and to provide conditions for safe delivery and good nutrition, besides feeding practices.

 

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