Assam Current Affairs October 2019 Archives

Assam Current Affairs – October 29 – 31, 2019

Posted on December 19, 2019 by admin

Current Affairs Assam – October 29 - 31, 2019

( Covers all important Assam Current Affairs & GK topics for the week of October 29 – 31, 2019 )

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October 29, 2019

Assam Govt forms panel to review Detention Centres

The Assam Government has formed a special review committee on the conditions prevailing in state detention centres.
The Committee headed by DIG (Border) would comprise Inspector General of Prisons, retired District and Sessions Judge Hardeep Singh, one representative to be nominated by Deputy Commissioner of the district concerned and any other member co-opted by the Chairman.
The Committee will visit all detention centres in the state and review the legal aid status and health status of each detainee and provide recommendation for improvement if needed and also review the quality of food, hygiene and living conditions in the detention centres.
The committee is also tasked to check the education system for the children staying in the centres and provide suggestion.
The panel will conduct the review urgently and submit its consolidated report within three months.

President signed a warrant paving Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde as next Chief Justice of India

Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde will be the next Chief Justice of India (CJI) as President Ram Nath Kovind signed a warrant paving the way for him to take over the top post.
Justice Bobde will be sworn in as Chief Justice on November 18 and will serve the post for around 18 months. He will retire on April 23, 2021.
His career as Justice began on March 29, 2000 when he was appointed as Additional Judge in the Bombay High Court, and was elevated as a Judge of the Supreme Court on April 12, 2013.
Justice Bobde was part of the five-judge constitution bench hearing longest running Ayodhya land dispute case in which the judgement is still awaited.
He was part of the in-house panel which has handled one of the most controversial cases related to allegations of sexual harassment against the incumbent Chief Justice.

Odisha govt approves Rs 17.5 crore under the ”Mo Sarkar” initiative for 587 police stations

The Odisha government approved Rs 17.5 crore additional annual contingency fund for 587 police stations for providing better services under the ”Mo Sarkar” initiative.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik sanctioned the additional contingency fund.
All the 44 police stations under the Cuttack-Bhubaneswar Commissionerate Police will each get Rs 40,000 a month, 142 police stations in urban areas Rs 30,000 each, and 351 police stations in rural areas Rs 20,000 each.
Four Mahila police stations, 5 traffic police stations, 15 railway police stations, four cyber police stations, one economic offences police station, one STF police station, one HRPC police station, and one crime branch police station will receive Rs 30,000 per month. Eighteen marine police stations would receive Rs 20,000 per month.
The objective of the ‘Mo Sarkar’ programme is to provide service with dignity to people who are coming to government offices for different purposes. The phone numbers of people who are coming to government offices will be collected randomly with the purpose to improve the governance system by collecting feedback on behaviour and professionalism of government officers.

CSCs to provide telemedicine services in rural areas

The Common Service Centres (CSCs) will provide telemedicine services in rural areas through video conferencing in collaboration with the Ministry of Ayush. The service will be launched in Tamil Nadu next month and in other states later.
The telemedicine service will be available round the clock via CSC’s video conferencing platform, which works on low bandwidth and doesn’t need broadband connection.
A pan-India network, it enables the government’s mandate of a socially, financially and digitally inclusive society.
The CSCs, which act as access points for delivery of digital services, will be provided some medicine kits to cater to prescription requirement and the patient or the VLE can either purchase the rest.

IIT Madras develops AI Platform to solve complex engineering problems

A team of experts from IIT-Madras have developed algorithms that enable novel applications using artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and deep learning models to solve engineering problems.
The research is led by Dr Vishal Nandigana, an assistant professor – fluid systems laboratory, department of mechanical engineering at IIT Madras.
Nandigana revealed that his team has developed the AI and deep learning algorithm which essentially solves a wide variety of problems in numerous engineering fields, including thermal management, semiconductors, automobile, aerospace and electronics cooling applications among others, thereby eliminating manual intervention.
The team is planning to start a company to deploy its AI software called ‘AISoft,’ which is said to help solve engineering problems across various disciplines, seamlessly.

October 30, 2019

IIIT Hyderabad MOU with TiE to promote Deep Tech Special Group

International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad (IIIT-H) and The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) have signed a MoU to promote a Deep Technology Special Interest Group.
The group will nurture the next generation products and companies in fintech, healthtech, medtech, agritech, technology for social good and other areas.
TiE Deep Tech Special Interest Group (SIG), aims to become the catalyst and vehicle to empower, enable and provide profiting visibility for enterprises and much needed exposure to global applications and markets.
IIIT Hyderabad will support this programme by bringing a good pool of talented engineers, deep tech knowledge base, technocrats, research and development capabilities.
SIG intends to identify, encourage and showcase the leading deep tech products and companies to the domestic and global community of customers and investors. The programme intends to identify six to nine most innovative deep tech products or companies per group.

FACTFILE – International Institute of Information Technology Hyderabad (IIIT Hyderabad)

IIIT Hyderabad is a Not-for-Profit Public Private Partnership institute deemed to be university, focused on information technology and other fields such as computer science, electronics and communication, and their interdisciplinary applications across other domains.
IIIT Hyderabad was set up in 1998 under the public private partnership model, with the state government supplying a grant of land and buildings.
As special officer for IIIT Hyderabad and Secretary IT for the state government, Ajay Prakash Sawhney was responsible for shaping the conceptual model and overseeing initial development of the institute.

FACTFILE – The IndUS Entrepreneurs (TiE)

The IndUS Entrepreneurs (TiE) is a Silicon Valley non-profit supporting start-ups through networking and the raising of capital for new and experienced entrepreneurs. By 2000, it had helped create businesses worth more than $75 billion.
TiE was founded in 1992 by the trio of an Indian-American businessman and angel investor, Kanwal Rekhi; an MIT professor and founder of Cirrus Logic, Suhas Patil; and the founder of Gateway Design Automation, Prabhu Goel.

Odisha govt announces incentives for sportspersons

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik nnounced monthly allowance for sportspersons and inmates of state-run sports hostels.
As per the announcement, the monthly allowance of girl students at all the sports hostels is enhanced to Rs 500 while it has been enhanced to Rs 300 per month for boy students.
The Chief Minister announced the incentives after detailed interaction with sports hostel students with an objective to fulfill their needs and create enough opportunities for excellence.
For out of station participation in recognised sports competition organised by national sports federation or similar level, sportspersons will be given an allowance of Rs 300 per day.
Sportspersons achieving gold medal at national level competitions will get a monthly allowance of Rs 1,000 for one year while the amount will be Rs 500 and Rs 300 for silver and bronze medal winners.
Sports hostel students will get this amount in addition to their monthly allowances.
If the medal winners create a record at the national level and the record is not broken for one year, then the record holder will get an additional monthly allowance of Rs 5000 for one year. Sportspersons selected for national teams will get a monthly allowance of Rs 1000 for one year.

India, Saudi Arabia inks Strategic Partnership Council agreement

India and Saudi Arabia inked the Strategic Partnership Council Agreement to elevate their ties to the next level, even as both sides signed 11 other deals, including in energy and security cooperation and defence production. PM Narendramodi and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sign the Strategic Partnership Council Agreement.
The other agreements between the two sides, inked by their respective officials, were on cooperation in the field of renewable energy, on security cooperation, on combating illicit trafficking and smuggling of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and chemical precursors and in the field of defence – on collaboration in military acquisition, industries, research, development and technology.
Another MoU was on collaboration in civil aviation, in medical products regulations, a Letter of Intent between Small and Medium Enterprises General Authority (Monshaat) of the Saudi Arabia and Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog,A a cooperation Programme between the Foreign Service Institute, and Prince Saud Al Faisal Institute of Diplomatic Studies (IDS).
Another agreement was between Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Limited (ISPRL) and Saudi Aramco. Both sides inked an MoU for Cooperation between National Stock Exchange (NSE) and Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul), and another between National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and Saudi Payments.

Himachal Pradesh brings over 2,000 panchayats under natural farming

A total of 2,209 panchayats out of the total 3,226 have been brought under the ambit of natural farming in Himachal Pradesh.
This fact came to light at a meeting chaired by Chief Secretary Shrikant Baldi of the state-level Task Force for Promotion of Organic and Zero Budget Natural Farming under Prakritik Kheti Khushhal Kissan Yojana.
Natural farming is a technique of farming that requires no ploughing or tilting or use of chemical fertilizers.
A target of training 50,000 farmers has been fixed for this year. As many as 20,579 farmers have been trained out of which 15,391 have started practicing natural farming in their fields.
A list of practices for different crops under natural farming will be prepared for the farmers.
At the meeting, approval was given for a master trainer to hold a maximum of five training sessions per month till March 2020.
Approval was also given for an additional amount of Rs 2,500 per month for block technology manager and assistant technology manager recruited under Agricultural Technology Management Agency on performance basis till March 2020.

Microsoft developed a smartphone-based driving test system

Microsoft Research has developed a smartphone-based driving test system that leverages the power of Artificial Intelligence to make a fair analysis of a driver’s ability before issuing him or her a license.
The system has already been deployed at Dehradun Regional Transport Office (RTO) in Uttarakhand and is ready for wider adoption across the country.
The technology that Microsoft developed to automate driver’s license tests is called HAMS, which is short for Harnessing AutoMobiles for Safety.
Automation using HAMS technology can not only help relieve evaluators of the burden but also make the process objective and transparent for candidates.

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October 31, 2019

Jammu and Kashmir officially bifurcated into two UTs

Jammu and Kashmir ceased to exist as a state and its official bifurcation into two Union Territories – of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.
The state has been officially divided into the two Union Territories pursuant to the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill, 2019, which the government passed in Parliament on August 5.
The Central government had also that day abrogated Article 370 that gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir.
Girish Chandra Murmu, a former bureaucrat from Gujarat, take oath as the first Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir UT.
Former IAS officer R.K. Mathur sworn in as the first Lt. Governor of the Union territory of Ladakh.

DRDO exhibits new fuel cell-based marine propulsion system

A fuel cell-based marine propulsion system, which can boost the combat lethality of India”s conventional submarines several fold by enhancing their submerged endurance, was demonstrated by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in Ambernath, Maharashtra.
The demonstration of the operational mechanism of a land-based prototype of the Air Independent Propulsion system, engineered to fit on a submarine, was carried out at the Naval Materials Research Laboratory in Ambernath in the presence of Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh.
The Air Independent Propulsion system has a force multiplier effect on the lethality of a diesel electric submarine as it enhances the submerged endurance of the boat, several folds. Fuel cell-based AIP has merits in performance compared to other technologies.
The DRDO is developing the system for the Indian Navy”s submarines that are powered by the conventional diesel-electric technology.

Mumbai, Hyderabad designated as UNESCO creative cities

Indian cities Mumbai and Hyderabad are among the 66 urban settlements designated as creative cities by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).
Mumbai has been selected for its contribution in the world of film, and Hyderabad for gastronomy.
The designation came on World Cities” Day, celebrated on October 31, making the two cities part of the 246-member Organisation”s Network of Creative Cities.
The Network brings together cities that base their development on creativity, whether in music, arts and folk crafts, design, cinema, literature, digital arts or gastronomy.
UNESCO creative cities commit to placing culture at the centre of their development strategies and to share their best practices.

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Assam Current Affairs – October 22 – 28, 2019

Posted on December 19, 2019December 19, 2019 by admin

Current Affairs Assam – October 22 - 28, 2019

( Covers all important Assam Current Affairs & GK topics for the week of October 22 – 28, 2019 )

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October 22, 2019

Down Town Hospital successfully performed the first liver transplant in NE

Doctors from Down Town Hospital Guwahati teamed up with Yashoda Hospitals of Hyderabad for successfully performing the first ever liver transplant in the north-eastern region.
The transplant team was led by Dr P Balachandran Menon, chief liver transplant surgeon of Yashoda Hospitals, along with Dr Pranjal Deka, liver transplant surgeon of Down Town Hospital.

Indian Army carries out integrated fire power exercise

The Indian Army carried out a fire power exercise in the desert sector showcasing its capabilities, proficiency and operational preparedness.
The tactical exercise involved integrated employment and firing of all arms including artillery guns, rockets, tanks, helicopters and air resources.
The Army aptly demonstrated the ability to hit hard and swiftly with precision, with the accuracy of multiple rocket launch systems and K-9 Vajra 155 mm howitzer.
The effectiveness of combined arms and cohesion was of an exceptional order and all aims and objectives set for the exercise were fully achieved.
Southern Command chief, Lt Gen S.K. Saini, witnessed the exercise and complimented the troops for their high professional standards.

Marconi Society Annual Awards for Apps developed by Indian students

Two digital applications (apps) developed by Indian under-graduate students for women’s safety and to check air pollution in Delhi on smartphones won Marconi Society annual awards for the good of humanity.
The Android application named ”Rakshak” detects speech patterns through an audio microphone of any user’s smartphone.
When the app receives audio clip with speech commands seeking help or saying stop in distressed tones, it triggers an SOS alert, user location and sends an emergency contact.
The app generates the alert after analyzing emotion and distress speech patterns.
The winning team of Piyush Agrawal, Subham Banga, Aniket Sharma and Ujjwal Upadhyay tackled the issue of women’s safety in India, especially in cities and towns across the country, where incidents of women under attack have become common.
The Society’s Celestini programme is a flagship effort to inspire and connect individuals building new technologies in service of a digitally inclusive world.
The winners are awarded under the programme, run for the young scholars the world over.
Named after Nobel laureate (Physics) Guglielmo Marconi (1874-1937), who invented the radio in 1908, the Society was set up in 1975 by his daughter Gioia Marconi Baraga through an endowment, which annually gives awards for outstanding contribution in science and the principle of creativity in the service of humanity.

Union Minister for Culture & Tourism launches CCRT’s e-portal

Union Minister for Culture & Tourism Prahlad Singh Patel launched the e-portal of Centre for Cultural Resources and Training (CCRT) ”Digital Bharat Digital Sanskriti” and CCRT YouTube Channel.
The e-portal aims to explore and understand the unknown aspects of India”s lesser-known places and their rural and semi-urban culture.
The CCRT has also started to publish books from a series ”Untold Tales of India”s Cities.
The CCRT has tied up with Routes 2 Roots, an NGO, for connecting all the CCRT Regional Centres — Guwahati, Udaipur and Hyderabad.
Patel and CCRT chairperson Dr. Hemlata also interacted with the participants of the ongoing training programmes at CCRT Regional Centres and some of the children studying in schools across the country.

