Indian Govt is working to issue chip-based e-passports to Indian citizens under a centralized passport system. This will prepare a centralized system connected to the passport service for all, work is on for issuing of the chip-based e-passport.
Work was on to simplify the process of issuing visas to PIO (Person of Indian Origin) and OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) cards.
India, Mauritius discuss strengthening bilateral ties, cooperation in Blue Economy
India and Mauritius discussed strengthening the entire gamut of their bilateral ties and discussed ways to further expand cooperation in areas like Blue Economy during a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Mauritian counterpart Pravind Jugnauth.
The talks focussed on initiatives to further strengthen the bilateral ties, including finalisation of the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Partnership Agreement (CEPCA).
FACTFILE – India–Mauritius bilateral Relations
Diplomatic relations were established in 1948, before Mauritius became independent state.
The cultural affinities and long historical ties between the two nations have contributed to strong and cordial relations between the two nations.
More than 68% of the Mauritian population are of Indian origin, most commonly known as Indo-Mauritians.
India and Mauritius co-operate in combating piracy, which has emerged as a major threat in the Indian Ocean region and Mauritius supports India’s stance against terrorism.
A key turning point in the relationship came in 1983, when India came to the point of military intervention in Mauritius in Operation Lal Dora to ensure that it stayed in India’s strategic orbit.
In 2015, Indian Prime Minister signed an agreement to set up eight Indian-controlled coastal surveillance radar stations.
Economic and commercial corporation has been increasing over the years.
India is Mauritius’ largest source of imports since 2007 and Mauritius imported US$816 million worth of goods in the April 2010-March 2011 financial year.
Mauritius has remained the largest source of FDI for India for more than a decade.
India is Mauritius’ largest trading partner.
Mauritius is part of India’s security grid including Coastal Surveillance Radar (CSR) station of Indian Navy’s National Command Control Communication Intelligence network.
India’s first all-woman political party ‘National Women’s Party (NWP)’ launched
India’s first-ever all-women political party, the National Women’s Party (NWP) launched in Mumbai and it will contest half of the 545 Lok Sabha seats in the 2019 elections.
The NWP has been founded by a medico and social activist, Dr. Shwetha Shetty, and will strive for 50 per cent reservation for women in the lower House.
The NWP plans to create an environment for full development of women which enables them to realise their full potential and help achieve the goals of empowerment.
Himachal CM lays foundation stones of Smart City projects
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur laid the foundation stones of projects totaling Rs. 145.43 crore as part of the Smart City Mission, including digitisation and uplift of infrastructure.
He also launched an online portal to provide information about the availability and delivery of services in the city. It was developed at a cost of Rs 1.29 crore.
He laid the foundation stones of a rooftop solar power plant , smart roads, intelligent barriers, bus shelters, parks and playgrounds, sewerage treatment and water supply projects.
FACTFILE – Himachal Pradesh
Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is bordered by states of Jammu and Kashmir on the north, Punjab on the west, Haryana on the southwest, Uttarakhand on the southeast, and Tibet on the east.
After independence, many of the hilly territories were organized as the Chief Commissioner’s province of Himachal Pradesh which later became a UT. In 1966, hilly areas of neighboring Punjab state were merged into Himachal and it was ultimately granted full statehood in 1971.
Agriculture, horticulture, hydropower and tourism are important constituents of the state’s economy.
The hilly state is almost universally electrified with 99.5% of the households having electricity as of 2016. The state was declared India’s second open-defecation free state in 2016.
According to a survey of CMS – India Corruption Study 2017, Himachal Pradesh is India’s least corrupt state.
January 23, 2019
PM inaugurated the Subhas Chandra Bose museum at Red Fort
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Subhas Chandra Bose museum at Red Fort to mark the leader’s 122nd birth anniversary.
The museum on Bose and the Indian National Army showcases various artifacts include wooden chair and sword used by the leader, medals, badges, uniforms etc. related to Subhash Chandra Bose and INA.
The Yaad-e-Jallian Museum provides an authentic account of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre that happened on April 13, 1919. The museum will also showcase the heroism, valour and sacrifices made by Indian soldiers during the World War-I.
The Museum on 1857-India’s first war of Independence portrays the historical narrative of 1857 war of independence, showcasing the valour and sacrifices made by Indians during the period.
NFR launches all-women squad ‘Joymati Bahini’ for safety of women passengers
To ensure security of women train passengers, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) of Lumding division has launched a dedicated RPF Women Squad named as Joymati Bahini. The squad comprises women sub-inspectors and constables of the Railway Protection Force.
Joymati Bahini was officially launched by B.B. Mishra, Inspector General cum Principal Chief Security Commissioner of NFR at Kamkhaya Railway Station.
The main aim of the Joymati Bahini is to strengthen women security around Guwahati region within railway premises and trains.
Members of the Joymati Bahini started their duty by interacting with women passengers at the Guwahati and Kamkhya Railway stations.
Their main focus area is to enhance women security by ensuring sanctity of reserved compartments, women compartments
Assam Government nod for 10 per cent quota for economically backwards
The State government decided to give ten per cent reservation for economically backward classes in government jobs. The decision was announced by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary after a cabinet meeting.
The cabinet also decided to release Rs 95 crore to the water resources department for embankment repair and relief for flood affected farmers.
The government will provide Rs 5,000 each to five lakh farmers under agriculture implements and tools scheme.
The cabinet also decided to fix the minimum salary for labour welfare officers in tea gardens at Rs 15,000.
The government will construct hospitals under the Assam Tea Plantation Provident Fund and Pension Fund Scheme.
The government will distribute 20 per cent of the surplus amount from Ayusman Bharat and Atal Amrit Yojana among working doctors, nurses, sweepers and other staff of hospitals.
India, Japan reiterate cooperation in Indo-Pacific
India and Japan reiterated that they would continue to work for peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region during a meeting between External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono.
The two leaders exchanged views on regional and global issues of common interest, they reaffirmed that based on shared values and interests, the India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership has acquired a broader significance in the current global context and has become a factor of prosperity and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
India, along with Japan, the US and Australia, in 2017 revived a quad that seeks to work for peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific, a region that stretches from the east coast of Japan to the east coast of Africa.
Sushma Swaraj and Kono held discussions on follow-up actions taken on decisions taken during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Japan for the 13th India-Japan Annual Summit in October last year.
Delhi government collaborates with Washington University to monitor air quality
Delhi government has signed a MoU with Washington University (St Louise) to undertake a real-time Source Apportionment Study in India’s national capital to evaluate the air quality issues.
The MoU is aimed at a joint study to be undertaken by the Washington University and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) for the real-time source apportionment with special reference to particulate matter (PM)2.5.
Analysis of elemental, organic carbon and 72 inorganic elements will also be undertaken under the study.
The work will be undertaken by the personnel of the Aerosol and Air Quality Research Laboratory (AAQRL). Under the study, two special monitors will be used to obtain the composition of PM2.5.
The data will help to understand the source profile which needs to be regulated for the effective improvement of air quality in the city.
Wireless sensors will also be deployed in the city to help monitor the real-time air quality and the source of pollution at select locations in the city.
Sheikh Hasina takes oath as Bangladesh PM for 4th term
Sheikh Hasina was sworn in as Bangladesh’s Prime Minister for a record fourth term following her party’s victory in the recent election.
PM Hasina was sworn in along with her new 47-member Cabinet before President Abdul Hamid at his official residence in Dhaka.
BIOGRAPHY – Sheikh Hasina
Sheikh Hasina Wazed is serving as the 10th Prime Minister of Bangladesh, having held the office since January 2009. She is the longest serving prime minister in the history of Bangladesh.
She is the daughter of Bangladesh’s first President Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
She previously served as opposition leader from 1986 to 1990 and from 1991 to 1995, as Prime Minister from 1996 to 2001, and has been leading the Bangladesh Awami League since 1981.
In 2008, she returned as Prime Minister with a landslide victory.
In January 2014, she became Prime Minister for a third term and also won a fourth term in December 2018.
Hasina is considered one of the most powerful women in the world, ranking 26th on Forbes’ list of The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women in 2018.
She is a member of the Council of Women World Leaders, an International network of current and former women presidents and prime ministers.
Cabinet approves Citizenship Amendment Bill
The Union Cabinet approved the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 that aims to give citizenship to illegal migrants of six minority groups from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The Union Cabinet, cleared the bill soon after a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) presented its report in the Lok Sabha endorsing the move to legalize minority immigrants who entered Assam till December 31, 2014.
LS passes bills on right to education, personal laws
The Lok Sabha passed “Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Amendment) Bill, 2018” and “The Personal Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2018”.
Union Minister of Human Resource Development Prakash Javadekar introduced “Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Amendment) Bill, 2018” saying that the amendment made by the Rajya Sabha in the bill to further amend the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 be taken into consideration.
Union Minister P.P. Choudhary introduced “Personal Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2018” to amend the Divorce Act, 1869; Dissolution of Muslim Marriage Act, 1939; Special Marriage Act, 1954; Hindu Marriage Act, 1955; and the Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act, 1956. It strikes out leprosy as a ground for seeking divorce.
January 09, 2018
India, Norway to boost cooperation on SDGs, Ocean economy
India and Norway agreed to work in close cooperation on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the ocean economy following delegation-level talks headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Norwegian counterpart Erna Solberg.
The two sides signed the terms of reference for the establishment of a Dialogue on Trade and Investment, which would give impetus to business cooperation and encourage participation of Norwegian companies in the flagship programmes of India.
Conclusion of the free trade negotiations between EFTA (European Free Trade Association) and India is a priority for both governments.
The agreement on bilateral ocean dialogue signed between the two sides following the talks will give new direction to cooperation in all sectors in this area. A joint task force on Blue Economy was also established in order to promote multi-sectoral cooperation in various aspects of Blue Economy.
They also urged the international community to work towards early finalisation of the (India-initiated) Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism mooted by India at the UN.
Lok Sabha passes DNA technology bill
The Lok Sabha passed “The DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill, 2019,
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.
There are only 30-40 DNA profiling experts in the country and 15-18 labs, but no DNA data bank is available in the country so far.
Over 40,000 unidentified bodies were recovered and around 1 lakh children were found missing previous year, as per a government data. So there is a need for a bill to identify them. Despite that, there is need to apprehend repeated offenders through DNA profiling.
The Bill establishes a DNA Regulatory Board. Every DNA laboratory that analyses a DNA sample to establish the identity of an individual, has to be accredited by the Board.
Written consent by individuals is required to collect DNA samples from them. Consent is not required for offences with punishment of more than seven years of imprisonment or death.
The Bill provides for the removal of DNA profiles of suspects on filing of a police report or court order, and of undertrials on the basis of a court order. Profiles in the crime scene and missing persons’ index will be removed on a written request.
Vikram Misri assume office as Indian envoy to China
India’s new envoy to China Vikram Misri, discussed the bilateral ties with top Chinese officials.
The envoy, who succeeds Gautam Bambawale, met Hong Lei, Deputy Director General of Protocol at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing, and presented his credentials.
Misri also met Wu Jianghao, Director General of Asian Affairs of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Misri, 54, was serving as Indian envoy in Myanmar before China assignment.
He was also stationed in various Indian Missions in Europe, Africa, Asia, and North America.
The 380th tithi mahotsav of Bhattadev and the 71st biennial session of Kamrup Damodar Sangha was held with a two-day programme from December 27.
the biennial subject committee meeting was held with Jatindra Nath Sarma, president, Kamrup Damodar Sangha in the chair.
In the open meeting, a new committee was selected with Jatindra Nath Sarma as president, Kumud Chakrabartty as the working president and Bipin Chandra Das as the general secretary. In a resolution, the meeting demanded the State government to reconstruct the present temple to accommodate a large gathering along with proper sanitation facilities.
FACTFILE – Bhattadeva (1558–1638)
Baikunthanatha Bhagavata Bhattacharya is acknowledged as the father of Assamese prose.
Though Bhaktiratnakar-katha, the Assamese translation of Sankardev’s Sanskrit composition Bhaktiratnakar by Gopala Charana Dwija preceded the works of Bhattadeva, Bhattadeva’s prose had an influence in the development of a high and dignified style.
Bhattadeva’s and Gopala Charana Dvija’s 16th century works are considered to be the earliest examples of prose in Indian languages.
Bhattadeva’s erudition in Sanskrit grammar and literature, and his command over the Bhagavata earned him the title of Bhagavata Bhattacharya
Nagaland way behind SDG targets: NITI Report
Nagaland, along with Mizoram and Goa, are the three worst performers under industry, innovation and infrastructure category with a zero score in implementation of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) targets, according to SDG India Index Baseline Report, 2018 released by NITI Aayog.
Majority of the States and Union Territories (UTs) have fallen behind on this goal with 26 States and UTs in the “Aspirant” category with index score less than 50.
In SDG index score for the goal of industry, innovation and infrastructure, Nagaland is also among the last three worst performers with a score of 40. Manipur ranked the lowest with a score of 33.
Under the SDG index score for the goal of good health and well-being, the State again has one of the lowest score (34) under the ‘Aspirant’ category.
However, under the SDG index score for the goal of peace, justice and strong, Nagaland is one of the “frontrunners” with a score of 87. Under the goal of zero hunger, the State was accorded 69 points which also falls under the same category. In the goal of clean water and sanitation, it stood at 58.
The SDG index score for the goal of reduced inequalities for Nagaland stood at 80 which falls under the “front runner” category while Meghalaya, Mizoram and Telangana were the only three States which were deemed as “achievers”.
In general, from among the States, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu have come out as the front runners in implementing the 2030 SDG targets.
Along with the three States, the UTs of Chandigarh and Puducherry were also among the front runners on the SDG India Index with a score between 65 to 99 on a scale of 0 to 100, where 100 signifies that it has achieved the 2030 national targets.
FACTFILE – SDG India Index
The NITI Aayog developed the country’s first SDG India Index to document the progress made by the States and UTs towards meeting SDG targets and released a baseline report for 2018.
The SDG India Index was constructed spanning across 13 out of 17 SDGs. The index tracks the progress of all the States and UTs on a set of 62 priority indicators, measuring their progress on the outcomes of the interventions and schemes of the Government of India. The SDG India Index is intended to provide a holistic view on the social, economic and environmental status of the country and its States and UTs.
Each of the 17 SDGs are mapped with a set of 169 targets to be achieved by 2030. These were used as the foundation for building the SDG India Index.
Cabinet Approves National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCIM) Bill, 2018
The cabinet has approved the setting up of the National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCIM) Bill, 2018 that provides for conducting overall education of traditional medicine system of Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha and Sowa-Rigpa- commonly known as Tibetan system of medicine.
The cabinet has also approved the National Commission for Homoeopathy (NCH) Bill, 2018, that proposes setting up a new panel entrusted with conducting overall education of Homoeopathy.
The NCIM Bill, seeks to replace the existing regulator Central Council for Indian Medicine (CCIM) with a new body to ensure transparency.
The draft Bill provides for the constitution of a National Commission with four autonomous boards entrusted with conducting overall education of Ayurveda, under Board of Ayurveda and Unani, Siddha and Sowa-Rigpa under Board of Unani, Siddha and Sowa-Rigpa.
Union Cabinet approved listing of seven CPSE through IPO and FPO
The seven PSUs are Telecommunication Consultants (India) Ltd, RailTel Corporation India Ltd, National Seed Corporation India Ltd, Tehri Hydro Development Corporation Ltd, Water and Power Consultancy Services (India) Ltd, FCI Aravali Gypsum and Minerals (India) Ltd, and Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Ltd (KIOCL) are to be listed on stock exchange through initial public offering (IPO) and one Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) to issue follow-on public offer (FPO).
Listing in the Stock Market – Initial Public Offering (IPO) and (FPO) Follow-on Public Offering (FPO).
IPO
FPO
Initial Public Offering (IPO) refers to an offer of securities made to the public for subscription, by the company.
Follow-on Public Offering (FPO) means an offer of securities for subscription to public, by an publicly traded enterprise.
First public issue
Second or third public issue
Issued by Unlisted Company
Issues by already listed Company
Objective of raising capital through public investment.
Objective of Subsequent public investment.
India commits Rs 4,500 crore to Bhutan’s 12th Five-Year Plan
India announced that it will contribute Rs 4,500 crore to Bhutan’s 12th Five-Year Plan, following delegation-level talks headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bhutanese counterpart Lotay Tshering.
India will provide a transitional trade support facility of Rs 400 crore over a period of five years to strengthen bilateral trade and economic linkages.
There are a number of institutional mechanisms between India and Bhutan in areas like security, border management, trade, economy, hydroelectricity, development cooperation and water resources.
India has already set up three hydro-power projects in Bhutan with a total capacity of 1,416MW, which are operational. About three-fourths of the power generated is exported to India and the rest is used for domestic consumption.
Both leaders reiterated their commitment to jointly develop 10,000MW of hydro-power generating capacity in Bhutan and in this regard discussed the 2,560 Sunkosh hydro-power project.
December 30
Assam CM lays foundation of NDRF’s new campus
Chief Minister SarbanandaSonowal laid the foundation stone of the new campus of the National Disaster Response Force’s (NDRF) 1st Battalion at Amsing.
The Chief Minister said NDRF has always been playing a stellar role during natural calamity in the spheres of disaster management and people of the country depend on their services during such critical times.
NDRF and SDRF are both providing services during critical situations which have been instrumental in saving both life and property.
FACTFILE – The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF)
It is a specialised force constituted “for the purpose of specialist response to a threatening disaster situation or disaster” under the Disaster Management Act, 2005.
