Current Affairs Assam – October 2017 e-Magazine
October 28
HC declares anti-tobacco Act ultra vires
The Gauhati High Court declared the existing anti-tobacco law in the State as ultra vires. The Court of Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Paran Phukan struck down the Assam Health (prohibition of manufacturing, advertisement, trade, storage, distribution, sale and consumption of zarda, gutkha, pan masala, etc, containing tobacco) Act, 2014, as ultra vires in response to a petitions filed by five tobacco manufacturing companies in the year of enactment.
The State government had tabled the Bill which became a law with an idea to improve public health and prevent incidence of cancer and other health hazards and addiction among the people of the State.
Point2Remember – Assam was the first State in the country to have an anti-tobacco Act, a move aimed at discouraging consumption of tobacco.
India Overtakes US to Become Second Largest Smartphone Market
India overtake the US to become the world’s second-largest smartphone market, trailing only China, according to a new report by analyst firm Canalys.
In the second quarter of 2017, India’s smartphone market recovered quickly with shipments growing 23% year-on-year in the third quarter to reach just over 40 million units. Low smartphone penetration and the explosion of LTE (long-term evolution, or 4G) are the main drivers behind this.
October 29
Guwahati International film fest started
The first ever Guwahati International Film Festival (GIFF) 2017 got under way on a grand note. During the six-day festival, a total of 78 films from 32 countries will be screened.Turkey is the ‘focus country’ of the film festival being organised by the Jyoti Chitraban (Film Studio) Society with the support of the Government of Assam in association with the Dr Bhupen Hazarika Regional Government Film and Television Institute.
Inaugurating the festival, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said, the GIFF “will be a launchpad for Assamese films to conquer the world and the government will make this film festival an annual event.”
Speaking about the government’s commitment to the growth of the film industry in Assam, the Chief Minister said that the State government has decided to give a subsidy of Rs 50 lakh for reopening of closed cinema halls and Rs 25 lakh for renovation of the existing or functional cinema halls.
Sonowal also informed that in case of establishment of new cinema halls the State government has decided to provide a subsidy of 25 per cent of the capital cost. Moreover, the State government has also decided to increase the number of films to which government provides financial assistance.
The Chief Minister said the government will establish one ‘State School of Drama’ for preserving theatrical traditions of the State. The government would also preserve the Chitraban Film Studio at Bholaguri Tea Estate set up by Rupkonwar Jyotiprasad Agarwala as a mark of respect to the legendary filmmaker.
Sonowal said the GIFF will be a catalyst to the Act East Policy that envisages to make Guwahati as the gateway to Southeast Asian nations. He also hoped that the presence of different countries in the film festival would also lead to cultural and business exchanges between Assam and those nations.
The Chief Minister said the new tourism policy of the State also features many financial advantages for outside filmmakers coming to Assam for shooting their films. There are also provisions for financial grants for making films on Assam’s culture, tourism and heritage, he said.
The inaugural function at the Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra was attended by a host of dignitaries, including Iranian Ambassador to India Gholamreza Ansari, Czech Republic Ambassador to India Milan Hovorka and eminent film personalities such as Jahnu Barua and Shaji N Karun.
NGT upholds alternative proposal for LSHEP
The Kolkata-based Eastern Zone Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), in its October 16, 2017 order, disposed of the original applications filed by Abhijeet Sarma of the Assam Public Works and Tularam Gogoi, former AASU leader and presently an advocate, and upheld the alternative proposal for the Lower Subansiri Hydroelectric Power Project (LSHEP) prepared by former IITian Dr Pradip Kumar Bhuyan.
The NGT Bench also held that the treatment meted out to the Brahmaputra Basin rivers should be at par with those of the Ganga Basin.
India to Host UN Wildlife Summit in 2020
India will host the next United Nations (UN) global wildlife conference in 2020. India will host the next CMS Conference of the Parties CMSCOP13. It was officially announced at the closing CMSCOP12 plenary, in Manila, Philippines.
The six-day 12th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS COP12) is the only international treaty devoted exclusively to migratory animal species.
The theme of the Conference was ‘Their Future is Our Future – Sustainable Development for Wildlife and People’.
Virat Kohli Becomes Fastest Batsman to Score 9000 ODI Runs
Virat Kohli became the sixth Indian to complete 9000 ODI runs during the third game against New Zealand. He went on to score his 32nd ODI century off 96 balls.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni had reached the milestone in 2016 while other Indians who have done so are Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and Mohammad Azharuddin.
Overall, Kohli, who played his 202nd match and 194th innings has become the 19th batsman to breach the 9000-run mark, making him the fastest to get there.