FACTFILE – The Centre for Cultural Resources and Training (CCRT)

The Centre for Cultural Resources and Training (CCRT) is autonomous organisation under Ministry of Culture of Government of India.
Established in May 1979, to support cultural education, with its inception it took over the Scheme-Propagation of Culture among College and School students, which was being implemented by Delhi University since 1970, where a Research and Production Cell was functioning for this purpose.
The CCRT also organises activities such as school tours to museums, monuments and craft centres
It publishes materials to promote understanding of Indian art and culture
It also has a “Cultural Talent Search Scholarship Scheme” for children aged 10–14, to help them develop their abilities in cultural fields especially rarer forms of art.

October 23, 2019

Assam Cabinet decides no Govt jobs for persons having more than 2 children

The Assam Cabinet decided that no government jobs will be given to persons having more than two children after 1 January, 2021.
The important decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting that also adopted a New Land Policy, which will give three bighas of agricultural land to landless indigenous people and half a bigha for constructing a house.
Those having more than two children will not be considered for government jobs with effect from 1 January, 2021 as per the small family norm.
In September 2017, the Assam Assembly had passed the ‘Population and Women Empowerment Policy of Assam’ that specified that job candidates with two children only would be eligible for government employment and the existing government staff were to strictly follow the two children family norm.

NE Region’s contribution to India’s economy meager, says ADB

Despite being rich in natural resources, the contribution of Northeast towards India’s economy is minuscule, says country director of Asian Development Bank Kenichi Yokoyama.
The region has only 0.2 per cent share in India’s total exports and majority of the products exported from the region are low-value products and natural resources based like primary produces from agriculture.
Though India and Bangladesh are major trading partners, but the contribution of Northeast is marginal. India accounts for 16.4% of Bangladesh’s imports, but NER’s share is only 1.2%.
Given Bangladesh’s import basket, Northeast can be a major trading partner, with the 28% ($ 15 billion) of Bangladesh’s import demand being for products which can be manufactured using local resources of the region.
Potential export goods from NE could be industrial goods, like plastic and polymers, paper and paper goods, agro and food processing products, and rubber, and in the service sector in the fields of higher education, tourism and medical tourism.

Indian Air Force test fires Brahmos missiles

Two Brahmos Surface to Surface missiles were test fired by Indian Air Force at Trak Island in the Andaman Nicobar group of islands.
The twin firings were carried out as a part of the routine operational training.
The missile engaged the designated mock targets close to 300km away.
A direct hit on the target was achieved in both the cases.
Firing of the missile has enhanced the IAFs capability to engage the ground targets with pin point accuracy from a mobile platform.

Pankaj Kumar appointed as UIDAI CEO

The government appointed Pankaj Kumar as the new CEO of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI). Kumar is currently additional secretary in the Ministry Of Electronics And IT.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) said that Pankaj Kumar, IAS, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, has been appointed as CEO, Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), in the rank and pay of Secretary by temporarily upgrading the post.
The UIDAI is a statutory authority established under the provisions of the Aadhaar on July 12, 2016 by the government under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
The UIDAI has the mandate to issue Unique Identification numbers (UID), called Aadhaar, to all residents of India to eliminate duplicate and fake identities.

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October 24, 2019

India-Bangladesh Stakeholders’ Meet at Guwahati

The first India-Bangladesh Stakeholders’ Meet was held in Guwahati, Assam. The meet focused to improve its connectivity with the neighboring country to get the best of the rest under Act East Policy for Assam.
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has called for restoration of the Brahmaputra-Barak-Padma-Meghna riverine waterways to take forward the outcome of the India-Bangladesh Stakeholders” Meet.
The Chief Minister conveyed this to a delegation led by Bangladesh Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi, which met him at his office in Dispur.
Leaders from both Assam and Bangladesh have vowed to explore relations in areas like garment industry, health tourism, IT and education sector, for the mutual benefit.
Sonowal stressed restoration of trade links between Assam and Bangladesh.
He reiterated modalities to decide the standard operating procedures (SOP) to ensure speedy implementation of agreements, which would ensure access to Chattogram and Mongla Ports of Bangladesh for the northeast, and execution of the BBIN motor vehicle agreement.

Assam Govt expands Atal Amrit Abhiyan health insurance scheme

Assam State Cabinet decided to expand the ambit of the Atal Amrit Abhiyan scheme by bringing six additional critical care disease groups under it.
More than 57,000 persons have availed cashless treatment under the state govt’s Atal Amrit Abhiyan healthcare scheme in the last year and half and the number of beneficiaries is expected to increase further in the coming days.
Minister for Health & Family Welfare Himanta Biswa Sarma said most of the beneficiaries of the scheme so far have availed its facility for treatment of cancer, kidney diseases and cardiology and cardiovascular surgeries during past 18 months.
Around 1.61 crore people have enrolled for the scheme and the government has borne an expenditure of Rs 136.99 crore so far under it.
The scheme covered six specialities – cardiology and cardiovascular surgeries, neurological conditions, burns, cancer, kidney and neo-natal diseases.
During the Budget of 2019-20, the State government announced the expansion of the AAA to cover specialities like ICU packages, trauma, critical care paediatrics and paediatric surgery, and bone marrow transplantation.
The State government provided all treatment facilities for Japanese Encephalitis (JE) and Acute Encephalitis Syndrom and aimed at bringing these ailments under AAA. Now the State Cabinet has approved the implementation of the Vistarita Atal Amrit Abhiyan (VAAA) with addition of six expensive critical care disease groups. These are ICU packages, trauma, critical care paediatrics and paediatric surgery, bone marrow transplantation, JE and Acute Encephalitis Syndrome.
The maximum amount of coverage per year would remain unchanged at Rs two lakh per member per year and the existing empanelled hospitals under AAA, including private, public and trust operated, both within and outside the State would automatically be eligible for treating the patients under the VAAA.
A total of 76 hospitals have been empanelled under the scheme. Out of these, 35 hospitals are empanelled outside the State and 41 hospitals are within Assam.

New Department of Registration in J&K

The Jammu and Kashmir State Administrative Council (SAC) approved creation of a new Department of Registration to provide hassle free and speedy service to people for registration of documents pertaining to property, mortgage etc.
The SAC also approved the creation of 464 new posts under various categories in order to make the department of registration functional.
The new Department of Registration is being created under the Registration Act, 1908.
The Department of Registration shall function under the overall administrative control of the Revenue Department.
SAC also approved appointment of Additional Deputy Commissioners and Sub-Divisional Magistrates/Assistant Commissioners Revenue to exercise the powers of Registrars and Sub-Registrars, respectively, within such jurisdiction to be notified by the Revenue Department for purposes of the Registration Act, 1908.

India jumps 14 positions in the World Bank’s ‘Doing Business’ list

India jumped 14 ranks to 63rd position in the World Bank’s ‘Doing Business’ list and was also among the top-10 progress-making countries according to the multilateral agency in terms of ease of doing business.
In Doing Business 2020, the 10 top improvers are Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Togo, Bahrain, Tajikistan, Pakistan, Kuwait, China, India, and Nigeria.
These economies implemented a total of 59 regulatory reforms in 2018-19 – accounting for one-fifth of all the reforms recorded worldwide.
Their efforts focused primarily on the areas of starting a business, dealing with construction permits, and trading across borders.
It noted that starting a business in India has been made easier by abolishing filing fees for the Simplified Proforma for Incorporating a Company Electronically (SPICE), electronic memorandum of association, and articles of association.
India made trading across borders easier by enabling post-clearance audits, integrating trade stakeholders in a single electronic platform, upgrading port infrastructure, and enhancing the electronic submission of documents.
India made resolving insolvency easier by promoting reorganization proceedings in practice. India also made resolving insolvency more difficult by not allowing dissenting creditors to receive as much under reorganization as they would receive in liquidation.

FACTFILE – Doing Business 2020

Doing Business 2020 measures regulations across 190 economies in 12 business regulatory areas to assess the business environment in each economy. Ten of these indicators were used to estimate an ease of doing business score this year, over the 12 months ending April 30, 2019.
This is the 17th edition of a study that has motivated governments worldwide to undertake business reforms with the goal of bolstering sustainable economic growth.
The study looks at rules affecting a business from inception through operation to wind-down: starting a business, dealing with construction permits, getting electricity, registering property, getting credit, protecting minority investors, paying taxes, trading across borders, enforcing contracts, and resolving insolvency.

Union Cabinet Approvals revival of BSNL and MTNL

The Cabinet approves the proposal for revival of BSNL and MTNL by administrative allotment of spectrum for 4G services, debt restructuring by raising of bonds with sovereign guarantee, reducing employee costs, monetisation of assets and in-principle approval of merger of BSNL and MTNL.
The Cabinet approved a Rs 70,000 crore relief package for the company and for Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL). While approving the package for the two financially stressed entities, the Cabinet also drew up a timeline to merge them.
The two firms would be allotted 4G spectrum worth Rs 20,140 crore, Rs 29,937 crore for VRS covering 50 per cent of their employees and Rs 3,674 crore for goods and services tax (GST) that will be levied on allocation of radiowaves.

October 25, 2019

IIT Guwahati bagged 10^th position in the QS India University Rankings 2020

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Guwahati, has bagged the 10th position in the QS India University Rankings 2020. This is the second time in a row that IIT Guwahati has secured the 10^th position in the rankings.
The list is the second edition of the standalone rankings for India’s higher education institutions. The announcement was made at the 2^nd QS India Summit in Goa on October 21, which was attended by Union Minister for Human Resources Development Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’.
The QS India University Rankings are based on a number of parameters including academic reputation, citations per paper, international faculty, staff with PhD, employer reputation, etc.
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore and IIT Delhi secured the top three positions in the QS India University Rankings 2020.
IIT Madras and IIT Kharagpur finished fourth and fifth, respectively.
University of Delhi (DU) and University of Hyderabad placed seventh and eighth on the list. Calcutta University (CU) finished eleventh and was followed by Jadavpur University (JU) at number 12.

Chennai Corporation starts health awareness drive through students

In a novel initiative, about 20,000 students of Chennai Corporation-run schools have turned health ambassadors and appealed to the people to maintain cleanliness in their houses and streets.
The campaign is for preventing the spread of monsoon related diseases.
The Chennai Corporation has also released a video film featuring student ambassadors as part of its awareness campaign “Clean Chennai, Healthy Chennai.”
The student health ambassadors were selected from various educational institutions across the city.
Tamil Nadu Minister for Municipal Administration S.P.Velumani, had met the student ambassadors, congratulated them and gave them their identity cards.
He requested the student ambassadors to create awareness about cleanliness, sanitation and about dengue and other contagious diseases in their neighbourhood.
The Chennai Corporation also plans to run awareness campaigns via auto-rickshaws in fifteen zones during weekends on diseases that occur during the monsoon and the preventive steps that need to be taken.
Rallies are also planned in all the 15 zones, with the participation of 20,000 city school students, to spread awareness about prevention of mosquito-borne diseases during monsoon, stopping open defecation, stopping usage of plastic, preventing stagnation of sewage or clean water and rainwater harvesting.

Himachal Pradesh Cabinet approved a policy to provide cost effective Ayush services

The Himachal Pradesh Cabinet approved a policy to provide cost effective Ayush services by upgrading Ayush hospitals and dispensaries.
The government has come up with Himachal Pradesh State Ayush Policy that envisages attractive incentives to prospective investors in Ayush and wellness sector.
The Cabinet, presided over by Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, also gave its nod to make the state a most favoured investment destination for information technology (IT), and IT enabled service companies.
It also gave its nod to the Affordable Housing Policy, 2019 and to revised guidelines for the tourism department for issuance of essentiality certificates under the Himachal Pradesh Tenancy and Land Reforms Rules in cases where a non-agriculturist wishes to purchase land for setting up tourism units.
The Cabinet gave its consent to establish Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) to regulate and promote real estate sector in the state.
It also gave its consent to create 46 posts of different categories, including its chairman and members.

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October 26, 2019

International meet on nutraceuticals, chronic diseases held at IIT Guwahati

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati, in collaboration with the Society for Nutraceuticals and Chronic Diseases, the Society for Translational Cancer Research, the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Guwahati, and the DBT-AIST International Centre for Translational and Environmental Research (DAICENTER), Japan, recently organised the fourth International Conference on Nutraceuticals & Chronic Diseases (INCD).
‘Nutraceutical’ is the combination of the words ‘nutrition’ and ‘pharmaceutical’. A nutraceutical product is a food/fortified food product that not only supplements the diet but also assists in treating or preventing chronic disease and also provides medical benefits.
Specific and targeted artificially created drugs have not been found much effective against multi-genic chronic diseases. Also, their extended uses tend to exhibit severe adverse side effects. Whereas, the nutraceuticals have been found to be multi-targeted, highly effective over long-term and exhibit minimal side effects.

India, Pakistan sign Kartarpur pact

India and Pakistan signed an agreement to operationalise the Kartarpur Corridor The signing ceremony took place at the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor Zero Point, International Border, Dera Baba Nanak.
The agreement paves the way for the inauguration of the Corridor next month ahead of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism, and will enable devotees to visit throughout the year the holy shrine located 4.5 km from the border in Narowal district of Pakistan”s Punjab province.
With the signing of this agreement, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs S.C.L. Das said a formal framework has been laid down for operationalisation of the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor.
The travel will be visa free and the pilgrims will have a choice to visit individually or in groups, and also to travel on foot.
Under the agreement, the Indian government will inform Pakistan authorities about the list of the pilgrims 10 days in advance and pilgrims will be notified through mail four days ahead of the travel.
Pilgrims need to carry only a valid passport and Persons of Indian Origin need to carry Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) card along with the passport of their country.
The Corridor will be open from dawn to dusk and the pilgrims travelling in the morning will have to return on the same day. The Corridor will be operational throughout the year, except on notified days, which will be informed in advance.