The responsibility for disaster management in India’s federal system is that of the State Government. The ‘nodal Ministry’ in the central government for management of natural disasters is the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
When ‘calamities of severe nature’ occur, the Central Government is responsible for providing aid and assistance to the affected state, including deploying, at the State’s request, of Armed Forces, Central Paramilitary Forces, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and such communication, air and other assets, as are available and needed.
National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is under the National Disaster Management Authority, the “Apex Body for Disaster Management” in India.
The Prime Minister is the ex-officio chairperson of the NDMA.
Third Annual ‘Dwijing Festival’ in Chirang district
The ongoing third annual ‘Dwijing Festival’ on bank of the Aie river in Chirang district coveys a strong message that we (all communities) were and will live and work together in the State, said Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, who participated in the festival.
He also said that the nation or the State which has rich water resources can make rapid progress and to make it understand and to present the importance of the rivers ‘Namami Brahmaputra’ and ‘Namami Barak’ river festivals were celebrated in the State.
BTC Chief Hagrama Mahilary termed the Dwijing Festival as the reflection of development, amity, unity and solidarity among the communities living in BTC which, according to him, saw better development after the BJP assumed power in the State and at the Centre.
Mahilary expressed his desire to upgrade this ‘Dwijing (Dwi-water/river, jing-bank) festival’ to a scale similar to the ‘Hornbill Festival’ of Nagaland next year.
FACTFILE – DWIJING FEST 2018-19
The Dwijing Festival is an annual river festival to be celebrated in the BTAD region with various colorful events viz. ethnic trade and food festival, exhibition, games & sports, river campaign & adventure and various culture programs to make it a centre of attraction for the visitors as a New Year Festival.
Being a medium/platform of earning for the local and others of the region, the festival put its focus especially to the buisness activities for the better economy generation through rural tourism. However the festival is meant to provide help to the flood victim families through charity generation and distribution.
FACTFILE – River Aie (Mother) River
River Aie originates from the Himalayan Mountains of Bhutan and flows through the Chirang and Bongaigaon districts of Assam before joining the river Brahmaputra.
The River creates a massive attraction for many tourists (locals/visiting) for picnic and weekend activities during the winter season and in summer the river creates massive damages to both the sideways due to heavy rainfall resulting in loss of properties and lives of many families.
India submits sixth national report to Convention of Biological Diversity
India on 29th December submitted its sixth national report (NR6) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) highlighting the progress it has made in achieving the 12 National Biodiversity Targets (NBT) set under the convention process.
The report highlights that while India had already exceeded two targets, it was on track to achieve another eight soon. The remaining two would be met by the stipulated time of 2020.
As per the NR6 report, India had been investing a huge amount on biodiversity directly or indirectly through several development schemes of the Central and state governments — to the tune of Rs 70,000 crore per annum as against the estimated annual requirement of nearly Rs 1,09,000 crore.
India has nearly two-thirds of the population of wild tigers in the world. The population of lion has risen from 177 in 1968 to over 520 in 2015, and elephants from 12,000 in 1970s to 30,000 in 2015.
One-horned Indian Rhino which was on the brink of extinction during the early 20th century, now number 2,400.
Further, while globally over 0.3 per cent of total recorded species are critically endangered, in India only 0.08 per cent of the species recorded are in this category.
India is committed to protecting its rich heritage of biodiversity which are so vital to our economic and social development.
Assam Publication Board Lifetime Achievement Award to Nagen Saikia
The Publication Board, Assam today announced its Lifetime Achievement Award for the current year to former Asam Sahitya Sabha president Prof Nagen Saikia.
The award consists of a cash amount of Rs 2 lakh, a citation, a shawl and a packet of books published by the Publication Board.
India, China agree on ‘10 pillars’ of cooperation
Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi held extensive talks under a newly set up framework and agreed on “10 pillars” of cooperation to enhance cultural and people-to-people exchanges to open a new chapter in Sino-India ties.
Minister said the armies of the two countries are working to strengthen communication and striving to implement confidence building measures that will help in maintaining peace and tranquility in border areas, which she said, is an important prerequisite for development of ties.
On trade ties, there was a need to find a solution to India’s expanding trade deficit with China and hoped that China will provide support for market access to Indian goods and services.
India and China have agreed on ‘10 pillars’ of cooperation to enhance cultural and people-to-people exchanges. These pillars are cultural exchange, cooperation in films and television, museum administration and sports, exchanges between youths, cooperation on tourism, exchanges between states and cities, cooperation in traditional medicine, yoga and education.
India and Japan signed loan agreements worth more than Rs 6,600 crore
India and Japan exchanged notes and signed loan agreements worth more than Rs 6,600 crore for developing the second phase of Chennai Metro, to help India on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and for a dairy project.
The Government of Japan has committed JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) Official Development Assistance (ODA) totalling Yen 105.497 billion (equal to Rs 6,668.46 crore, approximately) for the three projects.
The Japanese ODA loan for Chennai Metro Project (Phase 2)(I) is for JPY (Japanese Yen) 75.5 billion, JPY 15.0 billion for Program for Japan-India Cooperative Actions towards SDGs in India and JPY 14.9 billion for Project for Dairy Development.
The notes were exchanged between Finance Ministry’s Department of Economic Affairs Additional Secretary C.S. Mohapatra and Ambassador of Japan to India Kenji Hiramatsu. The loan agreement for Chennai Metro and dairy project was signed between Mohapatra and JICA New Delhi Chief Representative Katsuo Matsumoto.
The cooperative actions programme aims to promote SDGs in India especially in social development by supporting government efforts to strengthen policy framework and implementation mechanism, thereby supporting India in achieving SDGs by 2030.
The dairy development project aims to increase sale of milk and dairy products by increasing farmers’ access to organised market, upgrading dairy processing facilities and marketing infrastructure and enhancing the capacity of producers owned institutions.
SDG India index by NITI Aayog
The government’s premier think tank has developed the country’s first SDG India Index to document the progress made by India’s states and Union Territories towards meeting SDG targets and released a baseline report for 2018.
Himachal Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu have come out as the front runners in implementing the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) targets.
Along with the three states, the UTs of Chandigarh and Puducherry were also among the front runners on the SDG India Index with a score between 65 to 99 on a scale of 0 to 100, where 100 signifies that it has achieved the 2030 national targets.
The SDG India Index baseline report 2018 highlights the progress being made by states and UTs in moving towards multiple targets of the SDGs.
The SDGs are ambitious global development goals that address key aspects of universal wellbeing across different socio-economic, cultural, geographical divisions and integrate the economic, social and environmental dimensions of development.
The Index has been developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), Global Green Growth Institute and United Nations in India.
The Index tracks progress of all states and UTs on 62 priority indicators selected by NITI Aayog, which in turn is guided by MoSPI’s National Indicator Framework comprising 306 indicators and based on multiple-round consultations with ministries and states.
Odisha govt approves Rs 10,000 crore KALIA scheme for farmers
The Odisha cabinet approved the Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA) scheme amounting to over Rs 10,000 crore for farmers.
The scheme will provide financial, livelihood, cultivation support along with insurances to the farmers.
Under KALIA, the amount will be spent over a period of three years till 2020-21. All the small and marginal farmers of the state (over 30 lakh) will be covered under this scheme.
An amount of Rs 10,000 per family at the rate of Rs 5,000 each for kharif and rabi seasons will be provided financial assistance for taking up cultivation.
This assistance is for five crop seasons spanning three years from 2018-19 to 2021-22.
Annual financial assistance of Rs 10,000 per household will be provided to take care of sustenance of those farmers who may not be able to take up cultivation or avail livelihood options due to old-age, disability, disease or other reasons.
Life insurance cover of Rs 2 lakh and additional personal accident cover of Rs 2 lakh will be provided to both cultivators and landless agricultural labourers covering about 57 lakh households.
December 23
State-level Farmers’ Fair held at Kahikuchi
Two-day-long State level Farmers’ Fair cum Farmer-Scientist interaction programme on the topic, ‘Doubling the farmers income by 2022 in Assam: Technological options and way forward’ was organised by the ICAR-Agricultural Technology Application Research Institute (ATARI), Zone VI, at the Horticultural Research Station, AAU, Kahikuchi.
The inaugural programme was attended by Parimal Suklabaidya, Minister of Fisheries, Excise, Environment & Forest, AK Singh, DDG, Agricultural Extension, ICAR, New Delhi, Dr SN Goswami, Vice-Chancellor, CMJ University, Jorabat, Meghalaya, Dr L Obed, Director, Coconut Development Board, Guwahati, Dr Bidyut C Deka, Director, ICAR-ATARI Zone-VII, Umiam, Dr Prasanna Pathak, DEE, AAU, Jorhat and other dignitaries of ICAR institutes and Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat.
Assam is a source state for child trafficking, says ASCPCR
The Assam State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (ASCPCR) in collaboration with UNICEF Assam organised a State-level workshop ‘Prevention and response to combat child trafficking in Assam’ at the Assam Administrative Staff College.
ASCPCR Chairperson Dr Sunita Changkakati mentioned that Assam is a source state for child trafficking since the children are trafficked to different destination states and subjected to various forms of torture and exploitation.
Chief of UNICEF Assam, Dr Tushar Rane, gave a brief overview of the context and data on child trafficking and appreciated the child protection workforce for their tremendous work towards rescue and protection of vulnerable children.
The workshop discussed the key bottlenecks in addressing the issues of child trafficking and also explored and identified the key areas of intervention to combat child trafficking and ensure justice to the victim.
The participants included representatives from the Department of Social Welfare, State Child Protection Society, police, district legal services authorities, child welfare committees, district child protection units and civil society organisations from all the districts of the State.
Binod Khanal to receive Pratima Pandey Award
This year’s Pratima Barua Pandey Award will be given to BinodKhanal, an exponent of folk culture from Biswanath district.
The award, instituted by the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) in memory of legendary singer Pratima Barua Pandey, is given every year to a person having significant contribution in preserving and promoting the folk culture of the State.
Nuclear-capable Agni-IV successfully test fired
Nuclear strategic ballistic missile Agni-IV was successfully test fired from APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the Odisha coast on 23rd December.
The Strategic Forces Command of Indian Army successfully test fired the surface-to-surface intermediate range ballistic missile from launchpad number-4 of the integrated test range at 8.30 a.m.
The missile was test-fired as a part of user training exercise.
The missile, which has the latest features to correct and guide itself for in-flight disturbances, is equipped with state of the art Avionics, 5th generation onboard computer and distributed architecture.
Earlier in December, Agni-V was successfully test fired from APJ Abdul Kalam Island.
7th anti-terrorism India-China military exercise ends
The 7th edition of anti-terrorism India-China joint military exercise concluded in Chengdu area of China. The Validation and Closing ceremony of the seventh edition of joint India-China military exercise ‘Hand-in-Hand 2018’ was conducted at Chengdu, China.
The exercise included lectures and discussions on various counter-terrorism aspects, like cordon and search operations, raid on terrorist hideouts, intelligence collection and joint operations.
Also, integrated live firing was conducted for both contingents to enhance interoperability and promote jointmanship.
As part of validation exercise, troops of both armies carried out specialised joint counter-terrorist operations including room intervention and hostage rescue which was witnessed by dignitaries of both armies
Exercise Hand-in-Hand 2018 was very successful in increasing the bonhomie and camaraderie amongst troops from both countries.
GST Council nods formation of Centralised Appellate Authority for Advance Ruling (AAAR)
The GST Council on Saturday gave its approval to creation of a Centralised Appellate Authority for Advance Ruling (AAAR) by amending the GST Act.
The GST Council in its 31st meeting held here gave in-principle approval to the creation of AAAR to deal with the cases of conflicting decisions by two or more State Appellate Advance Ruling Authorities on the same issue.
The Council also approved amendments to “Section 50 of the CGST Act”, which would allow interest to be levied only on the net tax liability of the taxpayer, after taking into account the admissible input tax credit.
ICCCBSA Global meet on climate change under way at AAU, Jorhat
The four-day International Conference on Climate Change, Biodiversity and Sustainable Agriculture (ICCCBSA) commenced at the Assam Agricultural University, where 1,038 individual research papers to be presented in the conference would throw up at least 15 integrated researchable projects to mitigate climate change, conserve the earth’s biodiversity and assist in sustainable agriculture.
Grant Singleton, Principal Scientist at the International Rice Research Institute, (Philippines) and the Guest of honour of the event, said that sustainable development of agriculture was the need of the hour as by 2050 the earth would have to feed a population of seven billion people.
The conference has been organised as part of the year-long golden jubilee celebrations from April 2018 to March 2019.
FACTFILE – Assam Agricultural University (AAU)
AAU is an agricultural education state university which was established in 1969 in Jorhat in the state of Assam, India.
The jurisdiction of the University extends to the entire State of Assam with regard to teaching, research and extension education in the field of agriculture and allied sciences.
It was established in 1969
Vice-Chancellor – Kamal Malla Bujarbaruah
The university has six Regional Agricultural Research Stations in each agricultural zone of Assam at Titabar, North Lakhimpur, Shillongoni, Diphu, Gossaigaon and Karimganj.
The university also has four Commodity Research Stations at: Citrus Research Station, Tinsukia, Sugarcane Research Station, Buralikson, Horticulture Research Station, Kahikuchi and Goat Research Station, Burnihut.
The university also has established Krishi Vigyan Kendras for extension purpose in all the districts of Assam.
Nokpante fest in Garo Hills
The 7th Nokpante Festival, a winter festival of Garo Hills region, was organised by Damas Youth Forum (DYF) in collaboration with the NGH administration, Sports and Youth Affairs and Tourism departments and GHADC.
The two-day festival included traditional games that are unique to the community like wapong ska, makkre wa’jol malla, matcha matchu, makkre bolgong malla, sa’rong’kol kalla, sompi sompa, among others which test the physical and mental capacity of the contestants as well as their expertise.
The highlight of the festival was the traditional fashion show for both men and women. Boys dressed themselves as warriors (matgrik) and the girls in traditional dakmanda. The festival concluded with a Rock show that included local Rock bands Riprap, Jethro, Markus.
India Post launches e-commerce portal
India Post announced the soft launch of its e-commerce portal, the Department of Posts has done only soft launch and full fledge operations of the service will start around or after mid-December.
The Department facilitates has collected and remitted more than Rs 2,700 crore under cash-on-delivery till January 2018 since its introduction in December 2013.
The ongoing e-commerce business segment resulted in increase of 13 percent revenue of India Post in the 2017-18 and total revenue the department earned under Speed Post till January 2018 was Rs 1,502.60 crore.
India signed Agreement with Google for better flood management
The Central Water Commission (CWC) has signed a collaboration agreement with Google for improving the flood prediction system. As per the agreement, the CWC and Google will share technical expertise in the fields of artificial intelligence, machine learning and geo-spatial mapping.
The MoU covers analysis of hydrological observation data to collaborate on improving the flood prediction systems, which will help provide location-targeted, actionable flood warnings, a high priority research project utilising the Google Earth engine to help visualise and improve flood management and a cultural project to build online exhibitions on the rivers of India. The term of agreement is for three years.
According to the CWC, the States affected by floods till October, 2018 include Tripura, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka (extreme flood situation), Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, NCT Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
India, Myanmar committed to combat terror
The India-Myanmar joint statement signed during the state visit of President Ram NathKovind also noted the need to maintain security and stability along the India-Myanmar border, which is essential for the socio-economic development of the population living in the border areas.
India and Myanmar have reiterated their commitment to not allow insurgent groups to use their soil for hostile activities.
Both sides underlined their mutual respect for each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and reaffirmed their shared commitment to fight insurgent activities and the scourge of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.
Both sides reiterated their mutual respect for the already demarcated boundary between the two countries and emphasised the need to resolve amicably outstanding boundary demarcation issues at the earliest, through existing bilateral mechanisms.
The leaders of the two countries reaffirmed their common aspiration for peace, collective prosperity and development of the region and beyond. The leaders agreed to continue exploring new opportunities to expand bilateral relations for the mutual benefit of the people of both countries.
Both sides agreed to sign at the earliest the MoU for cooperation on combating timber trafficking and conservation of tigers and other wildlife. Negotiations on the MoU on bilateral cooperation for prevention of trafficking in persons; rescue, recovery, repatriation and reintegration of victims of trafficking are nearing completion.
With regard to the Kaladan Multi Modal Transit Transport Project, both sides welcomed the signing of the MoU on appointing a port operator, which would enable the Sittwe Port and Paletwa IWT infrastructure to be used commercially for the development of the surrounding areas.
December 16
Digital CIC opened in Baksa district of Assam
A digital Community Information Centre (CIC), established under ‘SBI Gram Seva’, a flagship programme of the State Bank of India’s CSR initiative, was inaugurated in Baksa district.
The project is being implemented in the district across five remote villages by the Assam Centre for Rural Development (ACRD), an NGO working on various developmental issues.
The CIC, first-of-its kind in the district, is meant for the backward tribal communities to access government schemes, jobs, health, internet and rural banking services.
Each CIC is digitised and has a computer, wi-fi connectivity, a flat screen TV, drinking water facility, library, books, and information related to government jobs and schemes, among other things.
FACTFILE – ‘SBI Gram Seva’
The ‘SBI Gram Seva’ project is a flagship programme launched by the State Bank of India Foundation in 2017 across six states of India, including Assam.
It focuses on integrated development of villages through the gaon panchayats.
India, France reiterate resolve to jointly fight terrorism
India and France reiterated their resolve to jointly fight the global scourge of terrorism following delegation-level talks headed by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and French Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian.