October 30
NITI Aayog to support methanol production in State
The NITI Aayog will extend necessary support for augmenting methanol production of the Assam Petrochemicals Limited (APL) by utilising the stranded natural gas available in the State. Dr VK Saraswat, member of the Aayog informed this to Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal during a discussion held at the Janata Bhawan.
The Chief Minister informed Dr Saraswat that the government is working to take advantage of the untapped potential of the State’s natural resources while utilising unconventional energy sources such as methanol as a substitute for transportation and cooking fuel.
Sonowal stated that disposing municipal solid waste has been a major cause of concern for the government and sought support from the NITI Aayog to convert these wastes into an alternate energy source.
Dr Saraswat apprised the Chief Minister that there is tremendous potential of methanol production in Assam and said that its huge coal reserves can be extensively used for producing methanol. He also highlighted different sources such as natural gas, carbon dioxide, biomass, municipal solid waste, kitchen waste and wood, which are available in good quantity in the State, for producing methanol.
“Oil import is a major concern for India and its demand is gradually rising. This has significantly contributed to the country’s import bill. As a means of energy security and clean fuel, methanol can replace the traditional energy sources and reduce import and pollution,” Dr Saraswat said.
Stating that augmentation of methanol production capacity of the Assam Petrochemicals Limited would immensely boost the local economy, Dr Saraswat said that the NITI Aayog would closely work with the company to utilise the stranded natural gas for producing methanol.
The NITI Aayog member also requested the Chief Minister for extending support to augment methanol production capacity of the APL along with setting up a dimethyl ether (DME) plant and methanol-operated cooking gas stove plant in the State. He said the Aayog would also take steps for converting the municipal solid waste for productive purposes.
October 31
Mithali Raj and Virat Kohli Tops ICC Ranking
India captain Mithali Raj moved up one place to occupy the number one spot in the latest ICC ODI rankings for batswomen. Ellyse Perry of Australia and Amy Satterthwaite of New Zealand also jumped one place each to be at second and third spots.
Mithali has 753 points. Also, Indian captain, Virat Kohli returned to the top of the ICC ODI rankings for batsmen after logging career-high rating points going past the iconic Sachin Tendulkar in the process. The 28-year-old Delhi batsman has reached 889 points, which is the best ever by an India batsman.
Centre-World Bank pact to boost Assam agriculture and rural sectors
In a significant development, the Government of India and the World Bank signed a USD 200 million loan agreement for the Assam Agri-business and Rural Transformation Project.
The project will support the Government of Assam to facilitate agri-business investments, increase agriculture productivity and market access, and enable small farm holders produce crops that are resilient to recurrent floods or droughts in the State.
The agreement for the project was signed by Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Sameer Kumar Khare, Principal Secretary, Finance, Government of Assam, Ravi Kota, and Operations Manager, World Bank India, Hisham Abdo.
After the agreement, Khare said Assam is simplifying several regulatory procedures related to doing business, agricultural marketing, and fisheries, among others. He said the project will help the State increase agricultural productivity by strengthening the farming systems, raise private sector investments to promote agri-enterprises, which will create better job opportunities for the youth in the State.
The project will be implemented in over 16 districts of Assam. Over 500,000 farming households will directly benefit from the project. At least 30 per cent women are expected to participate in project activities. Specific focus will be given to women-led enterprises and their participation in the decision-making process of farmer producer organisations.
Speaking on the occasion, Abdo said the Government of Assam aims to double farm incomes and transform the State agricultural sector into a stable source of growth and economic development. This project will serve as the nucleus to fulfil the State’s much larger vision of an agriculture-based rural transformation, he said.
The focus on geographic clustering of the production base for certain commodities will help agro-enterprises take advantage of existing and future market opportunities that they may not necessarily achieve alone. The cluster approach will allow for combining efforts, making use of synergies, and pooling resources to increase the competitive advantage of these products, while at the same time share the risks involved in introducing improved products or entering previously untapped markets. Successful clusters will also continuously innovate and adapt ‘best practices’ across agricultural value chains.
Senior agricultural specialist and the World Bank team leader for the project Manivannan Pathy said the value addition and market-led production systems supported through the project are expected to play a vital role in enhancing competitiveness in the sector. He said this will be done by facilitating policy reforms, fostering private-public dialogue and catalysing a wider private sector development in the agri-business ecosystem of Assam.
Another key component of the project will be to promote market-led production that can deal with the vagaries of climate change. Assam’s agriculture sector is highly vulnerable to climate variability and the State experiences recurrent floods and droughts. Currently, more than 50 per cent of the paddy growing areas are prone to flooding, submergence and drought. A market-led production system will take advantage of the rapidly changing market, introduce crops that are resilient to environmental change, increase production and manage risks for farmers.
The USD 200 million loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) has a seven-year grace period, and a maturity of 16.5 years, said sources.