FACTFILE – The Kartarpur Corridor

The Kartarpur Corridor is a visa-free border crossing and secure corridor, connecting the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan to the border with India.
The crossing allows Sikh devotees from India to visit the gurdwara in Kartarpur, 4.7 kilometres (2.9 miles) from the India–Pakistan border without a visa, creating a link which allows pilgrims holding Indian passports to easily visit both the Kartarpur shrine and Gurdwara Dera Baba Nanak on the Indian side of the border.
The Kartarpur Corridor was first proposed in early 1999 by Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Nawaz Sharif, the prime ministers of India and Pakistan respectively, as part of the Delhi–Lahore Bus diplomacy.
On 26 November 2018, the foundation stone was laid down on the Indian side; two days later, on 28 November 2018, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan did the same for the Pakistani side.

IIT Madras team develops simple technique to produce Graphene platelets

The researchers have found that when graphite is suspended in an appropriate fluid and subjected to an intense shearing force of machining, the layers of graphite separate into graphene platelets.
Graphene is considered as one of the strongest materials known and in addition, it conducts electricity thirteen times better than copper.
Dr Sathyan Subbiah, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT Madras, who led the research team, said, superior quality graphene is commonly prepared using the peeling off method.
Subbiah pointed out that the graphite is a lubricant because it is made of layers of carbon that slide over one another.

Uttar Pradesh CM launches scheme for girl child

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath launched ”Sumangla Kanya Yojna”, a scheme for the girl child, in the presence of Union Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani.
The scheme will provide an amount of Rs 15,000 in a phased manner to every family where a gril child is born.
The ”Sumangla Kanya” scheme has been designed in a way that parents will have to take care of girl child”s health and education to avail its benefits.
Funds will be released in six installments when a girl child completes various stages like vaccination, admission in class 1, 5 and 9 and graduation.
At birth Rs 2,000 will be transferred into account and if a girl has completed all her first-year vaccinations, she will be entitled to another Rs 1,000.
Similarly, if she has taken admission in class 1, she will get Rs 15,000 minus funds that would have been released at birth and completion of first-year vaccinations.

October 27, 2019

Tea Board looking for technology to ensure traceability of tea

The Tea Board is searching for an end-to-end technology to ensure traceability of the entire value chain of tea trade.
It is looking at a combination of latest technology-enabled solution like blockchain technology, for integrating the existing systems which will convert the standalone applications into a ring fenced electronic environment capturing the entire details of supply chain from procurement of raw materials by the manufacturers to the disposal of made teas to the primary buyers through auction.
This integration will help the end consumers in traceability of the Indian origin Tea – GI Teas as the starting point – by virtue of digitisation of the Indian tea marketing channel and bringing the Indian tea industry into the mainstream of digital economy.
The challenges the industry is facing now in terms of oversupply, quality concerns, low price realization, reducing global demand, non-remunerative prices for the small growers, etc.

Govt plans to run Ladakh completely on renewable energy

The Union government plans to make Ladakh the first Indian union territory (UT) to run completely on renewable energy.
The government wants to install solar generation units to meet all its power demand from renewable energy sources.
Aanand Kumar, secretary, ministry of new and renewable energy (MNRE), told that UT currently has a demand of around 53 MW.
New solar plants is planned to be added by the end of 2020 to make the area completely run on renewable energy.
While the daily solar power generation potential in most part of the country is in the range of 3-5 units per square metre, the same in Leh-Ladakh can be 6-8 units, due to high ‘irradiance’ factor.

P S Sreedharan Pillai appointed as Mizoram governor

Kerala State BJP president PS Sreedharan Pillai has been appointed as the new Mizoram Governor. The President of India announced the appointment of Pillai as the Governor of the North Eastern state.
After the resignation of former Governor Kummanam Rajasekharan to contest the Lok Sabha polls from Thiruvananthapuram, Assam Governor Jagdish Mukhi has been holding the additional charge as the Mizoram Governor.
Pillai is the third person from the South Indian State to be appointed as the Mizoram Governor after Vakkom Purushothaman (2011-2014) and Rajashekharan who held the charge from May 29, 2018 to March 8, 2019.

India and Ecuador ink protocol to start trade negotiations

India and South American nation Ecuador have inked the Protocol for Completion of the Joint Feasibility Study (JFS) between the two countries, in line with the government’s efforts to expand its trade presence in the region.
The Protocol was inked in New Delhi by Shyamal Misra, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Commerce and Industry and Héctor Cueva, ambassador of Ecuador in India.
This has now opened the doors for both the countries to initiate trade negotiations for a Partial Scope Agreement (Preferential Trade Agreement).
The two countries have great possibilities to contribute to the competitiveness of productive sectors in each Member country, and improving bilateral trade and enhancing the conditions for business cooperation.
Once the PTA is in place the two trading partners would be in a position to reduce or eliminate customs duties on only a certain number of products traded between them.

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October 28, 2019

Poor infrastructure deterring flow of medical tourists, foreign students to Assam, says ADB report

Medical tourism and higher education are two potential service sector industries for Assam, but due to various gaps – mostly related to infrastructure and connectivity – the State has not been able to tap it so far.
According to an Asian Development Bank report, there is a relative shortage of colleges for professional education and local students travel to other states in pursuit of higher education, while lack of accredited hospitals in the region has lead to outflow of domestic demand and diversion of regional international demand.
Of the 47,427 foreign students enrolled in India in 2018-19, 2,077 (4.4 per cent) were from Bangladesh. The Northeast can capture a major share of this market and Assam has a huge opportunity to tap into India’s share of students enrolled from Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal.
18 per cent of the total outflow of students from South Asia enrolled in India in 2016-17. It was 1.3 per cent for Southeast Asia. However, Assam accounts for just 0.4 per cent of total foreign students enrolled India.
India is one of the preferred destination for medical value travel, ranking fifth in the World Medical Tourism Index. Bangladesh is the largest foreign user of India’s medical services, accounting for 50.54 per cent of the total medical tourists in 2016 and the Northeast, particularly Assam, has the opportunity of becoming the natural choice for medical tourism from the neighbouring country.

Uttar Pradesh CM inaugurated projects and laid foundation stones of schemes for forest-dwelling Vantangiya community

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurated projects and laid foundation stones for schemes worth Rs 1.32 crore for the forest-dwelling Vantangiya community.
The Chief Minister celebrated Diwali with the Vantangiya community that has remained marginalised for years.
The community comprises people brought from Myanmar during the colonial rule to plant trees for afforestation.

Manohar Lal Khattar takes oath as Haryana CM

Manohar Lal Khattar and Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) chief Dushyant Chautala took oath as Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister, respectively.
The two leaders were administered the oath of office and secrecy by Haryana Governor Satyadeo Narain Arya at Raj Bhavan in Chandigarh.
This is the second term of Khattar as Haryana Chief Minister.

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Assam Current Affairs – October 15 – 21, 2019

Posted on December 19, 2019December 19, 2019 by admin

Current Affairs Assam – October 15 - 21, 2019

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

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October 15, 2019

IIT Guwahati joins hands with Japan institute for international symposium

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Guwahati, in collaboration with the Kyoto Institute of Technology (KIT), will organise an international symposium on ‘Advances in Sustainable Polymers (ASP-19)’ from October 14 to October 18 at the KIT, Matsugasaki, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan.
ASP-19 is the fifth international symposium of the ASP series.
The aim of the symposium is to provide a platform to researchers to share recent state-of-the-art advances in the area of sustainable polymers.
The symposium will include plenary lectures and invited lectures on recent advances in several aspects of sustainable polymer-based technologies.
ASP-19 will also host three bilateral symposia as a part of the symposium.
They are on ‘Industrial Forum – Bio-based Materials Developed by Worldwide Industries’, the Second India-Nepal-Japan Trilateral Joint Symposium and the IITG-KIT Joint Symposium.
Apart from IIT-Guwahati and KIT, the symposium is supported by Kansai Branch, the Society of Fiber Science and Technology, Japan, Mille-Feuille Structure Materials, Unitika Shusei-kai, the Society of Polymer Science, Japan, and Research Committee on Fundamental Fiber Science, the Society of Fiber Science and Technology Japan.

Delhi cabinet nod for new skill, entrepreneurship university

The Delhi Cabinet gave its approval for a new skill and entrepreneurship development university with an initial capacity of 50,000 students.
The proposal will require clearance from the Lt Governor before its approval by the Assembly.
The new Delhi Skills and Entrepreneurship (DSE) University will focus on imparting the skills and knowhow to the youth that will equip them for employment.
Different courses, ranging between six months to two years, will be made available for students from Class 10 to the graduate and post graduate levels.
The courses will have also have high level of flexibility in terms of redesigning for the requirements.
The proposed varsity”s initial intake will be 50,000 students, who will be enrolled in regular and part-time courses in various streams.
Students who complete Class 10, Class 12, and graduation can join the University for courses ranging from durations like 6 months, one year, two years and so on.

Andhra Pradesh launches ”Rythu Bharosa” scheme

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy launched ”YSR Rythu Bharosa scheme-PM Kisan” scheme, under which each farmer will get Rs. 13,500 as input assistance every year.
The Chief Minister launched the flagship scheme at Kakutur in Nellore district by handing over cheques to beneficiaries.
The scheme is expected to benefit 54 lakh farmers including landless tenant farmers across the state. The amount will be deposited in the bank accounts of the beneficiaries.
The beneficiaries under PM Kisan Nidhi scheme of the Centre will get Rs. 6,000 while the remaining amount will be paid by the state government.
Those not covered under the Centre”s scheme will get the entire assistance from the state.
Beneficiary farmers were given Rs. 2,000 each in June and now they will get Rs. 9,500. Another Rs. 2,000 will be paid during ”Sankranthi”.
From next year, every beneficiary will get Rs. 7,500 in May at the beginning of Kharif sowing season, Rs. 4,000 in October for harvesting Kharif crop or for Rabi needs.
The remaining Rs. 2,000 will be paid on the occasion of ”Sankranthi”.

Margaret Atwood,Bernardine Evaristo won 2019 Booker Prize

Margaret Atwood and Bernardine Evaristo jointly won the 2019 Booker Prize after judges “flout” the rules by declaring a tie.
British Indian novelist Salman Rushdie’s tragicomic ‘Quichotte’ was among the six books shortlisted for the prize.
The Booker rules say the prize must not be divided, but the judges insisted they “couldn’t separate” Atwood’s ‘The Testament’ and ‘Girl, Woman, Other’ by Evaristo, who is the first black woman to win the prestigious award since its creation in 1969.
The rules were changed after the last tie in 1992, and organisers told this year’s judges that they were not allowed to pick two winners.
The judges said they strongly wanted both the authors to split the GBP 50,000 award at a gala ceremony at Guildhall
The others shortlisted included Lucy Ellmann for ‘Ducks, Newburyport’, Chigozie Obioma for ‘An Orchestra of Minorities’, and Elif Shafak for ’10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World’.
The 2019 shortlist had been selected from 151 submitted books published in the UK or Ireland between October 2018 and September 2019.

October 16, 2019

3^rd Shirui Lily Festival begins in Ukhrul, Manipur

The 3rd Shirui Lily Festival got under way at Shirui village in Ukhrul in the presence of ministers, dignitaries and a large gathering of people. The festival will end on October 19.
Union Minister of State for Culture and Tourism (in-charge) Prahlad Singh Patel said that there would be no tourism without culture. A collective effort is needed from all stakeholders to explore ways to attract tourists to the State. The North East region is gifted with scenic beauty and a rich cultural heritage.
The Manipur Government has been urging the Centre for a “topographical need-based budget” to bring inclusive development to the State.
The performance by Scottish band Nazareth will be the highlight of this year’s festival.

FACTFILE – Shirui Lily Festival

The annual festival is hosted by state Department of Tourism in Ukhrul district. The event features demonstrations of age-old traditions and culture of inhabitants of district of Ukhrul. The festival is organized during this time keeping in mind the peak blooming season of flower.
Festival seeks to spread the awareness about the endangered Shirui Lily and promote the district of Ukhrul as a tourist destination in Manipur.
The lilies of Shirui: The lilies play a significant role in festival. The rare, pink-white flower is only found in this area. The lilies are also known as Siroy Lily, or Lilium Macklinae, named after Jean Macklin, who supposedly spotted these flowers in 1946.
Manipur Tourism recognizes importance of Shirui Lily as State Flower of Manipur and event is a part of its efforts to develop and implement sustainable and responsible tourism State.

India, US Special Forces hold joint military drill

A 45-member Special Forces team from the Indian Army has begun a 15-day joint military drill with US Special Forces in Seattle. The exercise ”Vajra Prahar” commenced at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
This is the 10th edition of the exercise, which is conducted alternately between India and the US to share the best practices and experiences in areas such as joint mission planning capabilities and operational tactics.
Bilateral military exercises and defence exchanges are an important aspect of deepening bilateral defence cooperation between India and USA.
In 2018, the exercise was held in Jaipur, Rajasthan.

India hands over 2- Mi 24V choppers to Afghanistan

India handed over two Mi 24V gunship helicopters to Afghanistan at a ceremony held in Kabul.
The attack chopper, which is also capable of low-capacity troop transport, was handed over to Afghanistan”s Defence Minister Asadullah Khalid by India”s Ambassador Vinay Kumar.
These helicopters are meant as replacement for four helicopters that had earlier been gifted by India to Afghanistan in the year 2015-16.
The handover took place at a military airport in Afghanistan.

Government Announced 14 new Institutes for Media and Entertainment Sector

The government announced that 14 new institutes will be set up across nine cities for advanced skill training in the media and entertainment sector.
The 14 Authorised World Skills India Training Centers (AWSITC) would be set up in nine cities – Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Indore, Mumbai, Pune, Shillong and Thiruvanthapuram.
The state-of-the-art AWSITCs, set up in partnership with the Media and Entertainment Skill Council (MESC), will help the candidates to enhance their skill as per the global standards.
The new institutes are being set up for advanced skill training of candidates in the media and entertainment sector, not just to compete in the WorldSkills and IndiaSkills competitions but also to further develop the skilling eco-system for training candidates for the international market.
In the biennial WorldSkills competition the 48-member Indian team won one gold, one silver, two bronze medals besides 15 medallions of excellence at the competition.
These world class state of the art centres will help in preparing the candidates to be ready in making our country proud at various competitions and also equip them with enhanced skills in order to become industry ready.