Both India and France were implementing their outlined action in joint strategic vision cooperation in the Indian Ocean region.
Now the two sides are working towards deepening and expanding these large contacts, especially at the operational and service level.
Le Drian also called for a joint collaboration between the two countries in the field of cinema.
Nasscom partners IIT-Madras for training workforce in digital skills
Nasscom has collaborated with the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras for its FutureSkills Platform that is targeted at re-skilling/upskilling four million people on digital skills.
Under its FutureSkills Platform, Nasscom aims to re-skill/upskill four million people from the IT-ITeS industry, students entering the workforce and employees of other industries/government on digital skills.
The partnership with IIT-Madras will facilitate the building of an able workforce to support the industry and other stakeholders. This will ensure that there is plenty of trained manpower for the jobs being created in the evolving ecosystem.
The partnership will be directly with the Sector Skills Council (SSC) which is the education and skill development initiative of Nasscom.
The SSC and IIT Madras will work towards building a skills academy and establish a program with extensive courses and training programmes to facilitate skill building in the institution
Amazon India signs MoU with FISME to empower MSMEs
Amazon India on 13th December announced a partnership with the Federation of Indian Micro and Small and Medium Enterprises(FISME) to empower Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to leverage growth opportunities in the e-commerce sector.
As per the MoU, Amazon.in in collaboration with FISME will conduct various events and workshops across the country that will enable and encourage the MSMEs in the country to sell their products to millions of consumers from India and across the globe by leveraging e-commerce marketplace solutions.
in and FISME aim to educate MSMEs on the nuances of online selling domestically and also B2C exports to enable them to sell across multiple international locations.
Through the collaboration, MSMEs will get access to experts from Amazon, FISME and various service providers to help them understand the procedures and requirements related to areas such as logistics, cataloging, imaging, taxation and will guide them through the entire process of selling through the e-commerce marketplace route.
MSMEs will be educated on digital business opportunity, brand building, documentation, listing methodology and services such as fulfillment by Amazon & Sponsored Ads.
Manju Baruah, the first woman manager in Assam’s tea garden history
For the first time in the nealy-200-year-old history of commercial tea cultivation in Assam, the industry has got a woman garden manager.
Manju Baruah, who is currently serving as garden manager for Apeejay Tea’s Hilika Tea Estate at Doomdooma in Tinsukia district.
Terming managerial responsibilities in tea gardens as a big challenge that also involves a lot of tedious outdoor duties, Manju said that her love for the outdoors and adventure since childhood served her in good stead in discharging her responsibilities.
Myanmar‘s Sittwe Port in ready for operations
Sittwe Port in Myanmar, being administered by the Ministry of External Affairs under the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project to facilitate connectivity between the mainland and the north eastern States of the country is “ready” for operations.
The project was jointly identified by India and Myanmar to create a multi-modal mode of transport for shipment of cargo from mainland India to Myanmar as well as to the northeastern part of India through Myanmar.
The Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project will connect Sittwe Port in Myanmar to the India-Myanmar border, is expected to contribute to the economic development of the northeastern States by opening up the sea route for goods.
It will reduce pressure on the Siliguri Corridor, and since the project is of political and strategic significance, it was decided to execute it through India’s grant assistance to Myanmar.
K Subramanian appointed as Chief Economic Adviser (CEA)
Union Government appointed ISB Hyderabad professor Krishnamurthy Subramanian as Chief Economic Adviser for a period of three years. The post of CEA had been lying vacant since Arvind Subramanaian left the post.
An IIT-IIM alumnus, Subramanian holds PhD (Financial Economics) from Booth School of Business, University of Chicago, the US. He has served on the expert committees on Corporate Governance and on Governance of Banks. He was a member of SEBI’s standing committees on Alternative Investment Policy, Primary Markets, Secondary Markets and Research. He is also on the boards of Bandhan Bank, the National Institute of Bank Management, and the RBI Academy.
The key responsibilities of the CEA include providing policy inputs on industrial development and foreign trade, conducting analysis of trends in industrial production and releasing statistical information on key economic indicators.
Google announces ‘Journalism AI’ project
To help news industry use Artificial Intelligence (AI) in more innovative ways, Google has announced a partnership with Polis, the international journalism think-tank at London School of Economics and Political Science, to create “Journalism AI”.
Part of the Google News Initiative (GNI), the “Journalism AI” project will focus on research and training for newsrooms on the intersection of AI and journalism.
The Asia-Pacific Google News Initiative (GNI) Innovation Challenge will fund selected projects up to $300,000 and finance up to 70 per cent of the total project cost, that inject new ideas into the news industry.
Germany offers support to rebuild Kerala
The German government has offered help in the form of grants, loans at low rates of interest and by participating in specific projects to rebuild Kerala which was devastated after the worst ever floods in August.
Martin Ney, the German Ambassador to India, said Germany was ready to support the state by contributing to the “Rebuild Kerala” initiative.
Had talks with the Centre and have offered to provide up to Rs 720 crore under low interest loans to promote climate-resilient reconstruction of bridges and roads in Kerala.
Along with this aRs 24 crore grant for technical support that will provide international expertise in the field of infrastructure planning.
The support for infrastructure development will be through the German Development Bank KfW, who will ink an agreement with the Kerala government.
The talks with the Centre took place in Delhi last week when they decided to include Kerala in discussions about 190 different projects that Germany was supporting in various states.
The German government is also working on a study on floating solar sites at two dams in the state.
The other programme is aRs 40 crore grant funded project that will be done at selected 43 places which will help reduce vulnerability to climate change of small farmers through watershed development projects.
FAO approves 2023 as International Year of Millets
The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has approved India’s proposal to observe an International Year of Millets in 2023.
Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh had made the demand in August this year, which has been accepted by the ongoing FAO Council in Rome.
Millets consist of Jowar, Bajra, Ragi and minor millets, together termed as nutri-cereals.
The development will enhance global awareness to bring back these nutri-cereals to the plate, for food and nutrition security and for increasing production to face the challenges posed by climate change, globally.
In addition, the Council also approved India’s membership to the Executive Board of the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) for 2020 and 2021.
FACTFILE – The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
It is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger.
FAO is also a source of knowledge and information, and helps developing countries in transition modernize and improve agriculture, forestry and fisheries practices, ensuring good nutrition and food security for all.
As of August 2018, The FAO has 197 member states.
Headquarters – Rome, Italy
Head – José Graziano da Silva
India expected to receive total remittance of $80 billion in 2018
India is expected to receive a total remittance of $80 billion in 2018, said the latest edition of the World Bank’s Migration and Development Brief, released on 8th
Among major remittance recipients, India retains its top spot, with remittances expected to total $80 billion this year, followed by China ($67 billion), Mexico and the Philippines ($34 billion each), and Egypt ($26 billion).
As global growth is projected to moderate, future remittances to low and middle-income countries are expected to grow moderately by 4 per cent to reach $549 billion in 2019. Global remittances are expected to grow 3.7 per cent to $715 billion in 2019.
According to the brief, remittance flows rose in all regions and was driven by a stronger economy and employment situation in the US and a rebound in outward flows from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and the Russian Federation.
December 9
CM Prema Khandu launches Arunachal Pradesh’s ‘Shi Yomi ‘ as 23rd district
Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu inaugurated the newly created Shi Yomi district, the 23rd district in the State, bordering China.
Headquartered at Tato, the new district, comprising of four administrative Circles viz. Mechuka, Tato, Pidi and Manigong, was bifurcated from West Siang district.
The State Assembly had passed the Arunachal Pradesh (Reorganisation of Districts) (Amendment) Bill, 2018 in the last House session paving the way for creation of Shi Yomi district, along with two other districts.
Thanking the people for donating land for government establishments for free, the Chief Minister urged to set priorities right as the government can’t afford lavish spending. He also promised that in the coming Budget session, provision for funds for the development of infrastructure will be kept.
India’s first artificial heart valve technology launched
In line with the Make in India initiative, global medical device maker Meril Life Sciences on 8th December launched its first indigenously designed and manufactured artificial aortic valve for patients who are at a high risk or unwilling to undergo open heart valve replacement surgery.
The Transcatheter Aortic Heart Valve Replacement (TAVR), which will be sold under the brand name “Myval”, is a minimally invasive procedure in which the doctor places a artificial valve into the patient’s diseased valve via a catheter inserted through the femoral artery.
It is an alternative way to replace diseased valves without undergoing traditional open heart procedure, which some patients may not receive well.
Meril is the first Indian company to commercially make this therapy available in the country.
The company has also received an approval from the Indian drug regulator Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) for commercialisation of TAVR.
TAVR is increasingly becoming a preferred alternative for surgical valve replacement because it is associated with faster recovery time.
India, Iceland discuss geothermal energy cooperation
India and Iceland discussed cooperation in geothermal energy among other areas during a bilateral meeting between External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Icelandic Foreign Minister Gudlaugur Thor Thordarson.
The two Ministers noted that in the areas such as geothermal energy, fisheries, IT, pharmaceuticals and tourism, both countries could establish strong partnership.
The Icelandic Minister appreciated growing opportunities for Icelandic companies in the fast-growing Indian economy.
The two Ministers expressed satisfaction at the ongoing cooperation at multilateral and international forums.
Sushma Swaraj and Thordarson also discussed the possibility of enhanced cooperation in the Arctic Council, an inter-governmental forum of Arctic states where India has an observer status.
FACTFILE – Geothermal energy
Geothermal energy is thermal energy generated and stored in the earth.
The geothermal energy of the Earth’s crust originates from the original formation of the planet and from radioactive decay of materials.
The geothermal gradient, which is the difference in temperature between the core of the planet and its surface, drives a continuous conduction of thermal energy in the form of heat from the core to the surface.
Earth’s internal heat is thermal energy generated from radioactive decay and continual heat loss from Earth’s formation. Temperatures at the core–mantle boundary may reach over 4000 °C (7,200 °F).
The high temperature and pressure in Earth’s interior cause some rock to melt and solid mantle to behave plastically, resulting in portions of the mantle convecting upward since it is lighter than the surrounding rock.
With water from hot springs, geothermal energy has been used for bathing since Paleolithic times and for space heating since ancient Roman times, but it is now better known for electricity generation.
Worldwide, 11,700 megawatts (MW) of geothermal power was available in 2013.
Geothermal power is cost-effective, reliable, sustainable, and environmentally friendly, but has historically been limited to areas near tectonic plate boundaries.
Kerala CM commissions Kannur airport
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Union Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu commissioned the Kannur International Airport Ltd (KIAL).
The first flight from the airport was flagged off, with 180 passengers to Abu Dhabi.
This is the fourth international airport in the state, the rest are in Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode.
The KIAL is slated to serve more than 1.5 million international passengers annually and authorities estimate the number will increase five-fold by 2025.
It is expected to boost tourism in Kannur, Kasargode, Wayanad and increase trade and commerce in the handloom and spices sectors.
North East Skill Centre (NESC) to be launched in January
The ambitious North East Skill Centre (NESC) project, a joint collaboration of the Assam Skill Development Mission (ASDM) and Institute of Technical Educational Services, Singapore (ITEES), will be launched in January.
The centre will offer a one-year certificate course to achieve the twin goal of generating employment and meet the demand of the industry for skilled manpower.
Specialised and industry-driven training would be imparted in four sectors – beauty and wellness, retail services, hospitality –food and beverage service and hospitality – housekeeping.
The NESC will have state-of-the-art infrastructure located on a sprawling campus in Guwahati with a fully equipped laboratory.
G20 summit: India presents 9-point agenda on fugitive economic offenders
India on Friday presented a nine-point agenda to G20 member nations calling for strong and active cooperation among them to comprehensively deal with fugitive economic offenders.
The agenda was presented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the second session of the G20 Summit on international trade, international financial and tax systems.
Cooperation in legal processes such as effective freezing of the proceeds of crime, early return of the offenders and efficient repatriation of the proceeds of crime should be enhanced and streamlined.
India also called for joint efforts by G-20 countries to form a mechanism that denies entry and safe havens to fugitive economic offenders.
India suggested the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) should be called upon to assign priority and focus to establishing international cooperation that leads to timely and comprehensive exchange of information between the competent authorities and financial intelligence units.
India also advocated setting up of a common platform for sharing experiences and best practices including successful cases of extradition, gaps in existing systems of extradition and legal assistance, etc.
Double Taxation Pact between India & Hong Kong came into effect
The double taxation avoidance pact between India and Hong Kong came into effect on 30th November after both sides completed the due procedures.
The agreement between India and Hong Kong for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income was signed on March 19.
India completed all the relevant procedures required by its laws for the entry into force of the agreement on May 11 and the government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region completed all the relevant procedures required by its laws for the entry into force of the agreement on November 30.
The pact will stimulate flow of investment, technology and personnel from India to Hong Kong and vice versa.
It will prevent double taxation and provide for exchange of information between the two sides.
The agreement will also improve transparency in tax matters and will help curb tax evasion and tax avoidance.
BRICS leaders declare common stand on WTO reform
Leaders of the emerging economies’ bloc BRICS declared their common stand on the reform of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on 30th
A communique was issued after Brazilian President Michel Temer, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa held an informal meeting on the sidelines of G-20 Summit.
BRICS countries agreed that full support should be given to the rules-based multilateral trading system represented by the WTO and to ensure transparent, non-discriminatory, open and inclusive international trade.
BRICS countries pledged to support the improvement of the WTO, increase its relevance and validity and safeguard the core values and basic principles of the WTO, and agreed that the WTO should embody the interests of all members, developing economies in particular.
December 2
Siu-Ka-Pha Divas observed on December 2
Asom Divas, a day to remember the contributions of the first Ahom king Chaolung Siu-Ka-Pha, was observed in various places in Assam.
Since 1996 December 2 has been celebrated in Assam as the Sukaphaa Divawkh, or Axom Divawkh (Assam Day), to commemorate the advent of the first king of the Ahom kingdom in Assam after his journey over the Patkai Hills.
FACTFILE – Chaolung Sukaphaa (r. 1228–1268)
Siu-Ka-Pha was the first Ahom king in medieval Assam, was the founder of the Ahom kingdom.
A Tai prince originally from Mong Mao, the kingdom he established in 1228 existed for nearly six hundred years and in the process unified the various indigenous ethnic groups of the region that left a deep impact on the region.
Rajnath Singh to inaugurate Hornbill Festival
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh will inaugurate the 19th edition of the Hornbill Festival at Kisama village.
Nagaland Governor PB Acharya will be the chief host on the occasion, while US Ambassador to India, Kenneth I Juster, has been invited as the guest of honour.
The Nagaland Government has earmarked Rs 5 crore for the festival, which will culminate on December 10. The celebrations and programmes have been scheduled in five districts of the State including Kohima, Dimapur, Mokokchung, Phek and Wokha, she said.
The annual festival unites one and all, while promoting the tourism prospects of the State. The festival aims to display the rich traditions and the vibrant culture of Nagaland through colourful performances, crafts, sports, food fairs, games and ceremonies.
The heritage village of Kisama has been made a plastic-free zone. The visitor turnout to Kisama stood at 2.43 lakh last year and the number might swell this year.
Kaziranga National Park home to 907 Eastern Swamp Deer
During a Census of Eastern Swamp Deer in Kaziranga National Park, physical counting of the species in Kaziranga National Park had put the total population of Eastern Swamp Deer at 907, which is less than the last census figure carried out in 2016, where the total population was 1,148.
Last year’s heavy flood in Kaziranga had killed many wild animals, including Eastern Swamp Deer.
FACTFILE – The barasingha or swamp deer
The barasingha deer species distributed in the Indian subcontinent.
Populations in northern and central India are fragmented, and two isolated populations occur in southwestern Nepal. It is extinct in Pakistan and Bangladesh.
The swamp deer differs from all the Indian deer species in that the antlers carry more than three tines.
Because of this distinctive character it is designated barasingha, meaning “twelve-tined.”
Mature stags have 10 to 14 tines, and some have been known to have up to 20.
It is listed on CITES Appendix I. In India, it is included under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.
It is put under Vulnerable category in IUCN conservation status.
G-20 Summit endorses multilateral trade system and WTO reforms
The G-20 Summit concluded on 1st December, with members endorsing the multilateral trading system, and calling for reforms to the World Trade Organization (WTO).
International trade and investment are important engines of growth, productivity, innovation, job creation and development.
The system is currently falling short of its objectives and there is room for improvement. Therefore support the necessary reform of the WTO to improve its functioning.
Signatories to the Paris Agreement, reaffirm that the Paris Agreement is irreversible and commit to its full implementation, reflecting common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities.
The two-day summit discussed issues such as the future of work, infrastructure for development, financial stability, climate sustainability and international trade, among others.
India to host G-20 summit in 2022, coinciding with the country’s 75th anniversary of Independence. PM Modi thanked Italy for allowing India to play the host. Italy was to host the international forum in 2022.
FACTFILE – G-20
The G-20 is a grouping of the world’s 20 major economies.
G-20 members comprise Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, the European Union, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the UK and the US. Spain is a permanent guest invitee.
Collectively, the G-20 economies account for nearly 90 per cent of the gross world product, 80 per cent of world trade, two-thirds of the world population, and approximately half of the world land area.
DAC approves purchase of BrahMos, armoured vehicles
The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) approved the procurement of equipment worth Rs 3,000 crore which included the BrahMos missile for Navy ships and Armoured Recovery Vehicles (ARVs) for the Army’s main battle tank Arjun.
