Assam Current Affairs – May 2018
( Covers all important Assam Current Affairs & GK topics for the month of May 2018 )
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May 23
Kumaraswamy sworn in as the Chief Minister of Karnataka
JDS leader HD Kumaraswamy was sworn in as the 18th Chief Minister of Karnataka. Governor Vajubhai Vala administered the oath of office and secrecy to Kumaraswamy on the steps of the state secretariat, Vidhana Soudha.Karnataka.
G Parameshwara, Karnataka Congress leader, has been sworn in as the Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka. Among Karnataka’s 34 ministries, 22 would be going to the Congress and the remaining 12, including the post of the Chief Minister, will be held by the JD(S).
Kumaraswamy has sworn in as the Karnataka Chief Minister for the second time.
India ranks 145th among 195 countries in healthcare access: Lancet Study
According to the Lancet’s Global Burden of Disease study, India ranked 145th among 195 countries in terms of quality and accessibility of healthcare on the Healthcare Access and Quality Index (HAQ Index).
India, which has jumped nine places from last year’s 154th position, still lags behind countries like Sri Lanka (71), Bangladesh (133) and Bhutan (134).
Key Facts
(i) The study used an index to measure the quality and accessibility of healthcare, based on 32 causes of death which should be preventable with effective medical care. (ii) Each of the 195 assessed countries was given a score between 0 to 100.
This was also the first time when the study conducted research across regions within seven countries: Brazil, China, England, India, Japan, Mexico, and the US.
(iii) The five countries with the highest levels of healthcare access and quality in 2016 were Iceland (97.1 points), Norway (96.6), the Netherlands (96.1), Luxembourg (96.0), and Finland and Australia (each with 95.9).
(iv) In 2016, the global average healthcare access and quality score was 54.4 points, an increase from 42.4 points in 2000. The countries with the lowest scores were – Central African Republic (18.6), Somalia (19.0), Guinea-Bissau (23.4), Chad (25.4), and Afghanistan (25.9).
First commercial flight of Arunachal Pradesh lands at Pasighat
The first 42-seater ATR aircraft of the Alliance Airlines commercial flight of Arunachal Pradesh under UDAN scheme landed at Pasighat airport in East Siang district.
Key Facts
(i) Pasighat, about 570 km northeast of Guwahati. It is on advance landing ground, meant to support operations of small airplanes and few military aeroplanes.
(ii) Alliance Air, a subsidiary of Air India, will manage flight services on Kolkata-Guwahati-Pasighat pathway three-times in a week, including Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Zoom Air and Turbo Jet are set to commence their services soon.
(iii) This commercial flight connectivity will open up fresh vistas of economic development in the district and also deliver abundant openings for tourism industry of the state.
(iv) Arunachal Pradesh has about 120 helipads and 10 Advance Landing Ground (ALG) Under UDAN scheme, 8 locations in border state have been carefully chosen by bidders. Out of which Pasighat and Tezu have been identified for fixed wing. Ziro, Daporijo, Itanagar, Tuting, Wallong and Yingkiong have been identified for helicopter services.
FACTFILE – UDAN scheme
- UDAN Regional Connectivity Scheme was initiated in October 2016 to advance the regional aviation marketplace.It is dynamic component of the National Civil Aviation Policy, 2016.
- This scheme aims at making the regional connectivity easier. It also aim to enable people of the country to travel in lesser time without paying much.
- This scheme aims to strengthen regional connectivity with flights which cover distances up to 800 km.
Important Cabinet Approval on 23 May
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given the following set of approvals. The important Cabinet Approvals are given as follows
- Cabinet apprised of MoU between India and Angola for cooperation in field of Electronics
- Cabinet approves MoU signed between India and France in field of Renewable Energy.
- Cabinet approves MoU between India and Denmark on Food Safety Cooperation.
- Cabinet approves MoU between India and Morocco on India-Morocco cooperation in Renewable Energy
- Cabinet approves MoU between India and Turkey on trade in poppy seeds .
- Cabinet approves MoU between India and Singapore in field of Personnel Management
- Cabinet approves provision of mobile connectivity in Left Wing Extremism Areas.
- Cabinet approves USOF scheme for provision of mobile services in Meghalaya under CTDP
- CCEA approves waiver of Penal Interest on Government Loans advanced to Paradip Port Trust.
- CCEA approves waiver of Penal Interest on Government Loans advanced to Visakhapatnam Port Trust.
May 24
Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) introduces VIKALP scheme
Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has introduced VIKALP scheme for passengers in wait-listing to provide berth in alternative train.
Key features of IRCTC’s VIKALP scheme
(i) The scheme is applicable to all waiting list passengers irrespective of booking quota and concession.
(ii) The passengers, who have opted for this will have to choose maximum five trains irrespective of their booking quota or concessions. However, the scheme does not guarantee a confirmed berth.
(iii) Passengers once provided alternate accommodation in alternate train will be treated as normal passengers in alternate train and will be eligible for upgradation.
(iv) Under this scheme no refund or extra charges apply under this scheme. The passengers who have booked seats in tatkal quota will also not be charged extra.
(v) When a passenger who has been allotted alternate accommodation has not performed his journey in the alternate train, he can claim for refunds by filing a TDR request.
(vi) If a passenger cancels his/her berth in the alternate train, cancellation charges will apply accordingly.
NITI Aayog and ABB India sign a pact to benefit India from AI, robotics
NITI Aayog and ABB India have signed a pact to help the country derive the benefits of latest technologies including robotics and artificial intelligence.
Adviser (Industry) Anna Roy, NITI Aayog and MD, ABB India, Sanjeev Sharma, signed the contract in the presence of NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant and ABB CEO Dr.Ulrich.
Key highlights
(i) Jointly, NITI Aayog and ABB will work with government ministries, solicit feedback for areas critical to them and discuss solutions using industrial automation, and digitalization technologies.
(ii) NITI Aayog will facilitate participation of policymakers and government functionaries in workshops and training programs organized by ABB India.
(iii) The first workshop under this teamwork would be organised in June, 2018 at ABB Ability Innovation Centre in Bengaluru given the importance of the food processing sector, the workshop will focus on digital and automation technologies in this sector.
(iv) Based on the interactions with ABB India, NITI Aayog will also make recommendations to government ministries for guidelines and policies regarding development and adoption of AI technology in sectors such as power & water utilities, manufacturing, eMobility and infrastructure, with industrial automation and digitalization as the backbone.
India’s first National Sports University in Manipur: Union Cabinet approved ordinance
The Union Cabinet today approved an ordinance to set up the country’s first national sports university in Manipur.
Key Facts
(i) The ordinance will be on the lines of the bill introduced in Lok Sabha in August, 2017. The Manipur government has already allocated land for the proposed university
(ii) The proposal to set up the national sports university in Manipur was initially announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in the 2014-15 budget with Rs. 100 crore allocation.
(iii) The proposed institute is expected to focus on various area such as sports science, sports technology, high performance training.
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