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October 17, 2019

Assam set to have India’s first International Multi-Modal Hub

Assam Industry Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary said that the state is all set to have India’s first International Multi-Modal Hub.
He said that the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has agreed to fund the project at an estimated cost of around Rs 600 crore.
The Government of Assam is planning to develop Jogighopa, a small township near Brahmaputra river, as a logistics hub or trans-shipment point for cargo moving from Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland to Bangladesh.
The Munshiganj River Terminal in Bangladesh will be used as a customs station to handle third-party export and import cargo via Kolkata Port.
The Bangladesh government agreed to hold stakeholder consultations and revert on the matter.
Standard operating procedure for the use of Chattagram and Mongla ports for movement of goods to and from India, particularly to and from the Northeast of India has recently been concluded.

Half of India’s children suffer from malnutrition, says UNICEF Report

UNICEF’s State of the World’s Children report for 2019, the first UNICEF report in 20 years on child nutrition, shows one in three children under the age of five years – around 200 million children worldwide – are either undernourished or overweight. And in India, every second child is affected by some form of malnutrition.
35% of Indian children suffer from stunting due to lack of nutrition, 17% suffer from wasting, 33% are underweight and 2% are overweight.
According to govt figures, stunting and wasting among children in the country has reduced by 3.7 per cent and the number of underweight children have reduced by 2.3 per cent from 2016 to 2018.
Among countries in South Asia, India fares the worst (54%) on prevalence of children under five who are either stunted, wasted or overweight. Afghanistan and Bangladesh follow at 49% and 46%, respectively. Sri Lanka and the Maldives are the better performing countries in the region, at 28% and 32%, respectively.

India conducts bilateral air exercise ‘Eastern Bridge V’ with Oman

India’s bilateral air exercise with Oman Exercise Eastern Bridge V, is being held at the Air Force Base Masirah in Oman from October 17-26.
The MiG 29 fighter aircraft of Indian Air Force (IAF) will be flying alongside the Eurofighter Typhoon and F-16 in India”s bilateral air exercise with Oman.
This is the first occasion that the MiG 29 will participate in an international air exercise outside India.
The Royal Air Force Oman will fly its UK-made advanced trainer aircraft Hawk too during the 10-day air exercise.
India”s military transport aircraft C-17 Globemaster will also participate in the air exercise.
The exercise will enhance inter-operability during mutual operations between the two air forces and will provide an opportunity to learn from each other”s best practices.
The participation of IAF in the exercise will also promote professional interaction, exchange of experience and operational knowledge.
Besides strengthening bilateral relations, it will also provide a good opportunity to the air-warriors to operate in an international environment.

Union Environment Ministry directed Assam Govt to take steps to declare Poba reserve forest a wildlife sanctuary

The Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Ministry has directed the Assam government to take necessary steps to declare the Poba reserve forest in the state’s Dhemaji district a wildlife sanctuary.
Assm’s prominent wildlife and nature conservation organization Nature’s Beckon wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking his immediate intervention in declaring the Poba reserve forest as a wildlife sanctuary.
The PMO forwarded the letter to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change directing for actions and steps as necessary by the Assam Forest Department to declare Poba as a wildlife sanctuary.

FACTFILE – Poba Reserved Forest

Poba Reserved Forest is situated in Jonai Subdivision of Dhemaji District of Assam.
The Reserved Forest (RF) was created in the year 1924 and covers an area of 10,221 hectares.
Poba is one of the richest rain forests of North-East India in terms of the flora and fauna found in it and can be very well termed a biodiversity hotspot.
The forest receives annual rainfall of 3600 mm to 4000 mm; highest temperature so far recorded is 35°C in summer and lowest 7.0°C in winter.
RF is an important elephant corridor linking the foot hills of Arunachal Pradesh and Dibru Saikhowa National Park via the proposed Kobu Chapori Reserve Forest. Peripheral area of the RF is inhabited by a few ethnic groups such as Mising, Bodo, Sonowal Kachari and Hajong (Rabha).
Poba forest is under serious threats from anthropogenic activities and natural calamities particularly erosion by the Siang river.

October 18, 2019

Hailakandi first district in Assam to introduce online leave application

The government employees working under the Hailakandi district administration need to file their applications online and can proceed on leave only after getting a digital approval, as henceforth no leave applications will be accepted on paper.
Deputy Commissioner, Keerthi Jalli inaugurated the new online leave module at her office conference hall.
Hailakandi becomes the first district in Assam to introduce such a system.
The Circle Offices in the district, too, have come under the new system. Additional Deputy Commissioner Omar Sheriff will look after leave related matters of the DC establishment while the Circle Officers will man their respective offices.
The employee needs to apply online which will then go to the reporting officer for approval. Each employee has been allotted a login ID and password.
After the leave is applied by the employee either through the mobile phone or personal computer on the Manav Sampada website, the reporting officer will either approve or reject the leave and the employee can see the leave status whether it has been approved or cancelled by the reporting officer. Users can also check the status of leave balance.

Karnataka tops India Innovation Index 2019

Karnataka has been ranked as the most innovative state in the country. These rankings were released by the NITI Aayog under the India Innovation Index 2019.
Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Telangana, Haryana, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Gujarat, and Andhra Pradesh form the remaining top ten major states respectively.
Sikkim and Delhi take the top spots among the north – eastern & hill states, and union territories.
Delhi, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh are the most efficient states in translating inputs into output.
The study is an outcome of extensive research and analysis, which looks holistically at the innovation landscape of India by examining the innovation capabilities and performance of Indian states and union territories.
The aim is to create a holistic tool which can be used by policymakers across the country to identify the challenges to be addressed and strengths to build on when designing the economic growth policies for their regions
Karnataka is the leader in the overall rankings in the category of major states. Karnataka”s number one position in the overall ranking is partly attributed to its top rank in the performance dimension.
It is also among the top performers in infrastructure, knowledge workers, knowledge output and business environment.

FACTFILE – The India Innovation Index 2019

The India Innovation Index 2019 is calculated as the average of the scores of its two dimensions – Enablers and Performance.
The Enablers are the factors that underpin innovative capacities, grouped in five pillars: (1) Human Capital, (2) Investment, (3) Knowledge Workers, (4) Business Environment, and (5) Safety and Legal Environment. The Performance dimension captures benefits that a nation derives from the inputs, divided in two pillars: (6) Knowledge Output and (7) Knowledge Diffusion.

Ranking of NE and Hill states

SIKKIM
HIMACHAL PRADESH
UTTARAKHAND
MANIPUR
JAMMU & KASHMIR
TRIPURA
ARUNACHAL PRADESH
ASSAM
NAGALAND
MIZORAM
MEGHALAYA

NASSCOM to train Army veterans for IT jobs

The Indian Army and the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) will come together in Bengaluru to orient veterans to the modern industrial needs in the IT sector in order to tap their expertise and potential by offering them jobs.
The initiative has been planned as several multi-national firms, which have in the past, failed to hire Army veterans, despite their keenness, because of technological and cultural differences with the corporate world.
The initiative has been taken jointly by the Indian Army, the NASSCOM and US-based multinational financial services firm Wells Fargo which is also being supported by the multi-national e-commerce firm Amazon India.
NASSCOM is looking for a single-point contact where it can get all details of Army veterans in the IT sector.
Army will assess industrial needs during the two-day event, NASSCOM will help Army in orienting to the modern industrial needs in the IT sector.

Goa signs an MoU with STPI for start-up centre

The Goa government’s Information Technology Corporation signed an MoU with the Software Technology Park of India to set up a start-up centre in the coastal state.
Chief Minister Pramad Sawant said that 14,000 square metres of land would be handed over to the STPI, a society set up by the Union Ministry for Electronics and Information Technology.
Sawant also said, that Goa was trying to position itself as a hub for the start-ups industry and the co-operation with the STPI would help attract more start-ups to the state.

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October 19, 2019

2 persons from Assam selected for National award in Agriculture promotion

Mahan Chandra Borah and Dr Prabin Saikia of Assam are among those selected for the Plant Genome Saviour Award by the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority of the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar will hand over the awards, which will consist of Rs 10 lakh, a citation and a memento each.
Mahan Chandra Borah hails from Teok in Jorhat district, Dr Prabin Saikia is from Bhogpur Chariali in Lakhimpur.

Anup Kumar Singh appointed as Chief of National Security Guard

IPS officer Anup Kumar Singh was appointed as the new Director General of the elite National Security Guard (NSG) force.
The Appointment Committee of the Cabinet approved the Home Ministry’s proposal to appoint the 1985-batch Gujarat cadre Indian Police Service officer to the post.
Singh would take charge from Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) Director General S.S. Deswal, who is holding additional charge of the post since the superannuation of Sudeep Lakhtakia.
Singh will hold the post till September 30, 2020 from the date of joining or till further orders, whichever is earlier.
NSG is a federal contingency “zero error” force to deal with anti-terrorist activities in all its manifestations.Specially equippped and trained to deal with specific situations, it is, therefore, to be used only in exeptional circumstances to thwart serious acts of terrorism.

FACTFILE – The National Security Guard (NSG)

The National Security Guard (NSG) is a counter terrorism unit under the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
It was raised in 15^th October 1984, following Operation Blue Star, Akshardham Temple attack and the assassination of Indira Gandhi, “for combating terrorist activities with a view to protect states against internal disturbances”.
It is not categorised under the uniform nomenclature of Central Armed Police Forces. It has a special forces mandate, and its core operational capability is provided by the Special Action Group (SAG) which is drawn from the Indian Army.
The Special Rangers Group (SRG), the police component of NSG, which also handles VIP security, is composed of personnel on deputation from other Central Armed Police Forces and State Police Forces.
The NSG personnel are often referred to in the media as Black Cats because of the black outfit and black cat insignia worn on their uniform

NASA astronauts conduct first all-women space walk

NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Jessica Meir ventured out of the International Space Station for the first all-women spacewalk to replace a failed power controller.
It is the first time that all space walkers are women and the 43rd space walk to include women.
An all-women space walk, involving Koch and NASA astronaut Anne McClain, was originally scheduled for March.
But that was scuttled because properly fitted spacesuits could not be readied in time for both astronauts.
The first all-women space walk is a milestone worth noting as NASA looks forward to putting the first woman and next man on the Moon by 2024 with the agency`s Artemis lunar exploration programme.

October 20, 2019

Assam Cabinet adopts new land policy

Assam state Cabinet adopted the new land policy, under which three bighas of agricultural land will be allotted to landless indigenous families.
Landless families will also be allotted half bigha plots for house construction, and the plot cannot be sold for 15 years.
Under the small family policy, persons having more than two children will not be eligible for government jobs with effect from January 1, 2021.

DNA Technology Regulation Bill referred to Parliamentary panel

The DNA Technology Regulation Bill that provides for the establishment of a national DNA data bank and regional DNA data banks and was passed by Lok Sabha has been referred to a parliamentary standing committee for examination and come back with a report.
The bill seeks to provide the regulation for use and application of Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) technology for the purpose of establishing the identity of certain categories of persons including victims, offenders, suspects, undertrials, missing persons and unknown deceased persons.
Members are informed that the Chairman, Rajya Sabha in consultation with the Speaker, Lok Sabha has referred the DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill, 2019, as introduced in Lok Sabha, to the Standing Committee on Science and Technology, Environment and Forests for examination and report within three months.

FACTFILE – The DNA Based Technology (Use and Regulation) Bill, 2017

The DNA Based Technology (Use and Regulation) Bill, 2017 or the Human DNA Profiling Bill is a proposed legislation in India.
The bill will allow the government to establish a National DNA Data Bank and a DNA Profiling Board, and use the data for various specified forensic purposes.
The bill has raised concerns of privacy among citizen rights groups. The bill was expected to be presented in the parliament in the monsoon session of 2015.
Use of DNA Data: Under the Bill, DNA testing is allowed only in respect of matters listed in the Schedule to the Bill. These include offences under the Indian Penal Code, 1860, and for civil matters such as paternity suits. Further, the Schedule includes DNA testing for matters related to establishment of individual identity.

Arvind Kejriwal inaugurates 100 Mohalla Clinics in Delhi

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal inaugurated 100 more Mohalla Clinics in the national capital.
Kejriwal said that with these new health clinics, a total of 302 Mohalla Clinics are now functional in the city.
These clinics are part of the city government’s push to set up 1,000 neighbourhood clinics in the national capital.
Kejriwal said that 100 more such clinics were ready and would become operational next month.
In such clinics, facilities of diagnostic tests such as lipid profile, kidney and liver function test are available free of cost.

India, Thailand joint naval exercise

India and Thailand began a joint naval exercise in the Bay of Bengal that will involve air exercises with integral helicopters from ships of both nations.
The five-day exercise commenced off the port of Vishakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh.
Two naval ships of Thailand – UMS Sin Phyu Shin (F-14), a frigate and UMS Tabinshweti (773), a corvette – have been deployed for the exercise.
India has deployed its ships INS Ranvijay, a guided-missile destroyer and INS Kuthar, a missile corvette, for the exercise.
The opening ceremony of the exercise was held on board INS Ranvijay at Visakhapatnam.
The harbor phase of the exercise will involve professional interaction for sharing of expertise on various maritime issues between both the navies.
The sea phase will involve a variety of drills including anti-air and surface firing exercises, flying exercises using integral helicopters and seamanship evolutions at sea.