The DAC, chaired by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, approved the procurement of the indigenous BrahMos missile for two Indian Navy ships to be built in Russia.
The indigenously designed BrahMos missile is a tested and proven supersonic cruise missile and will form the primary weapon on-board these ships.
The ARVs to be procured are designed and developed by the Defence Research Development Organisation and would be manufactured by M/S BEML.
ARVs ensure efficient and speedy repair and recovery operations during combat.
ASEAN experts to meet on military medicine in Lucknow
A four-day meeting of experts in military medicine from ASEAN countries, being co-chaired by India and Myanmar, will be held here from 2nd The objective is to establish better cooperation in medical operations amongst the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) countries.
For civil support by military operations other than war, especially humanitarian assistance and disaster response missions.
There will be expert working group on military medicine, 4th bilateral talks between India and Myanmar, a table-top exercise and planning for field training exercises encompassing broad themes.
Around 50 delegates from various countries and officers from India’s Army Medical Corps are likely to participate in the event.
The event aims to establish preparedness and response mechanisms to manage mass casualties and outbreak of infectious diseases resulting from large-scale disasters as also to facilitate synergy, better understanding, increase capability of the combined operations amongst the Armed Forces of Asean member states and Asean Plus countries.
FACTFILE – ASEAN nations and thier Capital
Nation of Brunei – Bandar Seri Begawan
Cambodia – Phnom Penh
Indonesia – Jakarta
Lao People’s Democratic Republic – Vientiane
Malaysia – Kuala Lumpur
Republic of the Union of Myanmar – Naypyidaw
Republic of the Philippines – Manila
Republic of Singapore – Singapore
Kingdom of Thailand – Bangkok
Socialist Republic of Vietnam – Hanoi
Govt launches ‘Digital Sky Platform’ online platform for registration of drones
The Union Civil Aviation Ministry launched the ‘Digital Sky Platform’ for the registration of drones and their operators. Nano drones in India can start flying legally with immediate effect from 1st December as the Civil Aviation regulations come into force.
For drones, operators and pilots are required to register on the Digital Sky Portal. Payments for Unmanned Aerial Operator’s Permit (UAOP) and Unique Identification Numbers (UIN) will be accepted through the Bharat Kosh (bharatkosh.gov.in) portal.
To get permissions to fly Remotely Piloted Aerial Systems (RPAS), operators or remote pilots will have to file a flight plan.
Flying in the ‘green zones’ will require only intimation of the time and location of the flights via the portal or the app.
Permissions will be required for flying in ‘yellow zones’ and flights will not be allowed in the ‘red zones’.
The government in August had announced a policy and guidelines for drones designed to open up an array of opportunities in the Indian civil aviation sector.
The regulations are intended to enable visual line-of-sight, daytime only and a maximum of 400 feet altitude operations.
The regulations list various categories of drones, and all of these except the “nano” type weighing less than 250 gram and those owned by government and intelligence agencies, are to be registered and issued with a Unique Identification Number (UIN).
Global Conference on Cyberspace organized in India.
Theme – Cyber4All: A Secure and Inclusive Cyberspace for Sustainable Development.
Brahmos missile successful air launch
The Indian Air Force conducted the first-ever successful air launch of the BrahMos cruise missile from a Sukhoi Su-30 MKI multirole aircraft.
It is the world’s fastest supersonic cruise missile
Glide Bomb – Smart Anti Airfield Weapon
DRDO successfully test fired the Glide Bomb – a Smart Anti Airfield Weapon (SAAW).
India successfully test fires Indigenous Subsonic Cruise Missile Nirbhay
Chandipur test range along the Odisha coast.
It is India’s first indigenously designed and developed Long Range Sub-Sonic Cruise Missile.
NASA Launches Next-Generation Weather Satellite Joint Polar Satellite System-1 (JPSS-1)
to monitor weather around the world and help improve forecasts.
is a joint venture between the US space agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Moscow Declaration on TB &HIV
Representatives from 120 countries adopted the Moscow Declaration to eliminate additional deaths from HIV co-infection by 2020 and achieving synergy in coordinated action against TB and non-communicable diseases.
ISRO’s Sun Mission to take off in 2019
India will send ISRO’s solar mission Aditya-L1 to a vantage point in space, known as the L1 Lagrange point, to do imaging and study of the sun.
Facebook Rolls out Disaster Maps in India
In a bid to help communities recover and rebuild faster in the aftermath of natural disasters in India, Facebook introduced new measures, including its Disaster Maps feature in the country.
First Power Plant under PM Ladakh Scheme commissioned in Drass
The 1.5-mw small hydropower plant in Biaras Drass of Kargil has become the first project to be commissioned under the Prime Minister’s Ladakh Renewable Energy Initiative.
to minimize dependence on diesel in the Ladakh region and meet power requirement through local renewable sources.
International Solar Alliance and India
the first treaty-based international government organisation to be based in India, with 19 countries ratifying its framework agreement.
countries located between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.
The ISA is headquartered in Gurgaon
International Training Centre for Operational Oceanography
The Union Cabinet approved the agreement with UNESCO on establishment of International Training Centre for Operational Oceanography, as a Category-2 Centre (C2C) of UNESCO, in Hyderabad.
AAROGYAM – 2017
The 1st International Exhibition & Conference on AYUSH & Wellness.
Ajeya Warrior Military Exercises
This is a biennial joint military exercise between India and army of United Kingdom
Ekuverin
The joint military exercise between Indian Army and Maldives National Defence Force
Sentinel-5p Satellite
a European satellite being commissioned by the European Union and the European Space Agency, tracking the levels air pollutants around the world
designed to make daily global maps of the gases and particles that pollute the air.
New Graphene-Based Battery Charges Five Times Faster
Scientists has developed a new graphene-based battery material with charging speed five times faster than today’s lithium-ion batteries.
Graphene is a sheet of carbon atoms bound together in a honeycomb lattice pattern, is hugely recognized as a “wonder material” due to the myriad of astonishing attributes it holds.
Monkey Fever
Kyasanur forest disease (KFD) is a tick borne viral haemorrhagic fever endemic in Karnataka.
The virus causing the disease: KFD virus (KFDV) is a member of the genus Flavivirus and family Flaviviridae.
What Is CYBORG
The term Cyborg was first coined by Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. kline to describe man-machine system in which the control mechanism of the human portion are modified externally by drugs or regulatory devices so that the being can live in an environment different from the normal one
an organism with organic and biomechatronic body parts that is partly human and partly machine .
Agni 5
India successfully conducted the “first pre-induction trial” of its over 5,000-km range Agni-V intercontinental ballistic missile
Agni -5 is the fifth in the line of the Agni Missiles
NASA to launch Parker Solar Probe to explore Sun’s outer atmosphere
Bharat Bio Typhoid Shot
Bharat Biotech has received a pre-qualification from the World Health Organisation (WHO) for Typbar Typhoid Conjugate Vaccine.
Typbar TCV is the first typhoid vaccine clinically proven to be administered to children from 6 months of age to adults, and confers long-term protection against typhoid fever.
GOLD and ICON Mission to explore the Ionosphere
NASA has announced that it would launch two missions to explore the little-understood area of 96 km above Earth’s surface.
The Global-scale Observations of the Limb and Disk (GOLD) mission will be launched in January 2018, and the Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON) will be launched later in 2018.
India’s Fastest Supercomputer
Pratyush, India’s fastest supercomputer yet, was unveiled at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) in Pune.
Pratyush is a collection of several computers that can deliver a peak power of 6.8 petaflops, facilitating the weather forecasting and climate monitoring in the country.
Pratyush is fourth fastest supercomputer in world dedicated for weather and climate research
India Misses Kala Azar Elimination Deadline
India has missed the 2017 deadline for elimination of Kala Azar (black fever).
Elimination is defined as reducing the annual incidence of Kala Azar (KA) to less than 1 case per 10,000 people at the sub-district level.
Kala Azar is a slow progressing indigenous disease caused by a single-celled parasite of the Leishmania family.
In India Leishmania donovani is the only parasite causing the disease. The parasite is found in abundance in the bone marrow, spleen and liver.
Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer
In SCNT the nucleus, which contains the organism’s DNA, of a somatic cell (a body cell other than a sperm or egg cell) is removed and the rest of the cell discarded.
Rotavac is the First Indian designed vaccine to pass the WHO Test
Rotavac became first indigenously developed vaccine from India to be pre-qualified by World Health Organisation (WHO). It means that vaccine can be sold internationally to several countries in South America and Africa.
The Rotavac vaccine, developed by the Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech Limited, was included in India’s national immunization programme.
Venezuela becomes first country to launch its own Digital Currency
Venezuela became the first country to launch its own cryptocurrency.
The official cryptocurrency has been named Petro
World Congress on Information Technology
The Government of Telangana has hosted the World Congress on Information Technology (WCIT) in 2018, at Hyderabad.
World Sustainable Development Summit 2018 held in India
organized by the Energy and Resources Institute (TERI).
International Conference on Sustainable Biofuels 2018 organized in New Delhi
jointly organized by Department of Biotechnology, Govt. of India on behalf of Mission Innovation and Biofuture Platform
Biofuels – fuels produced directly or indirectly from organic material – biomass – including plant materials and animal waste.
India Energy Congress 2018 was held in New Delhi
organised by World Energy Council India (WEC India) and inaugurated by Union Power and New and Renewable Energy Minister.
Milan 2018 multinational mega event at Andaman & Nicobar
With the underlying theme of ‘Friendship Across the Seas’
Rustom 2
India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation successfully completed the test flight of its Rustom 2 drone at the Aeronautical Test Range.
It is part of the Rustom line of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) that includes Rustom-I, Rustom-H and Rustom-C.
Three-parent Babies
Mitochondrial replacement therapy, which creates “three-parent babies”, involves a portion of the child’s DNA coming from their mother, father and a third person – an egg donor.
Britain’s fertility regulator Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has allowed doctors to create country’s first ‘three-parent’ babies through mitochondrial donation therapy.
aimed at preventing passage of incurable genetic diseases from mothers to offsprings
India Successfully Test-Fires Nuclear Capable Ballistic Agni II Missile
An indigenously developed intermediate-range nuclear capable ballistic Agni II was successfully test-fired from Launch Complex-4 of Integrated Test Range (ITR) from the Abdul Kalam Island off the Odisha coast.
India Successfully Test-Fires Nuclear Capable Prithvi-II
India successfully test-fired it’s indigenously developed nuclear capable Prithvi-II missile as part of a user trial by the Army from a test range in Odisha.
Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP)
was conceived by renowned scientist Dr A P J Abdul Kalam to enable India attain self-sufficiency in the field of missile technology.
IGMDP was sanctioned to develop Prithvi, Trishul, Akash, Nag and a Technology Demonstrator Agni Missile.
Japanese Encephalitis
Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is a flavivirus related to dengue, yellow fever and West Nile viruses, and is spread by mosquitoes.
Nearly 100 New Exoplanets Have Been Found in Kepler Space Telescope (K2 mission) Mission Data of NASA
Exoplanets – are all the planets in the universe beyond own solar system.
Rocky planets: Rocky planets are mainly composed of heavier elements
Super-Earths: Super-Earths are planets of between 1 and about 10 Earth masses
Ocean planets and desert planets: planets with enough water to completely cover the entire surface of the planet with oceans.
Gas Giants: All planets with masses exceeding 10 Earth masses
Hot Jupiter: a gas giant that orbits its host star in a very close orbit
Rogue planets: planets without a central star; they are free-floating throughout our galaxy
India To Launch Mission To Explore Moon’s South Pole
India’s second lunar mission – Chandrayaan-II – is scheduled for an April 2018 launch.
It is under Chandrayaan-1 mission that the ISRO spotted water on the moon.
Chandrayaan-2 is a further extension of the project and it is as good as landing a man on the moon.
Chandrayaan-2 Mission
India’s second mission to the Moon is a totally indigenous mission comprising of an Obiter, Lander and Rover.
Marshall Islands to Issue World’s First Legal Tender cryptocurrency
It will be world’s first sovereign cryptocurrency that can be used as legal tender.
This cryptocurrency will be called Sovereign (SOV), has been developed in partnership with Israeli startup Neema.
Unlike Venezuela’s Petro cryptocurrency, the SOV will be recognized in law as legal tender, holding equal status as the US dollar, which is the Pacific island nation’s current currency.
Arctic Seed Vault celebrated the 10th anniversary
The Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway in the Arctic Circle got a delivery of more than 76,000 seed batches from gene banks in 22 countries.
The Svalbard Global Seed Vault is meant as a natural deep freeze to back up the world’s gene banks in case of disasters ranging from nuclear war to global warming. It has about 900,000 seed samples.
Exercise Samvedna
a Multilateral Air Force exercise, aimed to ensure better understanding and sharing of response procedures between a number of friendly neighbouring nations.
It was the first Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) exercise of the Indian Air Force (IAF) in association with South Asian Region nations.
involved representatives from air forces of Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal and the UAE.
MILES-18: first ever multi-nation naval exercise at sea held in Andaman
As part of the tenth edition of MILAN 2018.
Australia, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand were the participating countries.
MILAN:
Milan’ was first held in 1995 with the participation of just five navies.
The aim of the initiative was to have an effective forum to discuss common concerns in the Indian Ocean Region and forge deeper cooperation among friendly navies.
Saposhi – a new malware
It is capable of taking over electronic devices and turning them into ‘bots’, which can be then used for any purpose, including a Distributed Denial Of Service attack which, with enough firepower, can cripple entire industries.
DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attack is an illegal large-scale cyber campaign where a big number of devices are used to create traffic to a certain server.
Lamitye 2018
Joint military exercise ‘Lamitye’ was held between India and Seychelles. It is conducted biennially between the two countries.
Varuna-18
The navies of India and France conducted a joint bilateral exercise, “Varuna-18”, in the Arabian Sea off the Goa coast
The project in Theni district has been cleared by the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF&CC).
aims to study atmospheric neutrinos in a 1,300-m deep cavern in the Bodi West Hills in Theni district, Tamil Nadu.
If completed, the INO would house the largest magnet in the world, four times more massive than the European Organization for Nuclear Research, CERN’s Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) detector’s magnet.
India Successfully Tests 3rd-Gen Anti-Tank Missile NAG In Desert Conditions
Anti Tank Guided Missiles (ATGM) Nag is one of five missile systems developed indigenously by DRDO under integrated guided missile development programme (IGMDP). The other four missiles are Agni, Akash, Trishul and Prithvi.
India’s First Cloned Assamese Buffalo Born
The Central Institute for Research on Buffaloes (CIRB) claimed that a cloned Assamese buffalo male calf was born for the first time in India.
New State Of Matter Rydberg polarons Created
created “giant atom” and filled it with ordinary atoms, creating a new state of matter termed Rydberg polarons. These atoms are held together by a weak bond and are created at very cold temperatures.
It uses ideas from two different fields: Bose Einstein Condensation and Rydberg atoms.
BEC (Bose Einstein Condensate) is a liquid-like state of matter that occurs at very low temperatures. A BEC can be perturbed to create excitations which are akin to ripples on a lake.
A ‘Rydberg atom’ is an atom in which an electron has been kicked out to a very large orbit.
TESS: NASA, SpaceX Collaborate To Search For Exoplanets
NASA’s little spacecraft, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, or TESS, will ascend on a Falcon 9 rocket of the SpaceX to go up in the space.
The primary mission objective of TESS is to survey brightest stars near Earth for transiting exoplanets over two-year period.
ISRO–BHEL Tie up for the Production of Space Grade Lithium-Ion Cells
ISRO has entered into a Technology Transfer Agreement (TTA) with Bharat Heavy Electricals
Limited (BHEL), to transfer the technology for the manufacture of space grade Li-Ion cells
Li-Ion Battery
type of rechargeable battery that contains several cells. Each cell consists of cathode, anode and electrolyte, a separator between electrodes and current collectors.
It is light weighted and is one-third the weight of lead acid batteries. It is nearly 100% efficient in both charging and discharging as compared to lead battery which has 70% efficiency. It completely discharges i.e. 100% as compared to 80% for lead acid.
Scientists discovered a new human organ ‘interstitium’
It will be the 80th organ in the human body. It might be also the biggest organ in human body.
The discovery of interstitium will help to explain how cancer spreads in body and pave way for new ways to detect and treat the disease.
Defence Planning Committee under National Security Advisor Ajit Doval
The committee will drive the country’s military and security strategy, draft capability development plans, guide and accelerate defence equipment acquisitions.
AFSPA lifted in Meghalaya
However, it has been partially revoked in Arunachal Pradesh.
The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act
enacted in 1958 to bring under control what the government of India considered ‘disturbed’ areas.
States under AFSPA (before April 1, 2018) included: Assam, Nagaland, Manipur (except the Imphal municipal area), Arunachal Pradesh (only the Tirap, Changlang and Longding districts plus a 20-km belt bordering Assam), Meghalaya (confined to a 20-km belt bordering Assam) and J&K.
Cybersecurity Tech Accord singed by 34 global technology and security companies
It represents a watershed agreement among the largest-ever group of companies agreeing to defend all customerseverywhere from malicious attacks by cybercriminal enterprises and nation-states.
The 34 companies include ABB, Arm, Cisco, Facebook, HP, HPE, Microsoft, Nokia, Oracle, and Trend Micro, and together represent operators of technologies that power the world’s internet communication and information infrastructure.
Internet Security Threat Report 2017 – India emerged as 3rd most cyber-threat vulnerable
released by security solutions provider Symantec, summarizes the state of cyber threats across the world.