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October 21, 2019

Infrastructure projects worth Rs 2,500 crore approved in Arunachal Pradesh

Arunachal Pradesh’s Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure, chaired by Chief Minister Pema Khandu, approved infrastructure projects worth Rs 2,500 crore.
Of the approved projects, Rs 1,100 crore has been earmarked for upgradation of road infrastructure in the State capital and all administrative headquarters over a period of next three years.
The CCI also Okayed project proposals worth Rs 75 crore for the Department of Tirap, Changlang and Longding Affairs, besides giving its seal of approval for upgradation of Police Training Center at Banderdewa, upgradation of power infrastructure, water supply projects in all newly-created districts headquarters, and comprehensive scheme for providing public amenities in all major townships.
The CCI has doubled the allocation for horticulture projects pertaining to Kiwi, orange, large cardamom, etc from existing Rs 30 crore to Rs 60 crore.
The Committee also directed for revival of all defunct cold processing units at Namasai, Pasighat and Bhalukpong.

UN endorses India’s steps to address hunger, malnutrition

The UN World Food Programme (UNWFP) has endorsed India’s policy measures for addressing hunger and malnutrition to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
Bishow Parajuli, Representative and Country Director to India, UNWFP, told that India has all the ingredients in place to achieve SDG 2, which is to end hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture prior to the 2030 targets.
In 2015, India, along with other countries, signed the declaration on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, comprising 17 SDGs.
Within this agenda, ending hunger, achieving food security and improved nutrition, and promoting sustainable agriculture was set as SDG 2.
While India has made progress in the last couple of decades on key indicators including economic growth, poverty reduction, food grains self-sufficiency and adoption of technological solutions and though there has been a drop in the malnutrition rates, the progress however, needs to be accelerated to achieve the SDGs.
UNWFP has been working in partnership with the Government of India for more than 50 years to contribute to its efforts to achieve food and nutrition security.

India seeks UN action to combat anti-microbial resistance

India has expressed its concern on the global emergence of anti-microbial resistance (AMR) and called upon the relevant United Nations agencies to contain this threat to public health, at G20 Health Ministers meeting.
Health Minister Harsh Vardhan participating in the deliberations on health risk and health security, made an intervention on AMR, seen as a serious emerging threat to global public health.
He called upon all relevant UN agencies to align themselves in their endeavour to combat antimicrobial resistance.
He conveyed to G20 countries the efforts done so far under National Programme for Health Care of Elderly to provide accessible, affordable, and high-quality long-term, comprehensive health care services to an ageing population and also mentioned public health measures to tackle dementia.
The deliberations of the G20 Health Ministers focused on four major global health issues, namely achievement of Universal Health Coverage, response to population aging, management of health risks and health security management including AMR and its containment.

Vice President presents Most Eminent Senior Citizen Award

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu presented Most Eminent Senior Citizen Award to legal luminary and former Attorney General K. Parasaran.
Mr Parasaran was honoured with the award on the occasion of the Elder’s Day celebration of Age Care India, an organization working for the welfare of the elderly.
Vice President said that the Award is a fitting recognition of Mr Parasaran’s exceptional contribution to the field of law and justice as well as his extraordinary personality.
He said that throughout his distinguished career, Mr Parasaran had handled a wide array of cases.

BIOGRAPHY – K. Parasaran

Parasaran is a lawyer, who was Advocate-General of Tamil Nadu during President’s rule in 1976 and then, Attorney General of India under Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi between 1983 and 1989.
Parasaran was awarded the Padma Bhushan in the year 2003 and Padma Vibhushan in the year 2011.
In June 2012, he received a presidential nomination to the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of India’s parliament, for a period of six years.

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Assam Current Affairs – October 08 – 14, 2019

Posted on December 19, 2019May 16, 2020 by admin

Current Affairs Assam – October 8 - 14, 2019

( Covers all important Assam Current Affairs & GK topics for the week of October 8 – 14, 2019 )

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October 08, 2019

IAF celebrates 87^th Air Force Day

Indian Air Force (IAF) celebrated 87th anniversary on Air Force Day at Hindon Air Base in Ghaziabad. Army Chief General Bipin Rawat and IAF Chief, Air Chief Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria were present at the event.
Every year, the Air Force Day is celebrated at Hindon base in presence of the IAF chief and senior officials of the three armed forces.
The IAF was founded on October 8, 1932, and the force has participated in several crucial wars and landmark missions.

FACTFILE – Indian Air Force (IAF)

The Indian Air Force (IAF) is the air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its complement of personnel and aircraft assets ranks fourth amongst the air forces of the world.
Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during armed conflict.
It was officially established on 8 October 1932 as an auxiliary air force of the British Empire which honoured India’s aviation service during World War II with the prefix Royal .
After India gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1947, the name Royal Indian Air Force was kept and served in the name of Dominion of India. With the government’s transition to a Republic in 1950, the prefix Royal was removed after only three years.

Nobel prize in physics awarded to James Peebles, Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz

2019 Nobel Prize in physics awarded to James Peebles, Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz for research on cosmology and exoplanets.
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm awarded half of the 9 million Swedish kronor (£740,000) prize to Canadian scientist Peebles for his theoretical discoveries about the evolution of the universe.
A Swiss duo of astronomers, Mayor and Queloz, have awarded the prestigious prize for their discovery of the first planet beyond our solar system. The duo has succeeded in discovering the first exoplanet 50 light years away in the constellation of Pegasus.

William Kaelin and Gregg Semanza and Peter Ratcliffe win Nobel Prize in Medicine for work on how cells adapt to oxygen

Three Americans, William G. Kaelin and Gregg. L. Semanza and Briton Peter J. Ratcliffe, were awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine.
The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institute announced that the three recipients were recognized for their discoveries of how cells sense and adapt to oxygen availability.
With their work they were able to understand how oxygen levels affect cell metabolism and physiological function.
Their discoveries could pave the way in the development of new strategies to fight anemia, cancer and other diseases, according to the institute.
Kaelin, born in New York in 1957, is a specialist in internal medicine and oncology.
Semenza, born in 1955 and also a New Yorker, is a paediatrician.
Ratcliffe was born in Lancashire in 1954, and is an expert in nephrology, a medicine specialising in kidneys.

FACTFILE – The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

It is awarded yearly by the Nobel Foundation for outstanding discoveries in the fields of life sciences and medicine.
One of five prizes bequested in 1895 by Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, it is an award for scientific progress through laboratory discoveries in experimental physiology.
As of 2019, 110 Nobel Prizes in Physiology or Medicine have been awarded to 207 men and 12 women.
The first one was awarded in 1901 to the German physiologist Emil von Behring, for his work on serum therapy and the development of a vaccine against diphtheria.
n 1902, the award went to Ronald Ross for his work on malaria while staying in India.
The prize consists of a medal along with a diploma and a certificate for the monetary award.

India receives first Rafale fighter in France

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh formally received the first of the 36 Rafale fighter jets in France, The fighter jet was handed over at Merignac at a facility of Dassault Aviation.
Rajnath Singh was shown a short audio-visual clip on the history of aircraft manufacturing by Dassault before the handing over ceremony.
His French counterpart Florence Parly was also present during the handover ceremony.
India chose October 8 for receiving the first Rafale jet not only because it is the occasion of Dussehra, but the day is also celebrated as Air Force Day every year.
The first jet bears the tail number RB 001 which is the initials of Indian Air Force (IAF) chief, Air Chief Marshal R.K.S. Bhadauria, who played a key role on behalf of India in the Rafale negotiations with France.
India had entered into an inter-governmental agreement with France and Dassault in September 2016 to acquire 36 Rafale jets in flyaway condition at a cost of Rs 59,000 crore.
Rafale, a 4.5 generation multi-role combat aircraft, will greatly increase India”s geo-political stature in South Asia because no other country, including Pakistan, has as advanced an aircraft in its inventory.
The first squadron of the Rafale aircraft will be stationed at the Ambala Air Force Station in Punjab, considered as a strategic air base given its proximity to the Indo-Pakistan border.
The second Rafale squadron will be based at the Hashimara Air Force Station in Alipurduar district of West Bengal which at present is home to the ageing MiG 27 Russian aircraft.

October 09, 2019

India ranks 68^th on Global Competitiveness Index

India has moved down 10 places to rank 68th on the annual global competitiveness index, while Singapore has replaced the U.S. as the world’s most competitive economy.
India, which was ranked 58^th in the annual Global Competitiveness Index compiled by Geneva-based World Economic Forum (WEF), is among the worst-performing BRICS nations along with Brazil.
India ranks high in terms of macroeconomic stability and market size, while its financial sector is relatively deep and stable despite the high delinquency rate, which contributes to weakening the soundness of its banking system.
India is ranked also high at 15^th place in terms of corporate governance, while it is ranked second globally for shareholder governance.
India also punches above its development status when it comes to innovation, which is well ahead of most emerging economies and on par with several advanced economies.
The healthy life expectancy, where India has been ranked 109th out of total the 141 countries surveyed for the index.
India needs to grow its skills base, while its product market efficiency is undermined by a lack of trade openness and the labour market is characterised by a lack of worker rights’ protections, insufficiently developed active labour market policies and critically low participation of women.
India is followed by some of its neighbours including Sri Lanka at 84^th place, Bangladesh at 105^th, Nepal at 108^th and Pakistan at 110^th

National Health Mission index: Haryana, Assam, Kerala among top 5 performers

Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Haryana, Assam, Kerala and Punjab have emerged as the top five states or Union Territories in the first ever exercise to rate their performance on several parameters of the National Health Mission.
Twenty per cent of NHM funds are based on the states’ performance, which means better performing states received a financial incentive — Rs 3,000 crore is set aside for incentive-based payments.
West Bengal, Jammu and Kashmir, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Bihar were penalised as they didn’t achieve the set benchmarks for mental health services.
Twenty-three states earned an incentive for screening of 30-plus population for non-communicable diseases, including 11 states that earned full points for screening more than 15 per cent of the 30-plus population.
Tamil Nadu reported 100 per cent screening, followed by Goa (68 per cent) and Daman and Diu (57 per cent).
Only six states — Assam, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Kerala, Punjab and Tripura — earned full incentive for implementation of the Human Resource Information System (HRIS). Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and UP were able to partially achieve the target in terms of HRIS implementation.
Among the parameters, the highest weightage was given to incremental improvement as per the NITI Aayog ranking of states on ‘Performance on Health Outcomes’. Other parameters include operationalisation of Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs), provisioning of mental health services in districts covered under the National Mental Health Programme, screening of 30-plus population for non-communicable diseases, implementation of HRIS and grading of Primary Health Centres (both urban and rural).
Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Sikkim did not make the cut for assessment.

Union Govt launches Ganga Aamantran Abhiyan

Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat yesterday launched a unique initiative called ‘Ganga Amantran’ to connect with the stakeholders of the river.
It is a pioneering exploratory open- water rafting and kayaking expedition on the Ganga River and will continue till 11th of next month.
The expedition will start at Devaprayag and culminate at Ganga Sagar covering the entire stratch of over 25,000 kilometres of the River.
This is the first ever effort by National Mission for Clean Ganga to raft across the entire stretch of the river.
And also the longest ever social campaign undertaken through an adventure sporting activityy to spread the message of River Rejuvenation and Water Conservation on a massive scale.

Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan launches eDantseva

Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan launched a website and mobile application of ‘eDantseva’, the first-ever national digital platform on oral health information and knowledge dissemination.
e-DantSeva is the first-ever national digital platform that provides oral health information both in the form of a website and mobile application.
The initiative of the Union Health Ministry with the AIIMS and other stakeholders aims to sensitize the public about the significance of maintaining optimum oral health and equips them with the tools and knowledge to do so, including awareness on the nearest oral health service facility.
The Union Health Minister also released the Braille booklet and voice over on oral health education for the visually impaired individuals along with the oral health posters for pregnant women and children.
e-DantSeva contains information about the National Oral Health Program (NOHP), detailed list of all the dental facility and colleges, Information, Education and Communication (IEC) material.

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October 10, 2019

Study finds poor wages, housing, healthcare in Assam TEs

Assam Govt initiated study report ‘Addressing The Human Cost of Assam Tea’ on the working and living conditions of plantation workers found crumbling houses with no toilets, poor wages, lack of quality health and education entitlements.
The new research, commissioned by Oxfam India and undertaken by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), found that the State government’s commitment to increase the minimum wages of tea plantation workers to Rs 351 met with hurdles of financial viability of the sector.
The research showed that the relentless squeeze by supermarkets and brands on the share of the end consumer price for tea makes poverty and hardship for workers in Assam.
Combined with rising costs and the impacts of the climate crisis, it is also contributing to a severe economic crisis for the entire Indian tea industry.
The research also found that despite working for over 13 hours a day, tea workers earn between Rs 137 and Rs 167.
Many women tea-leaf pluckers regularly work upto 13 hours a day receiving between Rs 110 and Rs 130 per day.
Tea brands and supermarkets typically capture over two-thirds of the price paid by consumers for Assam tea in India – with just 7 per cent remaining for workers in tea estates.
Indian tea estates are legally obliged under the Plantation Labour Act to provide decent working condition, besides housing, healthcare and education facilities.
The condition of housing and sanitation is very poor in majority of tea estates with dilapidated or nonexistent facilities.
The Indian tea sector continues to be the largest private sector employer but poor implementation of labour laws is putting at risk the viability of the tea industry as a whole.

WHO to collaborate with govt to accelerate Ayushman Bharat

The Country Cooperation Strategy (CCS) provides a strategic roadmap for WHO to work with the Central government towards achieving its health sector goals, in improving the health of its population and bringing in transformative changes in the health sector.
The WHO India Country Cooperation Strategy 2019-2023 has identified accelerating progress of the Ayushman Bharat programme as the top strategic priority.
The CCS covers the period 2019-23 and it notes that significant improvements in health have been achieved in the past two decades.
The document notes that the government has set a series of ambitious goals in its National Health Policy 2017, including achieving universal health coverage, with a focus on poor and vulnerable populations, and doubling public spending on health.
The four areas identified for strategic cooperation of WHO with the country encompass: to accelerate progress on UHC, to promote health and wellness by addressing determinants of health, to protect the population better against health emergencies, and to enhance India’s global leadership in health.