ISRO loses contact with GSAT-6A Satellite
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has lost contact with GSAT-6A, a satellite launched aiming to provide mobile communication facilities.
Chinese Space Station Tiangong 1 Falls to Earth
China’s prototype space station, whose name translates as “Heavenly Palace 1,” breaking apart and burning up in the skies over the southern Pacific Ocean.
Tiangong-1 was China’s first prototype space station or space laboratory. It was placed in orbit in September 2011.
The spacecraft cemetery / Point Nemo
considered the most remote place on Earth (at about 2400 km from any spot of land).
used to crash-land defunct satellites.
Harimau Shakti 2018
joint training exercise between Indo-Malaysian defence is being conducted in the dense forests of Sengai Perdik, Hulu Langat, Malaysia.
SAHYOG-HYEOBLYEOG 2018
The Indo-Korean joint anti-piracy exercise
Govt. bans imports of hormone Oxytocin
to stop its misuse in the livestock industry because it causes hormonal imbalances and shortens the lives of milch animals.
Often called the ‘love hormone’
Oxytocin is a neurotransmitter and a hormone that is produced in the hypothalamus. From there, it is transported to and secreted by the pituitary gland, at the base of the brain.
It plays a role in the female reproductive functions, from sexual activity to childbirth and breast feeding.
Odilorhabdins (ODLs) – new class of Antibiotics to combat Drug Resistance
which has a distinct way of killing bacteria, has been discovered which may help combat drug-resistant or hard-to-treat bacterial infections.
The bacteria help to kill the insect and importantly secrete the antibiotic to keep competing bacteria away. The antibiotic kills bacteria by binding to ribosome.
IIT-Delhi Installs India’s First 5G Lab
It will be the first of its kind 5G lab in the country and has been setup at Bharti School of Telecommunication Technology and Management.
from Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota.
IRNSS-1I is expected to replace IRNSS-1A, the first of the seven navigation satellites that was rendered ineffective after its three rubidium atomic clocks failed.
The Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS)
is an independent satellite based regional system developed indigenously by India
The NAVIC system is constellation of seven satellites, (namely IRNSS-1I, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F and 1G) of which three are geostationary and four are nongeostationary.
NASA launches planet-hunter Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS)
It will discover thousands of exoplanets in orbit around the brightest stars in the sky.
Brahmos Supersonic Cruise Missile extended life of 15 years
The BrahMos supersonic cruise missile with an extended life of 15 years was for the first time
successfully test fired from the Integrated Test Range in Balasore in Odisha.
BrahMos has become the first Indian missile whose life has been extended from 10 to 15 years.
The missile had also reached the maximum speed of 3 Mach, i.e. three times faster than the speed of sound.
BrahMos is supersonic cruise missile developed by joint-venture between Russia’s Mashinostroyenia and India’s Defence Research and Development Organization
It has been named after two rivers Brahmaputra and Moskva (river in western Russia).
Punjab government organised First census to estimate Indus Dolphin
Indus Dolphins, one of the world’s rarest mammals
Punjab government along with WWF-India are conducting a first organised census.
Found only in India and Pakistan, the Indus Dolphins are confined to only 185 km stretch between Talwara and Harike Barrage in India’s Beas river in Punjab.
Technology to tackle Space Junk
A spacecraft that will demonstrate a range of innovative technologies to clean up space debris has been deployed from the International Space Station (ISS)
RemoveDEBRIS – will attempt to address the build-up of dangerous space debris orbiting Earth.
RemoveDebris will deploy a large sail that will drag it into the Earth’s atmosphere, where it will be destroyed.
Net Generation SFDR Surface-to-Air Missile
successfully carried out the first test of a new surface-to-air missile with nozzle less booster making its mark as a military superpower in South East Asia region.
Indigenously designed and developed by DRDO, the missile flew in its intended trajectory at a
speed of Mach 3 (thrice the speed of sound).
The missile, powered by Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet (SFDR), was test-fired at Integrated Test Range (ITR) off Odisha coast.
Russia Launches Soyuz-2.1B
Russia has successfully launched Glonass-M positioning satellite on board of Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket
GLONASS is Russian acronym for Global Navigation Satellite System, which provides real-time
positioning data for surface, sea and airborne objects around globe, at accuracy reportedly at par with US Global Positioning System (GPS).
now total 26 Glonass satellites in orbit.
Glonass is considered as counterpart to GPS of US, Galileo of European Union (EU) and Beidou of China.
Genome Valley 2.0
The Telangana Government has signed a MoU with Singapore-based Surbana Jurong for preparing a roadmap for Genome Valley 2.0, an upgraded version of life sciences and biotechnology.
The Genome Valley cluster has emerged as the largest life sciences destination in Asia, being home to over 200 companies employing 10,000 people.
Meghalayan – Newest phase in Earth’s History
named it The stalagmite from a cave in Meghalaya helped define climatic events 4,200 years ago, marking the beginning of the phase that continues till today.
The Meghalayan Age began with a mega global drought that devastated ancient agricultural civilizations from Egypt to China.
It is part of a longer period known as the Holocene Epoch, which reflects everything that has happened over the past 11,700 years.
This discovery done by the International Commission on Stratigraphy of the International
Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS)
Biodiesel in India
India’s domestic crude oil output stagnating and the demand for oil continuing to rise at an everincreasing pace, India has an opportunity to use substitutes of fossil fuels for both, economic and environmental benefits.
Ethanol is one such substitute that can be produced from sugarcane and used for transport by blending it with petrol/gasoline.
Another option is biodiesel, which can be produced from the oil-bearing seeds of certain plants and blended with diesel.
India’s first-ever environment friendly biofuel powered flight between Dehradun and Delhi was propelled by blend of oil from jatropha seeds and aviation turbine fuel.
Bio-jet fuel is greenhouse gas (GHG) neutral, carbon neutral, reduces air pollution.
Jatropha
Jatropha is drought-resistant perennial plant that can grow in marginal or poor soil.
The Problem of Jatropha is availability of it’s seeds.
Delhi Police gets india’s first All-Women SWAT Team
Delhi Police is the first police force in the country to have an all-women Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT) team.
SCO Peace Mission 2018
Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Peace Mission 2018 exercise was started on 24 August 2018 at Chebarkul, Russia.
All eight members of SCO (China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan) participitated
Roadmap for ‘Gaganyaan’ manned flight to space
ISRO unveiled details of its first indigenous human space mission to be launched in 2022.
This will be the first human space mission to be indigenously developed by ISRO. If successful,
India will become fourth nation in the world to send astronaut into space after US, Russia and China.
Indian Air Force (IAF) Rakesh Sharma was first Indian to travel to space.
World’s First Wind-Sensing Satellite ‘Aeolus’
European Space Agency (ESA) successfully launched wind-sensing satellite named ‘Aeolus’ into orbit on board of Vega rocket from French Guyana.
satellite dedicated to map Earth’s wind on global scale in particular tropical winds which are very poorly mapped.
IIT Madras developed first microprocessors under Project Shakti
The first of family of six industry-standard microprocessors under Project Shakti.
Project Shakti was started in 2014 as IIT-M initiative and part of it is funded by Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
The International Nitrogen Initiative
Indian scientist and academician Nandula Raghuram was elected as the Chair of the International Nitrogen Initiative (INI), a global policy making initiative.
Government bans Fixed Dose Combination (FDC) Drugs
Central government has banned 328 combination drugs in the background of growing antibiotic resistance due to the misuse of medicines.
Fixed Dose Combination (FDC) drugs includes two or more active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) combined in a single dosage form, which is manufactured and distributed in fixed doses.
Zika Virus cause of microcephaly and Guillain-Barré syndrome
Transmission: Zika virus is primarily transmitted to people through the bite of an infected mosquito from the Aedes genus, mainly Aedes aegypti in tropical regions. Sexual transmission of Zika virus is also possible.
Zika virus is a cause of microcephaly and Guillain-Barré syndrome.
Microcephaly – It is a condition where a baby is born with a small head or the head stops growing after birth.
Guillain-Barre syndrome – the body’s immune system attacks part of the peripheral nervous
system muscle weakness and loss of sensation in the legs and/or arms.
National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) released the report HIV Estimations 2017.
The HIV Estimations 2017 is the 14th round in the series of HIV Estimations under National AIDS Control Programme (NACP).
India had around 21 lakh people living with HIV (PLHIV) with adult prevalence of 0.22%.
Around 87000 new HIV infections and 69000 AIDS related deaths happened in 2017.
The impact of the NACP has been significant with more than 80% decline in estimated new infection from peak of epidemic in 1995. Similarly, estimated AIDS related death declined by 71% since its peak in 2005.
goal of attaining the ‘End of AIDS’ by 2030.
World’s first human case of Rat Hepatitis E has been detected in Hong Kong.
Hepatitis E is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis E virus (HEV): a small virus, with a positive-sense, single-stranded ribonucleic acid (RNA) genome.
India-US 2+2 Dialogue
India hosted inaugural 2+2 Dialogue with United States in New Delhi.
US defence secretary Jim Mattis and secretary of state Mike held talk with Indian Foreign minister and defence minister.
G-4 Summit
India hosted summit meeting of the G-4 nations (Brazil, Germany, India and Japan) at India’s Permanent Mission to the UN.
The summit aimed at pushing for early UN Security Council reforms.
They restated their support for Africa’s appropriate representation in a reformed and expanded
Council, which bears primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security.
Saudi Arabia to join CPEC Project
Saudi Arabia is set to join the multibillion-dollar project China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as a third major economic partner.
CPEC
The $46-billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project focuses on road building and
energy infrastructure to end chronic power shortages in Pakistan and to link China’s landlocked
north-west with the deep-water port Gwadar on the Arabian Sea.
The ambitious project is a part of China’s “One Belt and One Road” or new Silk Road project. It is being built from the restive Xinjiang province in China to Gwadar in southwestern Pakistan.
India’s four more nuclear facilities under IAEA Safeguards
The four reactors included under IAEA are – two Russian-designed Pressurised Light Water Reactors and two Pressurised Heavy Reactors being built with Indian technology.
India’s Nuclear Programme
India plans to build 21 reactors by 2030 for power generation as well as to promote Cancer research.
In power generation, a notable achievement was one of the longest run of reactor Unit-1 of Kaiga plant.It has become the third longest running plant in the world.
IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency)
It is the world’s central intergovernmental forum for scientific and technical co-operation in the nuclear field.
Headquarters: Vienna, Austria
Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on 7 October 2005.
4th International Ayurveda Congress in The Netherlands.
The congress was organized jointly by The International Maharishi AyurVeda Foundation, The Netherlands; the All India Ayurvedic Congress, New Delhi; and the International Academy of Ayurveda, Pune.
Germany has rolled out World’s First Hydrogen Train
Nicknamed Hydrail, these trains are called Coradia iLint trains and have been manufactured by Alstom, one of Europe’s largest railway manufacturers.
The train has batteries made of lithium-ion that is used in mobile phones and home appliances.
the train is equipped with fuel cells that produce electricity through a combination of hydrogen and oxygen, a process that leaves steam and water as the only emissions. Excess energy is stored in lithium ion batteries on board the train.
International Center for Transformative Artificial Intelligence
NITI Aayog, Intel and the TIFR have come together to setup a model International Center for Transformative Artificial Intelligence (ICTAI) towards developing and deploying AI-led application-based research projects.
It will be located in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
Dickinsonia – ancient fossil of the earliest animal
Scientists have discovered an ancient fossil of the earliest animal on geological record -Dickinsonia – that lived on Earth 558 million years ago.
Apsara U Reactor, India’s first and oldest atomic reactor
The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) has set in motiona higher capacity version Apsara-upgraded (U).
Radioisotopes generated via power generation in nuclear reactors, research reactors, accelerators and spent fuel are used in agriculture, healthcare, industry and even municipal waste management.
Apsara reached criticality in August 1956, was also the first in Asia.
Oneer – innovative technology for Drinking Water Disinfection System
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Indian Institute of Toxicology Research (CSIRIITR), Lucknow has developed an innovative technology for Drinking Water Disinfection System with trade name Oneer.
Train 18 – India’s First Engine-less train
A 16-coach prototype known as Train 18 or T18, Indian Railways’ first engine-less train, made its inaugural trial run recently.
Capable of running at a speed of up to 160 kmph, it is being referred to as a successor to the Shatabdi Express.
The fully air-conditioned semi-high speed train has been manufactured by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai.
2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology/Medicine
jointly awarded to James P. Allison and Tasuku Honjo.
for their discovery of cancer therapy by inhibition of negative immune regulation.
2018 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Frances H. Arnold “for the directed evolution of enzymes” half of the prize and other half of the prize to George P. Smith and Sir Gregory P. Winter ”for the phage display of peptides and antibodies.”
2018 Nobel Prize in Physics
one half to Arthur Ashkin “for groundbreaking inventions in the field of laser physics” and other half jointly to Gérard Mourou “for the optical tweezers and their application to biological systems”
Nobel Prize
Nobel Prize is awarded annually from a fund bequeathed by the Swedish inventor and industrialist Alfred Nobel.
The prize is widely regarded as the most prestigious award given for intellectual achievement in the world.
The prize is awarded for Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, and Peace.
The first distribution of the prize took place in 1901. An additional award in Economic Sciences was established in 1968 and was first awarded in 1969.
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences confers the prizes for physics, chemistry, and economics.
The Karolinska Institute confers the prize for physiology or medicine and the Swedish Academy confers the prize for literature.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee based in Oslo confers the prize for peace.
Gaganyaan
A MoU was signed between ISRO and the Federal Space Agency of Russia ROSCOSMOS on joint activities in the field of the human spaceflight programme Gaganyaan.
If successful, India would be the fourth nation to send a human in space after the US, Russia and China.
Gaganyaan is India’s maiden human spaceflight programme scheduled for completion by 2022.
GSLV Mk-III launch vehicle, which has the necessary payload capability for this mission, will be used to launch Gaganyaan.
China’s Artificial Moon
China has planned to launch an artificial moon over the city of Chengdu, in Sichuan province, by 2020 to provide an alternative means of street lighting and save on electricity.
As per preliminary reports the artificial moon would be a mirror orbiting Chengdu at a height of 500 km. It would reflect the sun’s light at night, and supplement street lighting in Chengdu, which has a population of 1.6 million.
China is not the first country to try beaming sunlight back to Earth. In the 1990s, Russian scientists reportedly used giant mirrors to reflect light from space in an experimental project called Znamya or Banner.
Andhra, West Bengal withdraws CBI power to investigate
Section 5 of the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act (DSPEA) gives powers to the CBI over all areas in the country, but Section 6 states that without the consent of the state concerned, it cannot enter that state’s jurisdiction.
Apart from Mizoram, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh, the agency has consent in one form or the other for carrying out investigations across the country.
Kilogram re-defined
At the 26th CGPM, General Conference on Weights and Measures, in Versailles, Paris more than 60 nations came together to vote unanimously for a new system that redefines the kilogram.
kilogram, the ampere (electrical current), the kelvin (thermodynamic temperature) and the mole (amount of a substance) were redefined at the conference.
The kilogram has been defined since 1889 by a shiny piece of platinum-iridium kept in a special glass case, the International Prototype of the Kilogram (IPK), also known as Le Grand K (The Big K). It is housed at the headquarters of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM), just outside Paris.
Now the kilogram will be defined by the Planck Constant, denoted as h, is a physical constant that is the quantum of action, which relates the energy carried by a photon with the frequency of its electromagnetic wave.
designed and built to work in the same way a human brain does, has been fitted with its landmark one-millionth processor core and has been switched on for the first time.
The SpiNNaker is capable of completing more than 200 million actions per second, with each of its chips having 100 million transistors.
Biological neurons are basic brain cells present in the nervous system that communicate primarily by emitting spikes of pure electro-chemical energy.
Neuromorphic computing uses large scale computer systems containing electronic circuits to mimic these spikes in a machine.
One billion neurons is one per cent of the scale of the human brain, which consists of just under 100 billion brain cells, or neurons, which are all highly interconnected via approximately one quadrillion synapses.
European Human Brain Project
The HBP Flagship was launched by the European Commission’s Future and Emerging Technologies (FET) scheme in October 2013
HysIS (Hyper Spectral Imaging Satellite)
ISRO has successfully launched the PSLV-C43 mission that carried HysIS (Hyper Spectral Imaging Satellite) as part of its payload.
GSAT 29 launched
ISRO’s GSAT-29 communication satellite recently launched successfully by the second developmental flight of Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III (GSLV Mk III-D2) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.
GSAT 29 – weighing 3,423 kg at lift-off, GSAT-29 is the heaviest satellite to be launched from India.
GSLV Mk III – three-stage heavy lift launch vehicle developed by ISRO. The vehicle has two solid strap-ons, a core liquid booster and a cryogenic upper stage.
Earth BioGenome Project
with an ambitious objective was recently announced to map the entire genome of every known animal, plant, fungus and protozoan on earth.
A decade-long experiment to map the genomes of roughly 1.5 million species — all the complex life forms known to man
China unveils heavenly palace space station ‘Tiangong’
a replica of its first permanently crewed space station, which would replace the international community’s orbiting laboratory and symbolises the country’s major ambitions beyond Earth.
The International Space Station – a collaboration between the US, Russia, Canada, Europe and Japan, has been in operation since 1998 but is due to be retired in 2024.
INS Arihant
INS Arihant, India’s first nuclear ballistic missile submarine, has completed its first deterrence patrol.
With the induction of INS Arihant, India is ready with its nuclear triad – the capability of firing nuclear weapons from land, air and sea.
India has now become part of an elite club of countries – Russia, the US, China, France and the UK that possess nuclear ballistic missile submarines – the only non-Permanent member of UNSC having a sea-based nuclear deterrent.
India’s Nuclear Doctrine
made in 2003.
The basic principle of India’s nuclear doctrine is “No First Use”.
Nuclear weapons will only be used in retaliation against a nuclear attack on Indian Territory or on Indian forces anywhere.
10th Indian Ocean Naval Symposium
26 of the 32 countries that constitute the membership of the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) are participating in the 10th edition of the event that commenced in Kochi
CCRAS Developed AYUSH Drug QOL-2C for Cancer Patients
India ranked 108th in the WEF’s Global Gender Gap Index 2017
India slipped 21 places on the index to 108, ranked behind neighbours China (100th ) and Bangladesh (47th), mainly due to less participation of women in economy and low wages.
Top 10 of the Global Gender Gap Index
Iceland
Norway
Finland
Rwanda
Sweden
Nicaragua
Slovenia
Ireland
New Zealand
Philippines
India Youth Development Index and Report 2017
developed by Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development (RGNIYD), Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu
Global Youth Development Index – India has been ranked 133rd out of 183 countries in the 2016 Global Youth Development Index (YDI)
‘Safe City’ Plan for Women
In eight metropolitan cities – Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Lucknow and Hyderabad.
Key Initiatives Taken For Women Safety
‘Himmat’ app, all women patrol van, ‘shishtachar’ programme of the Delhi police;
‘Hawkeye’ mobile app and ‘Bharosa’ programme of the Hyderabad police;
‘Suraksha’ app of the Bengaluru police
Power Angels of Uttar Pradesh police.
The India Hypertension Management Initiative (IHMI) Launched
Union health ministry has launched The India Hypertension Management Initiative (IHMI) to reduce disability and death related to high blood pressure.
It is a joint collaboration by ICMR, Health Ministry, State governments and WHO.
Manipur Sangai Festival 2017
Named after Manipur’s state animal, the brow-antlered Sangai deer
It started in the year 2010. showcases the tourism potential of the state
Keibul Lamjao, a unique ‘floating’ reserve situated in Manipur in India’s Northeast, which is home to the brow-antlered deer, will also play host to the festival.
The Keibul Lamjao National Park
an integral part of Loktak Lake, in the Bishnupur district of the state of Manipur in India
the only floating park in the world
YONO App
State Bank of India, has launched a unified integrated app called YONO (You Need Only One) that would offer all kinds of financial and lifestyle products.
is an integrated digital banking platform to enable users to access a variety of financial and other services such as taxi bookings, online shopping, or medical bill payments.
India rank 100th in World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business 2018
biggest improvement among all countries
Top 5 countries – NZ, Singapore, Denmark, South Korea, Hong Kong
Tax Accounting Standard ‘Income Computation and Disclosure Standards (ICDS)’
improved the country’s ranking (by the World Bank) over 50 notches in ease of paying taxes are an accounting standard for the purpose of income tax.
Google Tax
An entity which makes a payment exceeding Rs 1 lakh in a financial year to a non resident
technology company for some Business-to-Business Services (B2B) needs to withhold 6% tax on the gross amount being paid as an equalization levy.
This tax is applicable to B2B services and goods only and NOT on Business to Consumer goods (B2C) and services. And the tax is applicable to only those companies, which have no permanent establishment in India.
National Anti-profiteering Authority (NAA) to push Companies to pass on GST Benefits to consumers
The Union Cabinet approved setting up of the proposed National Anti-profiteering Authority (NAA) under the goods and services tax (GST) to ensure consumers get the benefit of lower taxes under the new indirect tax regime.
sharp reduction in the GST rates of a large number of items of mass consumption.
NAA will have five members and will act as the final adjudicating authority.
Decks cleared for first Mega CEZ
The government has given the go (CEZ) at the Jawaharlal Nehru Port in Maharashtra.
The Union Cabinet in 2016 had approved setting up of 14 mega CEZs under the National Perspective Plan of the Sagarmala Programme.
Moody’s upgrade India’s rating after 14 years
Moody’s upgraded India’s government debt Baa2 with a stable outlook.
The last upgrade in 2004 when Moody’s had upgraded the rating of India’sgovernment debt from speculative grade to Baa3.
Sovereign ratings give investors insight into the level of risk associated with investing in a particular country including political
Logistics Sector given Infra Status
The logistic sector covers cold chain, warehousing facilities and multimodal parks comprising Inland Container Depot (ICD) subject to certain conditions.
The cost of logistics in India is very high (about 13% of GDP) compared to developed countries
Cabinet Okays setting up of 15th Finance Commission
chairmanship of former expenditure and revenue secretary NK Singh
to recommend principles of devolution of central tax revenues and grants states and local bodies.
Members: former economic affairs secretary Shaktikanta Das and Anoop Singh, adjunct professor, Georgetown University. Two part time members are former chief economic adviser Ashok Lahiri and NitiAayog member Ramesh Chand.
International Day of Persons with Disabilities is observed on December 3
The theme for 2017 International Day of People with Disability is “Transformation towards sustainable and resilient society for all”.
Disabled Population In India
The World Bank estimates that 15% of the world’s population is affected by one disability or another.
According to Census 2011, India is home to 26.8 million people with disabilities and that is a huge Underestimation
India signed the UN Convention on Rights of Persons with Disability in 2007.
Term “divyang” is being considered in place of “viklang” to change mindset. The term would help in raising self-confidence and subsequent empowerment.
India is a signatory to Marrakesh Treaty to facilitate Access to Published works by Visually Impaired Persons and Persons with Print Disabilities.
The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016
The Act replaces the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995.
It fulfills the obligations to the United National Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), to which India is a signatory. The Act came into force during December 2016.
World AIDS Day observed on 1st December
It provides an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, show their support for people living with HIV, and to commemorate people who have died.
India has the third-highest population of HIV-positive people
Among the States/UTs, Manipur has shown the highest estimated adult HIV prevalence of 1.15%, followed by Mizoram (0.80%), Nagaland (0.78%).
The Human Immunodeficiency Virus And Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (Prevention And Control) Act, 2017 – The Parliament passed the bill in April 2017
UNAIDS
It leads and inspires the world to achieve its shared vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths.
UNAIDS unites the efforts of 11 UN organizations—UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, UN Women, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank—and works closely with global and national partners towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals.
UNESCO Recognises Kumbh Mela as “Intangible Cultural Heritage”
Kumbh Mela, considered the world’s largest congregation of religious pilgrims
The Kumbh Mela, held in Allahabad, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nashik.
This inscription is the third in two years following the inscriptions of ‘Yoga’ and ‘Norouz’ on 1st December 2016.
Previous ones includes the Chhaudance( Inscribed in 2010), the Buddhist chanting of Ladakh (inscribed in 2012), Sankirtana–the ritual singing, drumming, and dancing of
Manipur( inscribed in 2013), the traditional brass and copper craft of utensil making among the Thatheras of Jandiala Guru, Punjab(inscribed in 2014) and Ramlila– the traditional performance of the Ramayana ( inscribed in 2008).
National Trachoma Survey Report
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has declared that India is now free from ‘infective trachoma’, a contagious bacterial infection of the eye.
India met the goal of trachoma elimination as specified by the WHO under its GET2020 program.
Trachoma is a chronic infective disease of the eye and is the leading cause of infective blindness globally.
Apex Court to Re-Examine Adultery Laws: Section 497 Under Scanner
The Supreme Court admitted the petition to drop adultery as a criminal offence from the statute book. For this, the apex court is examining Section 497 of IPC, which deals with adultery.
Hornbill Festival of Nagaland
To encourage inter-tribal interaction and to promote cultural heritage of Nagaland, the Government of Nagaland organizes the Hornbill Festival every year in the first week of December.
The first festival was held in the year 2000. It is also called as the ‘Festival of Festivals’.
It coincides with the celebration of Nagaland Statehood Day on 1st December.
GST Council clears E-way Bill Mechanism
The GST Council has decided to go for early implementation of e-way bill for interstate movement of goods from February 1 and uniform mandatory roll out from 1st June 2018.
An e-way bill is required for movement of goods worth over Rs. 50000.
Quota for Acid Attack Victims in Central Government Jobs
Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has released an order in which victims of acid attacks have been included under Right of Person with Disability Act, 2016.
the Acid attack victims will also be entitled to 1 % reservation.
Stree Swabhiman Initiative
The Information Technology and Electronics Ministry has announced to launch the new scheme initiative under StreeSwabhiman Drive.
The new initiative has been introduced by the Ministry and the Common Service Centres (CSCs) to ensure and maintain perfect health for women and at the same time to maintain health hygiene.
NHFDC Conference 2018
The State Channelizing Agencies (SCAs), Public Sector Banks (PSBs), and Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) of the National Handicapped Finance and Development Corporation (NHFDC) participated at a National Conference aimed to have better coordination with the NHFDC and the SCAs to achieve smooth and efficient implementation of the NHFDC schemes.
About NHFDC
The National Handicapped Finance and Development Corporation (NHFDC) has been set up by the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Government of India in 1997.
NHFDC functions as an Apex institution for channelising the funds to persons with disabilities through the State Channelising Agencies (SCAs) nominated by the State Government(s).
India ranks 62nd in WEF’s Inclusive Development Index 2018
The World Economic Forum (WEF) has released Inclusive Development Index(IDI) 2018.
Lithuania again tops among the list of emerging economies. The top-five most inclusive emerging economies are Lithuania, Hungary, Azerbaijan, Latvia and Poland.
BRICS economies – the Russian Federation ranking 19th, followed by China (26), Brazil (37), India (62) and South Africa (69).
neighbouring countries ranked above India – Sri Lanka (40), Bangladesh (34) and Nepal (22).
Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA)
The PMSMA has reached one crore mark in antenatal check-ups.
The scheme has been launched, in June 2016, with the objective of boosting the health care facilities for the pregnant women, especially the poor.
Pregnant ladies will be given free health check-up and required treatment for free on 9th of every month to ensure that every pregnant woman receives at least one checkup in the 2nd/3rd trimester of pregnancy.
Steel, Cement lead Core Sector growth to a 13-Month High
Activity in the eight core sectors of the economy accelerated to a 13-month high of 6.7% in November, with growth being propelled by the steel and cement sectors.
The eight infrastructure sectors included in the index are coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertilizers, steel, cement and electricity.
National Logistics Index: Gujarat, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh best performing states
The new Logistics Ease Across Different States (LEADS) index developed by the Commerce and Industry Ministry and Deloitte ranked states in terms of the logistical support they provided to promote goods trade.
Best performing states: Gujarat, Punjab and Andhra Pradesh are the best performing states in terms of mobility of goods and efficiency of logistics chain
Other states: Karnataka, Maharashtra, Haryana, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Chhattisgarh made up the remaining top 10.
Assam, Bihar and Jammu & Kashmir featured on the bottom of the list owing to the lack of good transport facilities, scarcity of logistics services and bad track record in timeliness.
India ranks 30th on WEF Global Manufacturing Index
India on the 30th position five places below China, which is continuously striving to develop better avenues of manufacturing by boosting infrastructure.
Japan topped the rankings on the back of developing the best structure of production in the Geneva based WEF’s first ‘Readiness for the future of production report’ and is followed by South Korea, Germany, Switzerland, China, Czech Republic, USA, Sweden, Austria and Ireland in the top 10.
India had a total manufacturing value of over $420 billion in 2016
India’s manufacturing sector has grown by over 7 per cent per year on average in the past three decades and accounts for 16-20 per cent of India’s GD
India needs $4.5 Trillion for Infrastructure
India will require investments of about $4.5 trillion by 2040 to develop infrastructure to improve economic growth and community well-being according to the Economic Survey 2017-18.
The current trend shows that India can meet around $3.9 trillion infrastructure investment out of $4.5 trillion.
Centre mulls shifting Agriculture Marketing to Concurrent List
to bring marketing of farm goods under the Constitution’s Concurrent List so that it has greater say on the relevant regulations and taxation.
An amendment to the Constitution requires stipulated majorities in both Houses of Parliament and state Assemblies.
Many state governments have opposed the move as they feel the amendment will be against the concept of cooperative federalism.
Ayushman Bharat For A New India -2022
As part of Ayushman Bharat programme, the Government has announced two major initiatives in health sector.
To strengthen primary health care and to offer financial protection from catastrophic expenditure, often encountered once a family member is sick and needs long-term health care.
Two major initiatives under this scheme are:
Health and Wellness Centre – The National Health Policy, 2017 has envisioned Health and Wellness Centres as the foundation of India’s health system. 1.5 lakh centres will bring health care system closer to the homes of people. These centres will also provide free essential drugs and diagnostic services.
National Health Protection Scheme (NHPS) – will cover over 10 crore poor and vulnerable families (approximately 50 crore beneficiaries) providing coverage up to 5 lakh rupees per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization.
This will be the world’s largest government funded health care programme.
Revitalising Infrastructure and Systems in Education (RISE)
The govt proposed a new initiative called Revitalising Infrastructure and Systems in Education (RISE), to be launched in the country with a total investment of Rs 1 lakh crore in the next four years.
Under it, all centrally-funded institutes (CFIs), including central universities, IITs, IIMs, NITs and IISERs can borrow from a Rs 1,00,000 crore corpus over next 4 years to expand and build new infrastructure.
It will be financed through suitably structured Higher Education Financing Agency (HEFA).
Higher Education Financing Agency – The Union cabinet, in 2016, cleared a proposal to set up a higher education financing agency (HEFA) that will raise Rs20,000 crore from loans and bond sales to fund infrastructure development at central educational institutions.
Education Impact Bond for India
Britain’s Prince Charles has launched a new 10-million-dollar Development Impact Bond (DIB) to help improve education for over 200,000 children in India.
The DIB, the largest bond of its type in South Asia, is the latest fundraising initiative by the British Asian Trust (BAT), set up by the royal 10 years ago to fight poverty in South Asia.
Govt to create National Urban Housing Fund
The Union Cabinet has given approval for creation of National Urban Housing Fund (NUHF) for Rs.60,000 crores.
NUHF will finance the government’s Housing for All programme, which aims to build 12 million affordable housing units in urban areas by 2022.
Fiscal Glide Path Pushed Back To 2021
The government has missed the fiscal deficit target of 3.2% for 2017-18.
The fiscal deficit target for next financial year would be 3.3% and 3.1% for the year after and then 3% for 2020-21.
The budget also proposed to accept key recommendations of the Fiscal Reform and Budget Management Committee relating to adoption of the Debt Rule and to bring down Central Government’s Debt to GDP ratio to 40%.
Long Term Capital Gains tax makes a comeback
Union Budget re-introduced LTCG tax on stocks and now Investors will have to pay 10% tax on profit exceeding 1 lakh made from the sale of shares or equity mutual fund schemes held for over one year.
Commercial Coal Mining opened for Private Sector
The cabinet committee on economic affairs approved the methodology for auctioning coal blocks for commercial mining by the private sector.
Private sector will soon be able to mine coal and sell it to power plants, steel mills and other users ending the decades-old monopoly of state-run Coal India Ltd (CIL) and its affiliates.
The coal sector was nationalized in 1973 and the non-state coal mining had thus far been allowed only for captive use.
The key reform will virtually upend the Coal Mines (Nationalization) Act, 1973, which has kept the sector largely a preserve of public-sector monolith Coal India (CIL).
Draft Bill On Human Trafficking
The Union Cabinet has approved the draft Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2018.
Trafficking in human beings is the 3rd largest organized crime violating human rights in the country.
India is a destination for human trafficking. In the year 2016 alone, 8132 human trafficking caseshave been reported in India.
The states where the cases reported high are West Bengal, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra andTamil Nadu.
The main purposes for human trafficking given in the NCRB report are Sexual exploitation, ForcedMarriage, Forced Labour and Domestic servitude.
Article 23 (1) of the Constitution prohibits trafficking in Human Beings or Persons
The Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956 (ITPA) is the premier legislation for prevention of trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation.
Protection of Children from Sexual offences (POCSO) Act, 2012 is a special law to protect childrenfrom sexual abuse and exploitation.
Pan-India Expansion of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Programme (BBBPP)
BBBPP was scaled up to cover all 640 districts country-wide following the success of its 1st phase in improving child sex ratio from 914 to 919 (according to NFHS-4) which covered 161 districts.
Drop in Sex-Ratio at Birth: NITI Aayog in its report stated that sex-ratio at birth nationwide had dropped from 906 in 2012-2014 to 900 in 2013-2015.
The Delhi End TB Summit : TB-free India
In a landmark event ‘The Delhi End TB Summit’, India has launched TB Free India Campaign.
India has committed to eliminate Tuberculosis by 2025 which is ahead of the world target set under Sustainable Development Goal Framework which is 2030.
SC Upholds passive Euthanasia
Supreme Court has upheld the phenomenon of passive euthanasia together with allowing the right of every individual to draft a ‘Living will’ that gives her/him the right of self-determination with regards to medical treatment in case of terminal illness or permanent vegetative state.
Passive Euthanasia – the act of withdrawing or withholding medical support to a dying patient with a terminal illness with no hope for revival or cure. Active euthanasia, on the other hand is defined as the intentional act of causing the death of a patient.
World Happiness Report 2018 – India ranks 133rd
India ranked behind majority of SAARC nations, except the war-ravaged Afghanistan, which stood at 145. Bhutan has been placed at 97th rank. While Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are at 115 and 116 positions, respectively, China stands at 86. Myanmar is placed at 130th position.