FACTFILE – Ayushman Bharat Yojana or Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) or National Health Protection Scheme

It is a national scheme that aimed at making necessary interventions in primary, secondary and tertiary health-care systems,in a holistic fashion.
It was launched in 2018, under the aegis of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in India.
26 states and union territories accepted the scheme, except four states: Delhi, Odisha, West Bengal and Telangana. More than a lakh (100,000) people have taken benefit of the scheme till October 2018.
More than 825,000 e-cards were generated and there was a push to recruit private hospitals to the scheme

Cabinet gave ex-post facto approval to MoUs in radio, TV

The Union Cabinet gave ex-post facto approval for the memorandum of understandings (MoUs) signed between Indian and foreign broadcasters in radio and television.
The MoUs will help the public broadcaster explore new visions and strategies to address the demands of new technologies and competition, media liberalisation and globalisation.
Broadcasting of programmes to be obtained through mutual exchange, co-production will lead to equity and inclusiveness among viewers and listeners of DD (Doordarshan) and AIR (All India Radio).
Exchanges of technical know-how, expertise and training of manpower will help the public broadcaster meet challenges in the field of broadcasting.

IIT Madras students develop AI-based Drones for disaster relief

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras students have developed an Artificial Intelligence(AI)-based solution called ‘Eye in the Sky’ for disaster management and aid services, utilizing drones with swarm intelligence for collecting data and analyzing it in real-time.
A team of engineering students is building drones enabled with AI and computer vision to develop an end-to-end solution for identifying accurate and critical information on people trapped in disaster-hit areas and communicate them to relief task force.
Its analytical modules are based on the latest available technology with the team creating their own databases for some of the modules.
The team plans to collaborate with hardware companies that can provide scalable drone technology to conduct the required spot surveillance of disaster struck areas.
According to the students, the final aim of the startup is to make end-to-end drone software solutions which can be used by any disaster response force of the world and thus help in saving lives.
The project uses some innovative technologies that can help in among other things accurate detecting of people from high and low altitudes, detecting whether a person is able to move or not, detection of people buried under the debris where only a part of the body is visible to the outside world.

India, Thailand seek to enhance physical & digital connectivity

India and Thailand discussed ways to enhance physical and digital connectivity between them as well as identifying areas for cooperation in fields such as agriculture, science and technology, and information technology.
The issues were discussed in the 8th Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) between External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and his Thai counterpart Don Pramudwinai.
The Ministers had a restricted bilateral meeting, which was followed by delegation-level talks.
Both sides reviewed the progress made in all areas of bilateral relationship, including political, defence and security, economic and commercial, connectivity, cultural, tourism and people-to-people ties.
Both sides noted that bilateral trade has grown by 20 per cent last year and the investment is also growing.
Both sides decided to hold the next meeting of Joint Trade Committee to discuss ways and means to enhance trade and investment.
They also exchanged views on regional and multilateral issues of mutual interest, including cooperation in Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Indian-Ocean Rim Association (IORA), Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), Mekong-Ganga Cooperation (MGC), UN and other sub-regional and international organizations.
Both Ministers also witnessed the signing of MOU between the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) of India”s Ministry of External Affairs and Devawongse Varopakarn Institute of Foreign Affairs of Thailand”s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

October 11, 2019

Audiovisual archive for NE region comes up in Shillong

An archive aimed at preserving the rich audiovisual productions of the Northeastern region has been inaugurated at St Anthony’s College in Shillong.
Documentary films, newsreels, interviews, amateur footage, sound recordings and photographs related to the states of the region are available in analogue and digital formats in the archive located at the St Anthony’s College.
The Northeast India Audiovisual Archive can also be accessed online at www.nearchive.in.
Supported by the Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF) of Japan, the archive will also be working in collaboration with Japan’s Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival for their expertise. The SPF carries out a range of programmes aimed at promoting international understanding, exchanges and cooperation.

Union HRD Ministry launches Dhruv platform to promote talents in childrens

The Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry launched the Pradhan Mantri Innovative Learning Programme called ”Dhruv”, a platform to help meritorious students achieve excellence in science, performing arts and creative writing.
The programme has been launched to identify and encourage talented children to enrich their skills and knowledge.
HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal said the programme included students of performing arts, since it had the power to move ideas and people.
In the first batch, 60 outstanding students have been selected. To begin with, it will cover science and performing arts. The students have been broadly chosen from classes IX to XII. At the 14-day programme science and performing arts students will be separated into two groups.
The programme was launched at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) headquarters in Bengaluru.

Kolkata’s e-plan bags global award at C40 meet

The low carbon commute transition of Kolkata with planned introduction of 5,000 e-buses and electrification of all ferries that run across the Ganges river by 2030 won the world”s seven best climate projects.
The announcement of the 2019 C40 Cities Bloomberg Philanthropies Awards was made at the C40 World Mayors Summit.
The awards showcased projects that demonstrated ambitious climate action while ensuring better, longer lives for the greatest number of people.
Each of the seven winning cities are formidable examples of what leadership looks like in building an innovative, resilient, and inclusive future.
Worldwide, cities account for about 70 per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions, making them uniquely positioned to have a significant impact in the fight against climate change.
Finalists for the 2019 C40 Cities Bloomberg Philanthropies Awards were selected from projects featured in Cities100, which showcases 100 of this year”s most forward-thinking and inclusive climate action projects from around the world.
Cities100 is a collaboration between C40 and Nordic Sustainability and is funded by the Danish philanthropic association Realdania.

Andhra Pradesh launches free mass eye screening programme

The Andhra Pradesh government launched a free mass eye screening programme with an aim to eradicate blindness.
Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy launched the programme ”Dr YSR Kanti Velugu” at Anantapur on the occasion of ”World Sight Day”.
As a part of health reforms the government decided to implement the programme to provide cashless comprehensive primary, secondary and tertiary quality eye care services to the state”s entire population.
The programme, to be implemented in six phases over the next three years, is estimated to cost about Rs 560.88 crore including free eye screening, spectacles, strengthening of government institutions, hiring of temporary staff, cataract surgeries and other secondary and tertiary eye care management.
The first phase will continue till October 16, over 70 lakh students will receive primary basic screening by Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA), teachers, Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM) and other staff members.
The two-months-long second phase will be launched on November 1. In this phase, secondary screening and prescription of spectacles will be provided to the students.
From the third to sixth phase, the state government will provide primary mass eye screening, prescription and distribution of spectacles, secondary and tertiary care management.
The Program will be conducted through village volunteers, ASHA, ANM, Primary Health Centre staff, Para Medical Ophthalmic Officers (PMOOs), all government institutions, Vision Centres, NGOs and all other healthcare functionaries.

AASHRAY’s best eco-friendly Puja pandal award to Bishnupur Guwahati puja

Bishnupur Bimalanagar Durga Puja Samiti of Guwahati with a theme of Eco-system was adjudged as the best eco-friendly Durga Puja pandal in Assam by AASHRAY an organisation working for environment conservation.
The Subhash Pally Kalibari Durga Puja Samiti Dibrugarh with the theme Education was declared as the second.
While Dergaon Rajahuwa Durga Puja Samiti with the theme of forest conservation and traditional dhak and Barowary Durga Puja Samiti with the theme Assamese Culture were declared jointly third.
The Sripuria Purbanchal Durga Puja Samiti with the theme rhino conservation was named for the fourth position.
To make awareness on cutting down the use of plastic in Durga Puja pandals and to ensure cleanliness during the puja celebration, the best puja pandal award was announced at the state level.

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October 12, 2019

Environmentalist Chandi Prasad gets Indira Gandhi award

The Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration for this year has been awarded to eminent environmentalist, Chandi Prasad Bhatt.
The award carries a citiation and cash of Rs 10 lakh will be given to Bhatt by Congress President Sonia Gandhi on October 31, the martyrdom day of Indira Gandhi .
Bhatt, who hails from Uttarakhand, is an eminent Gandhian environmentalist and has been associated with the Chipko Andolan
Bhatt has been the recipient of the Ramon Magsaysay Award, Padmi Shri, Padma Bhushan and Gandhi Peace Prize in the past.
The award was announced by Motilal Vora, Member Secretary to the Advisory Committee for the award.

BIOGRAPHY – Chandi Prasad Bhatt

Chandi Prasad Bhatt is an Indian Gandhian environmentalist and social activist, who founded Dasholi Gram Swarajya Sangh (DGSS) in Gopeshwar in 1964, which later became a mother-organization to the Chipko Movement, in which he was one of the pioneers.
He was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership in 1982, followed by the Padma Bhushan in 2005.
He is known for his work on subaltern social ecology, and considered one of India’s first modern environmentalists.

Asian Development Bank approved the first installment of Rs 1,650 crore for Tripura

The first instalment of Asian Development Bank”s (ADB) Rs 1,650 crore loan for infrastructure development in seven of the eight district headquarter towns in Tripura, has been approved.
The Department of Economic Affairs, under the Finance Ministry of the Indian government has approved the first instalment of Rs 17.75 crore ($2.5 million) of the ADB loan to take up development of seven district headquarters through Urban Development Department of the state government.
The first instalment of Rs 17.75 crore would be spent mainly for conducting engineering survey, preparing estimates and DPRs (Detailed Project Reports) for roads, water supply, drainage, sewerage and major urban infrastructure works in these seven district towns.

Union Ministry of Health launches ‘Mission 2023’

The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has launched the ”World Health Organization (WHO) India Country Cooperation Strategy 2019-2023: A Time of Transition programme in New Delhi.
The Country Cooperation Strategy (CCS) aims to provide WHO with a strategic roadmap to plan its work with India to achieve its health sector goals.
Four areas have been identified for strategic cooperation with WHO.
The objective of the programme is to protect people”s health, promote healthy lifestyle and strengthen India”s global leadership in the health sector
The government has also launched several initiatives to support the same including the Fit India movement, Poshan Abhiyaan and the Eat Right India movement

October 13, 2019

‘Lachit-I’ the first sailing expedition on Brahmaputra to start

NCC Directorate of North Eastern Region has embarked on a pioneering project to conduct the first-ever sailing expedition on the Brahmaputra to commemorate the Battle of Saraighat.
The ‘Lachit-I’ 10-day expedition will be flagged off from Biswanath Chariali on October 16 and after traversing 220 km, it will culminate at Pandu on October 25.
ADG NCC Maj Gen Bipin Bakshi said the waters of the mighty Brahmaputra have been selected for this ambitious initiative, using the expertise available with the military personnel of NCC, three sturdy whaler sailing boats of the Naval NCC Units and support from the Army Eastern Command as well as the Assam government.
The focus of this expedition on the same waters where the famous Battle of Saraighat was fought in 1671, is to rekindle the memories of the epic bravery of the sons of the soil of Assam, while fostering a spirit of adventure amongst the youth.

Assam CM opens Kaziranga park for tourists

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal opened the Kaziranga National Park for the visitors for this season.
Sonowal ceremoniously put the Bagori and Kohora Range of the park open for the tourists at functions held at Bagori and Mihimukh.
Sonowal said that it is a matter of great pride and prestige that Kazirnaga National Park has earned its name in the 17 most iconic centres of the country.
Sonowal also called upon every stakeholder to make a united effort for the serenity and beauty of the park.
Emphasising on the cleanliness of Kaziranga National Park, Sonowal said that all households, restaurants, hotels, resorts must keep their peripheral areas clean to make Kaziranga more beautiful and serene.

Lieutenant General Harsha Gupta named new Commander of White Knight Corps

Lieutenant General Harsha Gupta has been appointed as the new Commander of the White Knight Corps, the XVI Corps of the Indian Army in Jammu and Kashmir.
He took over from Lieutenant General Paramjit Singh Sangha, who relinquished the post with a traditional wreath-laying ceremony at the Nagrota Military Station
Lt Gen Gupta, who belongs to the Sikh Light Infantry, asked officers and troops to remain combat ready on order to thwart the enemy”s designs by maintaining synergy between the Army, the civil administration and the para-military forces.
Lt Gen Sangha conveyed his appreciation to all ranks for their professionalism and steadfast dedication to duty.

FACTFILE – The White Knight Corps

The White Knight Corps, a part of the Northern Command of the Indian Army, was raised in June 1972
It has its headquarters at Nagrota Cantonment, Nagrota, Jammu district, Jammu and Kashmir.
In 2005 IX Corps (India) was raised in part of the XVI Corps’ area, taking over two of its divisions. It includes 10th Infantry Division (India), headquartered at Akhnoor, 25th Infantry Division, headquartered at Rajauri and 39th Infantry Division, with its headquarters at Yol.
It is the largest wheeled formation in the world.

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October 14, 2019

**Khasi film ‘Iewduh‘ wins award at Busan film fest in South Korea**

Iewduh, a Khasi film directed by Pradip Kurbah and produced by Shankar Lall Goenka, has won the Kim Ji-seok Award at the 24th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) in South Korea.
Iewduh was the first film from Meghalaya to enter the BIFF, which is an important destination for Asian filmmakers.
Iewduh director Pradip Kurbah dedicated the Kim Ji-seok Award to the people of Meghalaya and thanked Goenka for producing the film.
Iewduh, also known as Barabazar, is one of the oldest and largest daily markets in Shillong. The film talks about the daily lives of the people in the market.
The film, made under the banner of Shiven Arts, will premiere in India at the 21st Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival later this month.
Iewduh has also been selected for the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), Goa.

IIT Madras inks pact with ExxonMobil for research on energy and biofuels

The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT M) has signed an agreement with ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company for conducting collaborative research on energy and biofuels.
The five-year agreement is focused on data analytics, gas conversion and transport and is aimed towards finding low-emission solutions.
One of the projects being taken up is for developing novel approaches to convert agro residue biomass to sugars and high value chemicals.
The current trend is to develop fuels and fine chemicals from non-food lignocellulosic biomass and agricultural residues, known as second-generation biomass.
Lignocellulosic biomass is the only source of renewable carbon with the ability to maintain carbon neutrality in the environment by reducing the net greenhouse gas emissions.
India is the third highest producer of agro-residues globally with surplus potential of over 230 million tonnes annually, after China and Brazil.
The biofuel potential is expected to get realised in the near future with the new biofuel policy of the government.