The World Happiness Report published by Sustainable Development Solutions Network for the United Nations.
Top 10 countries
Finland
Norway
Denmark
Iceland
Switzerland
Netherlands
Canada
New Zealand
Sweden
Australia
Karnataka Govt approves Minority Religion tag for Lingayats
The Karnataka government approved the recommendation to accord separate religious minority status for the dominant Lingayat community.
In August 2017, through a massive rally in Bidar, Karnataka the Lingayats demanded a minority status for their community similar toSikkhism or Buddhism as they believe they are distinct from Hindu religion.
Lingayats – the followers of Basavanna, a 12th century socio-religious reformer who rejected discrimination based on Caste and Gender.
Union Cabinet Clears The Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill 2016
The Union cabinet has cleared the deck for Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill 2016 that seeks to regulate altruistic surrogacy in India and putting blanket ban on commercial surrogacy.
Surrogacy is the process of carrying and delivering of the child of another. Surrogacy is of two types:
Gestational surrogacy -the genetic mother provides the egg, which is fertilized, and another woman (the surrogate mother) carries the foetus and gives birth to the child.
Traditional surrogacy – the woman provides her own egg, which is fertilized by artificial insemination, and carries the foetus and gives birth to a child for another person
Ministry for Tribal Affairs launched E-Tribes: Tribes India portal
‘e-Tribes: Tribes India’, e-commerce portal, and M-commerce, android app ‘Tribes India’, a window for national and international market for tribal artisans.
Nearly 55,000 tribal people are connected with TRIFED. With this digital platform, they can associate not only with local people but also can get access to international markets.
Atal Innovation Mission Ties Up With SAP To Foster Innovation
SAP India has tied up with NITI Aayog’sAtal Innovation Mission (AIM) to set up 100 Atal Tinkering Laboratories to promote science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education among secondary school children across India.
Foreign Banks with 20 Branches also to follow Priority Sector Lending norm
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has brought foreign banks with at least 20 branches in India under the ambit of compulsory targeted lending to small farmers and micro-enterprises.
Priority Sector Lending – Categories under Priority Sector
Agriculture
Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
Export Credit
Education
Housing
Social Infrastructure
Renewable Energy
Others
Targets and Sub-targets for banks under priority sector
40 percent of Adjusted Net Bank Credit or Credit Equivalent Amount of Off-Balance Sheet Exposure, whichever is higher, for Domestic Scheduled Commercial Banks
Agriculture 18 percent of ANBC or Credit Equivalent Amount of Off-Balance Sheet Exposure, whichever is higher.
Micro Enterprises 5 percent of ANBC or Credit Equivalent Amount of Off-Balance Sheet Exposure.
Advances to Weaker Sections – 10 percent of ANBC or Credit Equivalent Amount of Off-Balance Sheet Exposure, whichever is higher.
Draft Policy Seeks Stable Regime for Agriculture Exports
The commerce ministry has drafted National Agriculture Trade Policy to help India realise the government’s goal of doubling farmer’s income by 2022.
India’s total agri-exports $30 billion annually, which is around 2.2% of global agri-markets.
The aims of India’s agri export policy
to become one of the top ten exporters of agricultural produce
to strive to double India’s share in the global exports of agri produce from the present figure of over $30 billion to over $60 billion by 2022.
SEBI Oks Kotak Panel Proposals to Boost Corporate Governance
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) approved sweeping changes proposed by the Uday Kotak panel on improving corporate governance standards such as splitting the post of chairman and managing director, tighter rules for independent directors and mandatory secretarial audits for listed entities.
Cabinet approves the Protection of Human Rights (Amendments) Bill, 2018
The Union Cabinet has given its approval to the Protection of Human Rights (Amendments) Bill, 2018 to make NHRC and SHRCs more compliant with the Paris Principles.
In 2018, the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) had accorded ‘A’ status to NHRC indicating its compliance with Paris Principles.
Paris Principles Adopted in 1993 by the United Nations General Assembly, require Human rights institutions of various countries to meet certain minimum criteria to protect and promote human rights.
Van Dhan Scheme launched to help Increase Tribal Income through Value Addition
First model Van DhanVikas Kendra was launched under the Van Dhan Scheme of Ministry of Tribal Affairs and TRIFED at Bijapur, Chattisgarh.
aims at economic development of tribals involved in collection of Minor Food Produces (MFPs) by helping them in optimum utilization of natural resources and provide them sustainable livelihood.
The Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED) came into existence in 1987
a national-level apex organization functioning under the administrative control of Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Govt. of India
institutionalizing the trade of Minor Forest Produce (MFP) and Surplus Agriculture Produce (SAP) collected/cultivated by tribals as tribals are heavily dependent on these natural products for their livelihood.
India to soon have its first Gas Trading Exchange
to prepare for a surge in supply from India’s east coast and a slew of liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals.
The first gas trading exchange will work on the lines of online platforms that trade in power
India produces close to 90 mscmd of gas and imports another 70 mscmd as LNG according to government figures for 2016-17.
India has laid out a plan to increase the share of gas in India’s energy mix to 15 percent by 2030 from below 6.5 percent now
Angel tax
angel tax under Section 56(2)(viib) of the Income Tax Act, 1961
to tax any capital raised by a closely held company, which is above its fair market value as income from other sources.
India World’s Second Largest Unbanked Population, 19 Crore People Without Accounts
At least 19 crore Indian adults do not have bank accounts making the country the second largest in terms of unbanked population according to a report by World Bank.
Jan dhanYojana: a national mission to ensure financial access in an affordable manner for the poorer sections of the society
The country’s adult population with bank accounts increased more than two-fold to 80 per cent since 2011.
China has an unbanked population of 225 million adults followed by India, Pakistan and Indonesia.
India remain Top Remittance Destination of Migrants
Remittances to India from abroad touched $69 billion in 2017 and outflows of remittances from India rise reaching $5.7 billion, according to World Bank’s report ‘Migration and Remittance Outlook’.
World’s largest diaspora population: Indians constitute the world’s largest diaspora population, making it the largest source of labour for the world market.
In 2017 there were 4 million Indians living abroad.
Of the 131 countries from where India received remittances UAE contributed the highest i.e. $13.8 billion or about 20% of India’s total receipts, followed by the US, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and UK.
TCS now in $100 Billion Market Capitalization Club
Tata Consultancy Services became only the second Indian company to cross the $100 billion mark in market capitalization
TCS follows Reliance Industries Ltd., which touched the milestone in 2007.
Global $100 Billion club: Though much larger than TCS, the global $100 billion club includes Apple Inc., Microsoft Corp., Alphabet Inc., Amazon, Facebook, ExxonMobil, Walmart Inc. and Samsung.
Constitutional Protection may be extended to denotified Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes
In line with the recommendation of National Commission for Denotified Nomadic (DN) and SemiNomadic Tribes (SNT) under BhikuRamjiI, the Union government is considering a move to grant Constitutional protection to Denotified Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes, thus creating a third category separate from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
These communities, also called as Vimuktajatis, are all those communities notified under the Criminal Tribes Acts enforced during British Rule
The entire communities were branded as criminals by birth under the colonial rule through enforcement of the Criminal Tribes Act, 1871. In 1952, the Act was repealed and the communities were de-notified.
India rank 145 in Healthcare Access and Quality Index 2016
The index is created by the Global Burden of Disease study, based on 32 causes of death considered preventable with effective medical care.
India has improved its ranking on a global healthcare access and quality (HAQ) index from 153 in 1990 to 145 in 2016, yet ranks lower than neighbouring Bangladesh and even sub-Saharan Sudan and Equatorial Guinea.
India lags way behind its BRICS peers Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa on the HAQ index, but matches China in the disparity in healthcare access and quality between states.
Within India, the best performers, Goa and Kerala, scored more than 60 points on the HAQ index in 2016, whereas the worst performers, Assam and Uttar Pradesh, scored below 40.
World Health Statistics 2018
The World Health Statistics series is WHO’s annual snapshot of the state of the world’s health.
It also links to the three SDG-aligned strategic priorities of the WHO’s 13th General Programme of Work: achieving universal health coverage, addressing health emergencies and promoting healthier populations.
India saw an estimated 211 cases of tuberculosis per 1,00,000 people in 2016, India has pledged to eradicate tuberculosis by 2025, five years ahead of the global target set by WHO.
Maternal mortality ratio (MMR) in India was 174 per 1,00,000 births in 2015. The Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 is to lower MMR for all countries to less than 70 per 1,00,000 births.
Per capita health expenditure in India was around USD 63 in 2015, way lower than China (USD 426), while in Pakistan it was $38.
GSTN to be made a Government Company
The Goods and Services Tax Council approved a new comprehensive return-generation system and full government ownership of GST Network (GSTN) the IT backbone for GST.
Ownership of GSTN: The council also approved a proposal for the Centre and states to jointly (and equally) acquire the entire 51% of equity held by the non-governmental institutions in GSTN amounting to Rs 5.1 crore.
Currently the Centre and states jointly own 49% in GSTN (24.5% each), while the rest is held by five other entities, including LIC Housing Finance, HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank.
Indian Rupee declined signifinactly
The Indian currency sunk to a closing low of 68.07 against the U.S. dollar i.e. its lowest level in 16 months. The rupee already one of the worst performing Asian currencies has now weakened 6.2% in 2018.
Reason behind Rupee Depreciation
Rise in crude oil prices:
High CAD
Tightening of USA monetary policy
Impact Of Fall Of Rupee
Impact importers: Importers will be hit as the cost of getting goods or equipment into India will increase.
Impact on oil sector:
Impact on exporters: Exporters especially software exporters stand to benefit as they get more rupees while converting dollar export earnings into Indian currency.
Increase inflationary pressure: Crude prices are expected to rise further this year and imports are expected to grow by at least 14%.
Increase in remittances:
India’s ranking fell three places to 11th in FDI Confidence Index 2018
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Confidence Index 2018 released by global consultancy firm A T Kearney. It was created in 1998.
Last year, India was ranked eighth. Its position was pushed out of the top 10 for the first time since 2015.
Top 10 Countries in the Index – United States (1st), Canada (2nd), Germany (3rd), United Kingdom (4th), China (5th), Japan (6th), France (7th), Australia (8th), Switzerland (9th) and Italy (10th)
Walmart to buy control of Flipkart
US based retail giant Walmart said it will invest $16 billion to acquire a 77 per cent stake in Indian e-commerce major Flipkart a deal that is the biggest M&A (merger and acquisition) in India so far higher than the $12.9 billion acquisition of Essar Oil by a consortium led by Russia’s Rosneft in 2016.
First Crude Oil Cargo from Abu Dhabi for India’s Strategic Crude Oil Reserve
The historic first cargo of crude oil from the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), destined for the Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Ltd (ISPRL) has been loaded and is en-route to India.
ISPRL is mandated to store crude oil for strategic needs, to locate 5.86 million barrels of ADNOC crude oil at the Karnataka facility in the Indian city of Mangalore.
Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserve
is an emergency fuel store of total 5 MMT (million metric tons) of strategic crude oil enough to provide 10 days of consumption.
The reserves are maintained by the Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Limited.•
India’s strategic crude oil storages are located at Vizag (1.33 million tonnes), Mangalore (1.5 million tonnes) and Padur (2.5 million tonnes)
The 2017-18 budget, announced that two more such caverns will be set up Chandikhole in Jajpur district of Odisha and Bikaner in Rajasthan as part of the second phase.
All Indian villages now have access to power supply
Manipur’s Leisang village became the last non-electrified inhabited village to join India’s mainline supply network an important milestone in the country’s journey towards universal electricity access.
All 597464 inhabited villages in the country now have access to power.
The seeds of 100 per cent village electrification were sowed with the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJUY).
Pasighat airport – The first commercial flight of Arunachal Pradesh under UDAN scheme landed at Pasighat airport.
World’s first floating nuclear plant – Russia unveiled world’s first floating nuclear power station at port city of Murmansk.
Zojila tunnel – PM Modi inaugurated construction of Rs 6,809 crore Zojila tunnel project in Jammu and Kashmir’s Leh. It will be India’s and Asia’s longest and strategic bi-directional road tunnel.
BSE became first Indian exchange to be designated as Designated Offshore Securities Market (DOSM) by United States Securities and Exchange Commission (US-SEC).
HDFC Bank became the first bank in the country to introduce a humanoid for customer service.
HDFC Bank launched IRA 2.0, its interactive humanoid. IRA will interact with customers, answer bank-related queries, frequently asked questions, and guide them inside the branch with voice-based navigation
India no longer a nation with world’s largest poor population
Think tank Brookings ‘The Start Of A New Poverty Narrative’ report highlighted that with persistent decline in poverty, India is no longer a nation having largest number of poor people in world.
The study defines poverty as living on less than $1.9 a day.
Nigeria has largest number of extreme poor in early 2018, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo could soon take over the number 2 spot.
extreme poverty in Nigeria is growing by six people every minute, while poverty in India continues to fall.
about 725 million people were in extreme poverty at the beginning of 2016
India’s first Advanced Forensic Lab dedicated to women related cases
Ministry of Women and Child Development laid the foundation of Sakhi Suraksha Advanced DNA Forensic Laboratory in Central Forensic Science Lab (CFSL), Chandigarh.
It will be funded from the Nirbhaya Fund.
India among 90 countries without Paid Paternity Leaves
India and Nigeria, which have high infant populations, are among 92 countries that do not have national policies in place that ensure new fathers get adequate paid time off with their newborn babies.
Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act, 2017 has increased the duration of paid maternity leave available for women employees from the existing 12 weeks to 26 weeks.
Suvidha Bio-Degradable low-cost sanitary napkins
In a move to improve menstrual hygiene practices in India, the government will offer fully biodegradable low-cost sanitary napkins called Suvidha at all of its Pradhan Mantri Janaushadi Pariyojana stores.
It was released by the Bureau of Pharma PSUs of India (BPPI), in association with the department of pharmaceuticals, on the occasion of World Environment Day.
It is a campaign launched by the Department of Pharmaceuticals to provide quality medicines at affordable prices to the masses. PMBJP stores have been set up to provide generic drugs, which are not only affordable but are equivalent in quality and efficacy as expensive branded drugs.
Bureau of Pharma PSUs of India (BPPI) is the implementation agency for PMBJP
Ban on growth drug Oxytocin
Major curbs on the production and sale of growth hormone oxytocin will come into effect from July 1 with the government determined to end its misuse.
All private manufacturing of oxytocin will end from July 1 and its production for domestic use will be restricted to only one public sector company, Karnataka Antibiotics and Pharmaceuticals Limited (KAPL).
rural health workers in some areas used oxytocin injections to induce child birth among women during home deliveries.
Excessive use of oxytocin in cattle by farmers to improve milk production leading to reduction in the animal’s lifespan was also documented.
Humans consuming oxytocin-infested milk can suffer hormonal imbalances.
Oxytocin
is a neurotransmitter and a hormone produced in the hypothalamus, it is transported to and secreted by the pituitary gland at the base of the brain.
It plays a role in the female reproductive functions from sexual activity to childbirth and breast feeding.
India launches first National Healthcare Facility Registry
It will be the first ever registry in the country which will facilitate registry of authentic, standardised and updated geo-spatial data of all public and private healthcare.
ISRO is the project technology partner for providing data security
Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) to replace UGC
The Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry has released the draft Higher Education Commission of India (Repeal of University Grants Commission Act) Bill 2018.
HECI will be the new, apex regulator for university and higher education in India.
UN has released Sustainable Development Goals Report 2018
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development provides a global blueprint for dignity, peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and in the future.
A fast-changing climate, conflict, inequality, persistent pockets of poverty and hunger and rapid urbanization are challenging countries’ efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
of hungry people in the world, rising from 777 million in 2015 to 815 million in 2016
RBI to set up Public Credit Registry (PCR) on All Borrowers
The PCR will be the single point of mandatory reporting for all material events for each loan notwithstanding any threshold in the loan amount or type of borrower.
It will serve as a registry of all credit contracts duly verified by reporting institutions for all lending in India and any lending by an Indian institution to a company incorporated in India.
The RBI considered the recommendations of YM Deosthalee headed High Level Task Force and decided to set up a PCR.
GST Council meet may take up inclusion of Natural Gas
Next item for consideration of inclusion in the GST regime could be aviation turbine fuel (ATF), which is among the five petroleum products proposed to be brought in under the GST ambit.
Petroleum is a considerably larger source for revenues not only for Centre but States also and on natural gas front there is some consensus for bringing it into GST ambit and therefore, it could be first petroleum product that could come in well within GST network.
Five petroleum products i.e. crude oil, diesel, petrol, natural gas, aviation turbine fuel (ATF) are still out of the GST ambit.
NBFCs to meet RBI on IndAS Implementation
RBI has deferred the implementation of Indian Accounting Standards (IndAS) for banks by a year, while it is applicable for NBFCs from April 1, 2018.
According to the initial plan, Ministry Of Corporate Affairs was to implement IndAS for banks, insurance companies, and NBFCs from 1 April 2018 onwards.
Also IndAS implementation date has been deferred for insurance companies by two years.
IndAS is a global accounting practice that NBFCs are mandated to adopt, which may lead to initial credit losses. The practice is at par with the International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS).
FSDC Reconstituted to include more members
The government has reconstituted the Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC), the apex body of financial sector regulators and made it more broad-based.
The FSDC was set up to create an institutional structure and mechanism for financial stability, financial sector development and inter-regulatory coordination.