Indian origin Abhijit Banerjee and his wife Esther Duflo wins Nobel Prize in Economics

Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Michael Kremer of Harvard University were awarded the 2019 Nobel Prize in Economics “for their experimental approach to alleviating global poverty.”
In just two decades, their new experiment-based approach has transformed development economics, which is now a flourishing field of research.
Banerjee, born 1961 in India, got his PhD in 1988 from Harvard University. Duflo, who was born in 1972 in Paris, obtained her Ph.D in 1999 from MIT. Kremer, who was born in 1964, got his doctorate from Harvard in 1992.
The three were recognized for their ability to divide the vast issue of tackling global poverty into smaller subjects.

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Assam Current Affairs – October 01 – 07, 2019

Posted on December 19, 2019May 16, 2020 by admin

Current Affairs Assam – October 1 - 7, 2019

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

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October 01, 2019

Seaplanes set to be introduced in Assam

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) will introduce water aerodrome or seaplanes in three locations in Assam for the first time, which will boost tourism and connectivity in the state.
Three river fronts were selected in Assam to introduce the water-based ferry for the first time in India.
The three locations selected for the seaplanes include Guwahati, Umrangso and the Kaziranga National Park.
At the end of next year or by early 2021, the water aerodrome or seaplane services would be launched in the Brahmaputra river and Umrangso reservoir.
Three jetties would be built in three locations at a cost of Rs 50 crore.
An area of open water that can be used by seaplanes or amphibious planes for landing and take-off is called a water aerodrome.
The water aerodrome or seaplane services were planned to be introduced under the UDAN scheme, announced by the Central government earlier.
The Union government had earlier planned to launch water aerodrome or seaplane services in six or seven sites. These are Guwahati river front, Umrangso reservoir and Kaziranga National Park in Assam, Nagarjuna Sagar in Andhra Pradesh-Telangana, Sabarmati river front, Shatrunjay Dam and Sardar Sarovar Dam in Gujarat).
SpiceJet on a trial basis had conducted seaplane operations in Ahmedabad and Mumbai.

Air Chief Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria takes over as IAF chief

Air Chief Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria, took over as the new air chief with an assertion that India is ready for any kind of threat. Bhadauria, succeeds Birender Singh Dhanoa.
The 26^th Chief of the Indian Air Force (IAF) has over 4,250 hours of flying experience with 26 different fighter and transport aircraft. He was also extensively involved in the flights of the Light Combat Aircraft Tejas” initial prototypes. Bhadauria was the key negotiator in the deal for 36 Rafale fighters which India is acquiring from Dassault company of France.
Bhadauria said the induction of the Rafale fighter would be a game-changer for India as it would give a big boost to the IAF”s capability.

BIOGRAPHY – Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria

Bhadauria served as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C), Southern Air Command from 1 March 2017, succeeding Air Marshal Sunderraman Neelakantan, to 1 August 2018.
He also served as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C), Training Command from 1 August 2018 after retirement of Air Marshal S R K Nair, and held the office till his elevation to the Vice Chief of the Air Staff.
He took office of Vice Chief of the Air Staff on 1 May 2019 after superannuation of Air Marshal Anil Khosla.
Bhadauria has been awarded several medals: the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (January 2013), the Vayu Sena Medal (January 2002) and the Param Vishisht Seva Medal (January 2018).
He was appointed as the honorary air force ADC to the President of India on 1 January 2019

India successfully test-fired the BrahMos missile

India successfully test-fired the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from the coast of Odisha along the Bay of Bengal.
The missile was launched from the Interim Test Range in Chandipur.
Featuring an Indian propulsion system, airframe, power supply and other major indigenous components, the missile was successfully test-fired for its full range of 290 km during the launch that was jointly conducted by the DRDO and BrahMos Aerospace.
The indigenous content in the formidable weapon has reached a high value with the successful mission thus bolstering India”s defence indigenization and the flagship ”Make in India” programme of the Central government.
The BrahMos, which derives its name from the rivers Brahmaputra of India and Moskva of Russia, has been jointly developed by India and Russia.
The versatile weapon has been operationalized in the Indian armed forces with all three services.

Cisco MOU with Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship to launch e-learning solutions at NSTIs

Cisco signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Directorate General of Training (DGT) of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, to bring the benefits of digital technology to six National Skill Training Institutes (NSTIs).
Under the initiative, NSTIs in Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai, Noida and Kanpur will be equipped with Cisco connected classroom solution.
Which uses Cisco”s collaboration solutions, like Cisco TelePresence and Cisco Webex, to offer next-generation digital learning experience to students and faculty.
The platform is aimed at providing NSTIs with access to new learning experiences, like virtual field trips and specialised skill modules, guest lecturers, as well as industry-connect and mentorship programmes irrespective of location.
Interested trainers and trainees across all ITIs will also have access to new educational resources through the Bharat Skills portal, using their smartphones and other connected devices, enabling them to learn anywhere, anytime and on any device.

Naval version of India’s LCA-Tejas has successfully completed

The naval version of India”s indigenously-built Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas has successfully completed in a single sortie the cycle of short take-off and arrested recovery, necessary for operating on an aircraft carrier.
The sortie was undertaken at a shore-based test facility of INS Hansa in Goa.
A prototype of the LCA”s naval version took off a ski jump from the shore-based location and was subsequently trapped on an arresting gear site.
This was the first occasion when the complete cycle of short launch and arrested recovery necessary for aircraft carrier operations was accomplished in a single sortie.
The experiment was conducted to test the capability of the aircraft, which is under development by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), to take off and land on shorter runways on an aircraft carrier.

October 02, 2019

Sushil Mishra takes charge as CMD of Oil India Limited

Sushil Chandra Mishra assumed the charge of Chairman and Managing Director of Oil India Limited. He has over 35 years of experience in Oil India Limited (OIL).
He also holds a unique distinction of achieving OIL’s first ever overseas discovery as operator in Gabon, setting a foundation for OIL to carry out extensive exploration and production activities at global landscape for its growth.
Prior to taking over the charge as the CMD, he held the position of Executive Director (Rajasthan project), Jodhpur and was responsible for successfully implementing India’s first and deepest cycle system.

FACTFILE – Oil India Limited (OIL)

Oil India Limited (OIL) is the second largest hydrocarbon exploration and production Indian public sector company with its operational headquarters in Duliajan, Assam, India.
The company is a state-owned Navratna under the administrative control of India’s Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas with its corporate offices in Noida in the New Delhi-NCR region.
OIL is engaged in the business of exploration, development and production of crude oil and natural gas, transportation of crude oil and production of liquid petroleum gas.
It’s history spans the discovery of crude oil in the far east of India at Digboi, Assam in 1889 to become a upstream petroleum company is present.

Indian Army to help strengthen Maldivian security forces

Indian Army Chief General Bipin Rawat handed over some transport vehicles to the Maldivian National Defence Force (MNDF) as part of India”s efforts to boost the operational capacities of the island nation.
Talks are underway to hand over different types of weapons and ammunition to the Maldives army.
Assistance will also be given to Maldives to set up an engineering workshop and a diagnostic set-up for the vehicles and other equipment that have been given.
Rawat, who is on a five-day visit to the country has met Maldives Defence Minister Mariya Ahmed Didi, MNDF Chief Major General Abdulla Shamaal and MNDF Vice Chief Brigadier General Abdul Raheem Abdulla.
Discussions during the meeting revolved around the assistance that India”s military could provide in order to boost the training and operational capabilities of the archipelago nation.

TN govt partners with Facebook to boost blood donations in state

The Tamil Nadu government announced that it has directed all blood banks in the state to use the blood donation feature on Facebook to reach out to the voluntary donors.
The government feels social media can help to create awareness and enable voluntary blood donations.
The state government has issued a directive to all blood banks and hospitals in the state to use the Facebook blood donation feature, in order to bridge the gap between blood donors and nearby blood banks.
All banks have gone through comprehensive training workshops to join on board the Facebook blood donation feature and have also learnt how they can connect with donors on this social media site, based on their needs.
Over 22 million people in India have registered as blood donors on Facebook.
Launched in 2017, blood donation feature on Facebook connects people willing to donate blood with opportunities nearby.
People can sign up as donors on this social media platform and get notified when blood banks nearby post about their blood requirements.

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October 03, 2019

IIT Guwahati implements PM’s scholarship scheme for J&K students

The Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IIT-G) along with the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has begun implementing the Prime Minister’s Special Scholarship Scheme for Jammu and Kashmir Students.
IIT Guwahati signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with AICTE for extending internships to students from Jammu and Kashmir.
The objective of the MoU is to provide exposure to the youth from Jammu and Kashmir to advanced academic culture at the higher learning institutes of the country.
As per the MoU signed, IIT-G will enrol 100 meritorious students from Jammu and Kashmir in batches of 25, for internship at the institute from May 1 to 30, 2020.
The MoU includes academic, education and research collaboration where IIT Guwahati will design a detailed programme with popular science lectures from its faculty as well as guest faculty from outside the institute.
The internships will be primarily in the field of research and will be done under various professors at the institute.

Odisha launches Mo Sarkar initiative

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched the ”Mo Sarkar” initiative on the occasion of 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
Under the programme, the Chief Minister and Ministers will call the people to seek their feedback on the kind of response and service they received during their visit to the government hospitals and police stations.
The Chief Minister made phone calls and spoke to people from Balangir, Sundergarh, Malkangiri, Jajpur and Baripada to seek feedback on their experiences at government hospitals.
He also spoke to people from Nayagah, Ganjam, Balasore and Bhawanipatna regarding the service offered at police stations.
In the first phase, the programme would cover all police stations and district headquarters hospitals (DHHs).
Under the programme, when a complainant visits a police station for filing a complaint, his or her mobile number will be uploaded by the police personnel onto the centralised database.
The ”Mo Sarkar” initiative is an important transformative move under the 5T programme introduced by Patnaik. The 5Ts aim at achieving progress through Transparency, Teamwork, Technology, Time and Transformation.

India sets up integrated control room to handle natural calamities

The government is setting up an integrated control room for emergency response especially to handle natural disasters and to carry out a strategic level of monitoring.
The Ministry of Home Affairs proposes to establish an integrated Control Room for Emergency Response in the national capital for handling natural disasters and emergency situations with situational awareness and strategic level of monitoring.
The comprehensive backend and control room infrastructure will be primarily located at New Delhi City Centre-II towers at Jai Singh Marg in New Delhi with an additional room infrastructure in North Block, which will serve as a front office to the control room.
is also planned to augment existing National Database for Emergency Management (NDEM), a GIS-based repository of data, at Shadnagar in Hyderabad and integrate it with control room.
NDEM supports the total cycle of disaster, emergency management for the country, in near real time with a complete database.
The control room will be based on state-of-the-art information technology and will be equipped with latest video walls.

Indian Army Chief, Maldivian President discuss defence ties

Indian Army Chief, General Bipin Rawat met Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, who hailed efforts to revitalise the bilateral defence cooperation.
Gen Rawat is on a five-day official visit to Maldives which is aimed at giving a boost to the bilateral defence ties at a time when China is making aggressive moves to make inroads in the Indian Ocean archipelago nation.
The Indian Army Chief discussed with the Maldivian President issues related to the defence cooperation and ways to step it up.
The Maldivian President commended the joint efforts of both Armed Forces at enhancing and revitalising the bilateral defence cooperation.
Rawat had met Maldivian Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid to discuss mutual relations between the two countries and on working out ways to make the Indian Ocean Region a conflict-free zone.
He also handed over a fleet of transport vehicles to the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) in order to help it increase its operational capability.

October 04, 2019

Silchar ranked 8^th in list of 10 most unclean cities in India

Silchar received a embarrassing distinction of being ranked at 8th position in the list of ten most unclean cities across the country.
Despite atmospheric and territorial challenges, the workers at the SLRM centre have been able to convert a substantial quantity of waste into saleable resource in just 79 days of its journey.
Project Coordinator C Srinivasan informed that assignment at the SLRM centre is for a period of 18 months only while his team has only 15 more months left to accomplish the target.
Deputy Commissioner Laya Madduri expressed the possibilities of turning Silchar free of trash and urged all the stakeholders to pitch in efforts to make it worth a resource-oriented destination for sustainable development in the coming days.

Assam in Swachh Survekshan 2019 Ranking

Rank #303 Guwahati
Rank #370 Nagaon
Rank #415 Dibrugarh
Rank #423 Silchar

ISRO showcase Space Science in 7 Karnataka colleges

To mark the ‘World Space Week’ of the UN General Assembly (UNGA), the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said it would showcase the benefits of space science to students of seven colleges in Karnataka from October 4 to 10.
The U.R. Rao Satellite Centre has teamed up with seven colleges to tell students the benefits of our space programme to attract them to science & technology stream.
The seven institutions are: Poornaprajan Pre-university College at Udupi; SJM Institute of Technology, Chitradurga; Konkan Education Trust High School, Kumta; R.V. College of Engineering, Bengaluru; Tontadarya College of Education, Gadag; Sri Sai Vidyaniketan Residential School, Shahpur; and Siddaganga Institute of Technology, Tumkur.
Competitions for students, exhibition models of satellites, posters, videos and talks about the Indian space programme were part of the agenda.
The satellite centre designs, develops and makes satellites for the space programme to serve key sectors and spur national development.
The UN observes the space week every year from October 4 to 10, coinciding with the launch of the first man-made earth satellite — Sputnik 1 on October 4, 1957 — and the signing of the Outer Space Treaty on October 10, 1967.

Indian Oil launches drive to turn plastic waste into bitumen

Indian Oil Corporation has taken up various initiatives to support the government”s drive to eliminate single use plastic by converting these toxic wastes to productive use.
These initiatives were launched to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatama Gandhi and as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.
The company will use its refinery operations to convert the single use plastic waste into specialised bitumen that can be used for construction of roads and highways.
A pilot project has been done at Faridabad via the creation of a “Single Use Waste Plastic” based bituminous road.
The company will commercially supply the specialised bitumen for use in road construction going ahead.
Has developed special grade crumb rubber modified bitumen (CRMB55) which has been designed using waste single use plastic material.
The company issued an Expression of Interest (EoI) for procurement of single-use plastic waste which can be economically converted into the specialised bitumen.
The national EoI is for assessing the market availability and willingness of various organised aggregators and NGOs to supply different types of waste plastics in commercial quantities on consistent basis.

New French, EU envoys present credentials to Indian President

New French ambassador to India Emmanuel Lenain and the European Union Ambassador Ugo Astuto presented their credentials to President Ram Nath Kovind at Rashtrapati Bhawan.
Lenain underscored the historic ties of friendship and trust between the two nations and said the two sides are united by a strategic partnership since 1998, which recently expanded to include digital technology and cybersecurity.
Lenain also highlighted France’s determination to deepen the two countries’ strategic cooperation, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region.
He shared France’s desire to forge a partnership for the future with India by supporting the major programmes shaping tomorrow’s India.
Astuto said the European Union and India upgraded their long-standing relationship to a strategic partnership in 2004, based on their common goals and principles.
Since then, the EU and India have been cooperating closely, reinforcing political, economic and people-to-people ties.
This cooperation was further broadened at the last summit in 2017 and has received new momentum through the adoption of the EU’s strategy on India, in November 2018.
The EU and India enjoy strong trade and investment relations and are members of the G20, where they co-operate in shaping the global economic agenda, supporting sustainable development and the multilateral international trade system.
The EU is also collaborating with India on several flagship initiatives such as Smart Cities, Clean Ganga, as well as in the context of the International Solar Alliance.

Flipkart and UP Khadi & Village Industries Board ink pact

Flipkart has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Uttar Pradesh Khadi & Village Industries Board (UPKVIB) as part of the Flipkart ‘Samarth’ initiative.
This initiative is aimed at enabling artisans, weavers and craftsmen from diverse backgrounds and rural parts of the country to set up their business on Flipkart.
The MoU was signed in the presence of Uttar Pradesh’s Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
As part of the Samarth programme, eligible entities and artisans will receive incubation support in the form of onboarding, cataloguing, account management, business insights, dedicated seller support, reduced commission (where eligible) and warehousing.
The Uttar Pradesh government is supporting the initiative by fast-tracking collaboration between Flipkart and UPKVIB registered affiliates that work in the arts, handicrafts and textile space.
UPKVIB and Flipkart will work together to help weavers and artisans sell Khadi fabrics and village industries products across Flipkart’s pan-India customer base of over 160 million.

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October 05, 2019

IIT Guwahati-AICTE pact to benefit J-K students

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Guwahati, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) for implementing the Prime Minister’s Special Scholarship Scheme for students from Jammu and Kashmir.
The objective of the MoU is to provide exposure to the youths from Jammu and Kashmir to advanced academic culture at the higher learning institutes of the country.
The exchange of agreements was held at the IIT Council meeting recently between Prof TG Sitharam, Director of IIT Guwahati, and Prof Anil D Sahasrabudhe, Chairman of AICTE, in the presence of Union Minister for Human Resource Development (HRD) Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’.
As per the pact, IIT Guwahati will enroll 100 meritorious students from Jammu and Kashmir in batches of 25, for internship at the institute from May 1 to 30 next year.
The MoU includes academic, education and research collaboration where IIT Guwahati will design a detailed programme with popular science lectures from its distinguished faculty as well as guest faculty from outside the institute.

NHA, Google tie up for Ayushman Bharat implementation

The National Health Authority (NHA) has joined hands with Google to collaborate and strengthen the implementation of the government”s flagship health scheme, Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY).
The two organizations will be working closely to explore various user cases for increasing process efficiencies in day-to-day applications.
Google will also support NHA in improving PM-JAY”s digital presence and showcasing relevant content to the 50 crore entitled beneficiaries.
Google will also help provide training and support to NHA personnel to build on digital skills.
The collaboration will seek to bolster PM-JAY”s objective of reaching the poor and vulnerable, reducing their high out-of-pocket health expenditure, and improving access to quality healthcare.
The NHA is implementing the programme, hailed as the world”s largest public funded health insurance scheme aimed to bring quality healthcare to around 50 crore poor and vulnerable Indians across India.
The mission of NHA is to create the world”s best health assurance programme on an efficient and technologically robust eco-system.

WHO, FIFA sign deal to promote healthy lifestyle through soccer

The World Health Organization and FIFA signed a four-year cooperation deal that aims to encourage people to follow a healthy lifestyle through soccer.
WHO, in return, will provide FIFA with a series of technical health advice aimed at improving hygiene and preventing diseases.
Measures include banning smoking at stadiums or during events organized by the soccer international governing body.
Both parties have already collaborated in order to ban smoking at soccer competitions, as happened at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
The deal also includes initiatives that boost physical activities through soccer with the backing of national soccer federations, goodwill ambassadors, soccer players, coaches and volunteers.

October 06, 2019

‘Brahmaputra Dialogue’ discussion on promotion of startups in NE, South East Asia

The 2^nd edition of the Brahmaputra Dialogue, an initiative to provide a platform for thought leaders across all sectors to discuss, deliberate and arrive at outcome-based solutions regarding key issues concerning India’s North-east and the greater South East Asia region held at Guwahati.
The topic of the event was ‘Accelerating the Startup Ecosystem in North East India and the Future of Business and Trade in the South East Asian region’ where Arjun Vaidya, Aryata Agarwal, Shyamkanu Mahanta, Pranjal Konwar and Sriparna Baruah took part as the panelists.
More than 60 young leaders and entrepreneurs from diverse professional backgrounds attended the session.
Discussions were also held about the challenges and opportunities of doing business in the region, and key steps to promote North-east as a startup hub in India.

India, Bangladesh sign 7 pacts

India and Bangladesh marked the “sonali adhyay” (golden era) in bilateral ties with the inking of seven agreements, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with visiting Bangladesh Premier Sheikh Hasina.
During the talks, the Bangladesh PM voiced concerns over Assam’s National Register of Citizens (NRC) and raised the Teesta water and the Rohingya refugee issues.
The two sides hailed the bilateral ties. The agreements, included pact for a joint coastal surveillance system.
Through video link, the two leaders inaugurated three development partnership projects
1. Import of bulk LPG from Bangladesh to Tripura through trucks
2. Vivekananda Bhaban (student’s hostel) at Ramakrishna Mission, Dhaka
3. Bangladesh-India Professional Skill Development Institute (BIPSDI) at the Institution of Diploma Engineers Bangladesh (IDEB), Khulna.
The two leaders emphasised on initiatives for development of closer maritime security partnership, and noted the progress made in the finalisation of an MoU for establishment of a coastal surveillance radar system in Bangladesh.
Both sides agreed to expedite commissioning of a joint study on prospects of signing a bilateral comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA).
Modi and Sheikh Hasina also agreed to expedite work towards drawing upon a $500 million defence line of credit, extended by India to Bangladesh. The implementation arrangements for this was finalised in April.
They also signed an MoU on withdrawal of 1.82 cusec of water from the Feni river by India for the drinking water scheme for Sabroom town in Tripura.
The two leaders agreed that the loss of civilian lives at the border was a matter of concern and asked border forces to enhance coordinated measures to bring such border incidents down to zero.

School kids plant 350 trees near Mumbai station

As part of the ongoing ”Joy of Giving Week” organised by the Western Railway (WR), around 150 students of the Ryan Group of Institutions (RGI) planted more than 350 Ashoka tree saplings near the Jogeshwari station.
The children were accompanied by a favourite cartoon character, Nicktoon ”Dora the Explorer” and child actor Abhishek Sharma in the event organised by the WR, Nickelodeon and RGI to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
During the week, there will be more activities for the children focusing on awareness and conservation of the environment, educating them on the consequences of carbon footprints and related aspects.
Pioneering children-related empowerment themes, Nickelodeon has also organized campaigns like ”Surakshabandhan”, International Day of Yoga and Road Safety Week.

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October 07, 2019

IIT Guwahati develops AI powered Smart-Engineer

The Indian Institute of Technology-Guwahati (IIT-G) announced the development of an Artificial Intelligence (AI) assisted engineering system design tool called the ‘Smart-Engineer’.
The current version of the Smart-Engineer is able to address the fundamentals involved in the design of induction motors.
The early results are very promising, and we now intend to expand the capability of Smart-Engineer to include the finer aspects of motor design.
The tool is built by a team comprising PhD and Masters students, Rajendra Kumar, Bikash Sah, Ankit Vishway and Rajendra Kumar, by leveraging the IBM Watson AI Platform and IBM Cloud.
The ‘Smart-Engineer’, built by the e-mobility lab at the IIT-G seeks to address one of the primary hurdles in indigenising the EV technology, which is the lack of trained human resources in engineering design and system integration.
It will enable companies to store and maintain the collective knowledge of expert engineers, which in turn can preserve and promote further theoretical and practical advancements in design thinking/philosophy.

Indian women in UAE launch mission to protect environment

The Indian Ladies Association (ILA), a United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based community welfare body, has launched a year-long mission to protect the environment through a series of initiatives, including collection of discarded paper, e-waste, cleaning of beaches and tree planting in Abu Dhabi.
The ILA has committed to run sustainable environmentally friendly and social awareness campaigns in the community each month and this would continue throughout the year to educate people about the environment and seek their participation in making the world a greener place.
The ILA just provides a platform to the community to come forward and participate in the environmentally friendly campaigns.
The ILA is one of the five Indian community organisations in Abu Dhabi which are registered with the UAE’s Ministry of Community Development.
It was also planning to spread environmental awareness among labourers. As part of the mission, the ILA will visit labour camps to give saplings to workers to plant.

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Assam Govt forms panel to review Detention Centres

President signed a warrant paving Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde as next Chief Justice of India

Odisha govt approves Rs 17.5 crore under the ”Mo Sarkar” initiative for 587 police stations

CSCs to provide telemedicine services in rural areas

IIT Madras develops AI Platform to solve complex engineering problems

IIIT Hyderabad MOU with TiE to promote Deep Tech Special Group

Odisha govt announces incentives for sportspersons

India, Saudi Arabia inks Strategic Partnership Council agreement

Himachal Pradesh brings over 2,000 panchayats under natural farming

Microsoft developed a smartphone-based driving test system

Jammu and Kashmir officially bifurcated into two UTs

DRDO exhibits new fuel cell-based marine propulsion system

Mumbai, Hyderabad designated as UNESCO creative cities

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Down Town Hospital successfully performed the first liver transplant in NE

Indian Army carries out integrated fire power exercise

Marconi Society Annual Awards for Apps developed by Indian students

Union Minister for Culture & Tourism launches CCRT’s e-portal

Assam Cabinet decides no Govt jobs for persons having more than 2 children

NE Region’s contribution to India’s economy meager, says ADB

Indian Air Force test fires Brahmos missiles

Pankaj Kumar appointed as UIDAI CEO

India-Bangladesh Stakeholders’ Meet at Guwahati

Assam Govt expands Atal Amrit Abhiyan health insurance scheme

New Department of Registration in J&K

India jumps 14 positions in the World Bank’s ‘Doing Business’ list

Union Cabinet Approvals revival of BSNL and MTNL

IIT Guwahati bagged 10th position in the QS India University Rankings 2020

Chennai Corporation starts health awareness drive through students

Himachal Pradesh Cabinet approved a policy to provide cost effective Ayush services

International meet on nutraceuticals, chronic diseases held at IIT Guwahati

India, Pakistan sign Kartarpur pact

IIT Madras team develops simple technique to produce Graphene platelets

Uttar Pradesh CM launches scheme for girl child

Tea Board looking for technology to ensure traceability of tea

Govt plans to run Ladakh completely on renewable energy

P S Sreedharan Pillai appointed as Mizoram governor

India and Ecuador ink protocol to start trade negotiations

Poor infrastructure deterring flow of medical tourists, foreign students to Assam, says ADB report

Uttar Pradesh CM inaugurated projects and laid foundation stones of schemes for forest-dwelling Vantangiya community

Manohar Lal Khattar takes oath as Haryana CM

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IIT Guwahati joins hands with Japan institute for international symposium

Delhi cabinet nod for new skill, entrepreneurship university

Andhra Pradesh launches ”Rythu Bharosa” scheme

Margaret Atwood,Bernardine Evaristo won 2019 Booker Prize

3rd Shirui Lily Festival begins in Ukhrul, Manipur

India, US Special Forces hold joint military drill

India hands over 2- Mi 24V choppers to Afghanistan

Government Announced 14 new Institutes for Media and Entertainment Sector

Assam set to have India’s first International Multi-Modal Hub

Half of India’s children suffer from malnutrition, says UNICEF Report

India conducts bilateral air exercise ‘Eastern Bridge V’ with Oman

Union Environment Ministry directed Assam Govt to take steps to declare Poba reserve forest a wildlife sanctuary

Hailakandi first district in Assam to introduce online leave application

Karnataka tops India Innovation Index 2019

NASSCOM to train Army veterans for IT jobs

Goa signs an MoU with STPI for start-up centre

2 persons from Assam selected for National award in Agriculture promotion

Anup Kumar Singh appointed as Chief of National Security Guard

NASA astronauts conduct first all-women space walk

Assam Cabinet adopts new land policy

DNA Technology Regulation Bill referred to Parliamentary panel

Arvind Kejriwal inaugurates 100 Mohalla Clinics in Delhi

India, Thailand joint naval exercise

Infrastructure projects worth Rs 2,500 crore approved in Arunachal Pradesh

UN endorses India’s steps to address hunger, malnutrition

India seeks UN action to combat anti-microbial resistance

Vice President presents Most Eminent Senior Citizen Award

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IAF celebrates 87th Air Force Day

Nobel prize in physics awarded to James Peebles, Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz

William Kaelin and Gregg Semanza and Peter Ratcliffe win Nobel Prize in Medicine for work on how cells adapt to oxygen

India receives first Rafale fighter in France

India ranks 68th on Global Competitiveness Index

National Health Mission index: Haryana, Assam, Kerala among top 5 performers

Union Govt launches Ganga Aamantran Abhiyan

IIT Guwahati bagged 10^th position in the QS India University Rankings 2020

3^rd Shirui Lily Festival begins in Ukhrul, Manipur

IAF celebrates 87^th Air Force Day

India ranks 68^th on Global Competitiveness Index

**Khasi film ‘Iewduh‘ wins award at Busan film fest in South Korea**

Silchar ranked 8^th in list of 10 most unclean cities in India