It is charged with financial literacy, financial inclusion and macro prudential supervision of the economy including the functioning of large financial conglomerates.
India started importing LNG from Russia
India has begun importing liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Russia at Dahej import terminal as part of its strategy to diversify its supply sources and cater to the rapidly rising local energy needs.
Russia is the latest country to begin supplying long-term LNG to India after US, Australia, and Qatar.
Russian rate is $1.5 per one million British Thermal Units (mmBTU) less than the price at which Qatar, India’s oldest supplier, delivered liquefied natural gas (LNG).
Importance of LNG Import
India is the 3rd largest energy consumer and 4th largest LNG importer in the world. Russia is the largest crude oil and second-largest gas producer in the world.
India imports 45% of the total amount of natural gas it consumes.
Indian govt plan to raise the share of natural gas in the country’s energy mix to 15% by 2030 from about 6.5% now, import of LNG is expected to rise.
Canada legalises Marijuana
Canada has legalised recreational marijuana across the country this week, making it the first G7 country to do so.
Under guidelines from Canada’s public health agency, marijuana products will be sold in plain packaging with limited branding.
Uruguay became the first country to legalise the sale of cannabis for recreational use in December 2013, Canada became the second country.
11th World Hindi Conference in Mauritius
Aim of this conference will be to increase the popularity of Hindi globally.
The Ministry of External Affairs also aims to promote Hindi at the United Nations and in this regard, a lot of work is being done and the disclosures would be made at the World Hindi Conference.
The World Hindi Secretariat (WHS) supported by India, is located in Mauritius.
SAARC Fund to Launch Social Enterprise Programme in India
Thimpu-based SAARC Development Fund (SDF) will soon be launching a social enterprise development programme (SEDP) to fund 80 entities annually across the 8- member states including India.
SDF was established in April 2010, succeeding South Asian Development Fund (SADF), which was launched in 1996 by merging SAARC Fund for Regional Projects (SFRP) and SAARC Regional Fund.
SDF has already committed USD 73.74 million for social window projects
International Conference on ICT at Kathmandu
Federation of Computer Association Nepal (CAN Federation) has organized the 18th edition of International ICT Conference 2018, from June 17 to 18 at Kathmandu, Nepal. The Theme of the conference was “Sustainable Development Goals for Smart Society”.
Assam Bill Against Witch-Hunt got President’s Nod
Indian President Ram Nath Kovind gave assent to the Assam Witch Hunting (Prohibition, Prevention and Protection) Bill, 2015
President’s assent is required when an act passed by a state Assembly contravenes central law.
It makes every offence under the Act “cognizable, non-bailable and non-compoundable.” The Act prescribes a prison term of up to 7 seven years and up to ₹5 lakh in fine for calling a person a witch.
Branding people, mostly women, as witch and killing them is a very old problem across Assam. Such phenomenon affected states like Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand also.
Project Prahari The earliest concerted move to fight the practice launched by police officer Kuladhar Saikia, the current DGP of Assam. Back in 2001, launched as a model of community development that brought together various sections of the rural society to combat witch-hunting by focusing on alternative livelihood skills.
Mission Birubala forefront of Assam’s anti-witch-hunt campaign since 2011.
Birubala Rabha, a tribal villager from Goalpara, who in 2005 singlehandedly started raising her voice against the practice after being branded a witch herself.
World Population Day observed on July 11
July 11 was established as World Population Day in 1989 by the United Nations, to spread information of population-related issues across the globe.
Theme for 2018: “Family Planning is a Human right”
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) began operations in 1969 as the United Nations Fund for Population Activities under the United Nations Development Fund.
Debate on Section 377 Of IPC
Supreme court Constitutional bench is hearing petitions challenging the constitutionality of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code.
Section 377 refers to ‘unnatural offences’ and says whoever voluntarily has carnal inter course against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal shall be punished with imprisonment for life or with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to 10 years and shall also be liable to pay a fine.
Bru Community of Mizoram
Less than a fortnight after Union Home Minister announced the signing of an agreement that would repatriate displaced Bru families living in Tripura since 1997 to Mizoram before September 30, the Mizoram Bru Displaced People’s Forum (MBDPF) withdrew from the deal, saying the terms agreed upon between the governments of Mizoram, Tripura and Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) were not acceptable to the Bru community.
The Bru community, once spread across Mamit and Kolasib districts of Mizoram, were forced to flee their native land in 1997 after animosity between the Bru and the Mizos turned violent.
All India Survey on Higher Education Report (AISHE) 2017-18
The top 8 States in terms of highest number of colleges in India are Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.
College density i.e. the number of colleges per lakh eligible population (population in the agegroup 18-23 years) varies from 7 in Bihar to 51 in Karnataka and Telangana as compared to All India average of 28.
48% colleges are located in rural area and 11.04% colleges are exclusively for women.
Total enrolment in higher education has been estimated to be 36.6 million with 19.2 million boys and 17.4 million girls. Girls constitute 47.6% of the total enrolment.
Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in Higher education in India is 25.8%, which is calculated for 18-23 years of age group. GER for male population is 26.3% and for females, it is 25.4%.
The authorized share capital of Higher Education Financing Agency increased to Rs. 10,000 crore
CCEA has approved increasing the authorized share capital from the current sum of Rs. 2000 crore and approved infusing additional government equity of Rs. 5,000 crore (in addition to Rs.10,000 crore already provided) in HEFA.
HEFA has been set up on May 31, 2017 as a Non Profit, Non Banking Financing Company (NBFC) for mobilising extra-budgetary resources for building crucial infrastructure in the higher educational institutions under Central Govt.
It will also push institutions to become financially self-sustaining and not depend on the government for all their growth requirements.
LIC Buys IDBI Bank
The Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) has obtained the approval of Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) to buy upto 51 % in debt-ridden IDBI Bank from the current 10.82%.
Andhra Pradesh and Telangana topped the Ease of Doing Business Ranking
The DIPP and World Bank has released the Ease of doing Business ranking in which Andhra Pradesh has topped the list, followed by Telangana and Haryana.
Others in the top-10 states are Jharkhand (4), Gujarat (5), Chhattisgarh (6), Madhya Pradesh (7), Karnataka (8), Rajasthan (9) and West Bengal (10).
DIPP, in collaboration with the World Bank conducts this annual reform exercise for all states and Union territories under the Business Reform Action Plan (BRAP).
India becomes World’s Sixth Largest Economy
World Bank figures for 2017 say India has become the world’s sixth-biggest economy, pushing France behind.
India’s GDP amounted to $2.597 trillion at the end of last year, against $2.582 trillion for France.
India is poised to become the world’s most populous nation by 2030. India’s per capita GDP continues to amount to just a fraction of that of France which is still roughly 20 times higher.
World’s top economy – The US, China, Japan and Germany
India slips to 11th in FDI ranking
India has fallen out of top 10 destinations for Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) in terms of its attractiveness according to 2018 Kearney FDI Confidence Index
India was at 8th in 2017 and 9th in 2016.
India joins European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
As it’s 69th shareholder.
India’s GM Crops area fifth largest in world, USA has the highest area under GM crops.
Samsung inaugurated world’s largest mobile phone factory in Noida.
HDFC Group has crossed the Rs. 10 lakh crore market capitalization milestone
only the country’s second corporate entity to do so after the Tata Group.
HDFC Bank is the country’s third most valued firm after Tata Consultancy Services and Reliance Industries
Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act
mandatory for companies to disclose whether they have constituted an Internal Complaints committee (ICC) to probe allegations of sexual harassment at workplace.
the Annual Reports of Private companies will have to contain a statement about status of Internal Complaints Committee (ICC).
mandatory for any organisation with 10 or more employees to constitute an ICC.
Begging Decriminalized in Delhi
The Delhi High Court has decriminalized begging in the national capital on the ground that the penal provisions in the law were unconstitutional.
Bombay Prevention of Begging Act, 1959 was extended to Delhi by a Central government amendment in 1960.
Currently, there is no central law on begging and destitution and most states have adopted the Bombay Prevention of Begging Act 1959, or have modelled their laws on it.
World Breastfeeding Week from August 1 to 7
World Breastfeeding Week is a worldwide celebration held annually from August 1st to 7th and is dedicated to nursing mothers & to raise awareness about significance of breast milk in infant’s life.
Three Northeastern States Emerge As New HIV Hotspots
Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura have emerged as the new hotspots for HIV. However, there has been a steady decline in the number of HIV cases in India.
The reason for the rise in the three northeastern States to the high-risk behaviour of Injecting Drug Users (IDUs), and unsafe sexual practices.
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS)
a life-threatening disease caused by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)
It makes difficult for the body to fight infections
NITI Aayog has identified 117 districts as Aspirational Districts, selected on the basis of composite index includes published data of deprivation enumerated under Socio-Economic Caste Census, health & nutrition, education and basic infrastructure.
central assistance is provided for opening of new Model Degree Colleges (MDCs) in Aspirational Districts and in unserved & underserved districts in North Eastern and Himalayan States.
Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) aim is to improve access, equity and quality in higher education through planned development of higher education at the state level.
Creating new academic institutions, expanding and upgrading the existing ones, developing institutions that are self-reliant in terms of quality education, professionally managed and characterised by greater inclination towards research and provide students with relevant education.
IMPRINT 2
MoHRD has approved 122 new research projects at a cost of Rs.112 crore under IMPRINT-2.
IMPRINT-2 has been approved with a revised strategy under which the initiative will be jointly funded and steered by MoHRD and Department of Science and Technology (DST).
For the second phase, the govt has sanctioned a fund of Rs. 1000 crore for research in Science and Technology over the course of next two years.
India rank 57th in Global Innovation Index (GII) 2018
GII is published by Cornell University, INSEAD, and the World Intellectual Property Organisation, in partnership with other organisations and institutions.
Switzerland continued its long run of being at the top. It has been at the top of the list since 2011.
Other countries in the top 5 are Netherlands, Sweden, UK and Singapore.
China, at 17, broke into the world’s top 20 most-innovative economies for the first time.
India’s rank on the GII has improved from 60th in 2017 to 57th in 2018.
Delhi Police gets India’s first All-Women SWAT Team
Delhi Police is the first police force in the country to have an all-women Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT) team.
Pune topped the Ease of Living Index
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has released the Ease of Living Index, to assess cities’ ‘liveability’ with regards to global and national benchmarks and encourage in urban planning and management.
The index covers 111 cities that are smart city contenders, capital cities, and cities with population of 1 million plus. It is a government initiative
The list was led by Pune, Navi Mumbai, and Greater Mumbai while the cities of Patna and Rampur were at the bottom.
Vienna is the best city to live, as per Global Liveability Index 2018
The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), of the magazine ‘The Economist’, has released the Global Liveability Index
It assigns scores on five broad parameters — stability, healthcare, culture/environment, education, and infrastructure using 30 indicators.
Top 10 liveable cities are – 1. Vienna (Austria) 2. Melbourne (Australia) 3. Osaka (Japan) 4. Calgary (Canada) 5. Sydney (Australia) 6. Vancouver (Canada) 7. Tokyo (Japan) 8. Toronto (Canada) 9. Copenhagen (Denmark) 10. Adelaide (Australia)
South Asian countries including India have fared poorly in the ranking of the world’s most liveable cities. From India, only New Delhi (112) and Mumbai (117) could make it to the list.
Top 10 least liveable cities in the world are – Senegal’s Dakar at 131, Algeria’s Algiers at 132, Cameroon’s Douala at 133, Libya’s Tripoli at 134, Zimbabwe’s Harare at 135, Papua New Guinea’s Port Moresby at 136, Karachi at 137, Nigeria’s Lagos at 138, Dhaka at 139, Damascus at 140.
Goods and Services Tax Appellate Tribunal (GSTAT) to be created
The GST Council has approved creation of the tribunal with a national bench in Delhi and three regional benches in Chennai, Kolkata and Mumbai
The new body replaces the Central Excise and Services Tax Appellate Tribunal.
Need for review of Deposit Insurance Cover
In India, deposit insurance covers all commercial banks, local area banks, regional rural banks and co-operative banks.
The Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC) insures amount to the depositor, limited is restricted to just Rs. 1 lakh per depositor per bank.
Due to Poor health of banks, the maximum deposited amount insured must be increased.
Less than a third of bank deposits in value terms are insured by the DICGC, which is too low compared to the International standards, Most of the countries cover 60-70 per cent of total deposits.
Indonesia has a deposit-insurance cover of $1,47,000, Brazil $76,700, and Malaysia $55,700. Mexico too has insurance coverage of over $100,000. Canada, Switzerland and France provide cover upwards of $70,000 per depositor. In the US, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation offers an insurance coverage of $250,000. While, in India, the deposit insurance is just $1,543.
NABARD’s All India Rural Financial Inclusion Survey 2016-17 survey
Average monthly rural income after deducting expenses incurred in the course of economic activity was Rs. 8059.
New Industrial Policy to be formulated
new industrial policy that aims to speed up regulatory reforms to make businesses more competitive and create more jobs.
The comprehensive industrial policy is envisaged as a follow up to initiatives such as Make in India and Startup India, aimed at boosting domestic manufacturing and entrepreneurship.
India’s industrial sector has a 29% share in GDP at current prices, well below 44% for China.
MSME Development (Amendment) Bill, 2018
Micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) will soon be defined based on their annual turnover, if a new Bill is cleared.
Amendment Bill- Any business with a turnover of up to Rs. 5 crore will be considered a micro enterprise. The other slabs are Rs. 5-75 crore for small enterprise and Rs. 75-250 crore for medium enterprise.
At present, it is decided based on the investment made in plant and machinery/equipment. There are two sets of definitions, depending on whether the units produce goods or services. Under the goods category, the slabs are up to Rs. 25 lakh for micro, Rs. 25 lakh to Rs. 5 crore for small and Rs. 5-10 crore for medium. In the case of services, the slabs are: up to Rs.10 lakh, Rs. 10 lakh to RS. 2 crore and Rs. 2-5 crore.
World Bank launches Bond-I, world’s first blockchain bond.
Sikkim’s first airport at Pakyong inaugurated
Indo-Bangla Friendship Pipeline
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina jointly inaugurated the construction of a friendship pipeline project
The 130-kilometre India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline Project will connect Siliguri in West Bengal in India and Parbatipur in Dinajpur district of Bangladesh.
The project will help fulfil energy needs of Bangladesh at cheaper rates.
Indian ranked 130th in 2018 Human Development Report
UNDP indicated a glaring inequality in the country though “millions have been lifted out of poverty”.
Top countries – Norway, Switzerland, Australia, Ireland and Germany
Niger, the Central African Republic, South Sudan, Chad and Burundi have the lowest scores.
out of the 189 countries for which the HDI is calculated, 59 countries are today in the very high human development group and only 38 countries fall in the low HDI group.
South Asia experienced the fastest HDI growth among developing regions with a 45.3 % increase since 1990.
South Asia has the widest gap between men and women in HDI at 16.3%.
India’s HDI value is 0.640, which put the country in the medium human development category.
Human Development Index (HDI)
composite measure of every country’s attainment in three basic dimensions:
(1) standard of living measured by the gross national income (GNI) per capita,
(2) health measured by the life expectancy at birth, and
(3) education levels calculated by mean years of education among the adult population and the expected years of schooling for children.
India ranked 158th in Human Capital Rankings
study published in the Lancet journal, measures Human Capital of 195 countries during the 1990-2016 period.
Parameters: Human capital is computed using four key parameters: (1) Life Expectancy, (2) Functional Health, (3) Years of Schooling and (4) Learning.
Finland is ranked first with 28 years of expected human capital, followed by Iceland, Denmark, Netherlands
Niger, South Sudan and chad were ranked lowest with 2 years of expected human capital.
MOVE: India’s First Global Mobility Summit 2018 organised by Niti Aayog in New Delhi
Section 377 Struck Down
The Supreme Court, in Navtej Johar vs Union of India, has decriminalised same sex relations between consenting adults in private under Section 377.
However, the “unnatural” sexual acts like bestiality and sexual act without consent continues to be a crime under Section 377.
Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements (ARIIA)
The HRD Ministry to rank education institutions on innovation related indicators.
It is an annual ranking of higher educational institutions based on how they fare in terms of innovation.
ARIIA and NIRF: ARIIA, which focuses on innovation, will work parallel to the ranking of institutions captured by the annual National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) which focuses on research.
Program for International Student Assessment (PISA)
Union HRD Ministry has decided to participate in PISA– an international assessment of student ability – in 2021 after a gap of 10 years.
Coordinated by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), India has participated only once in PISA in 2009.
Mauritius Tops India’s FDI Chart
Mauritius remained the top source of foreign direct investment (FDI) into India in 2017-18 followed by Singapore, whereas total FDI stood at $37.36 billion
Country wise FDI:
FDI from Mauritius totalled $13.41 billion
Singapore $9.27 billion
Netherlands $2.67 billion
China has opened the world’s longest sea bridge to general traffic.
The bridge spans 42.4km (26.3 miles) to connect the eastern coastal city of Qingdao to the suburb of Huangdao,
India ranked 103rd in the Global Hunger Index 2018
publication released annually by Welthungerhilfe and Concern Worldwide
The 2018 scores reflect data from 2013-2017.
India has GHI of 31.1 making the country fall in the ‘serious’ category.
The best-performing countries have a GHI score as low as 5 (Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia etc).
Wage Compensation Scheme for pregnant women in Assam
Assam has recently launched a wage compensation scheme for pregnant women in tea gardens of the state.
each woman will get Rs 12,000 so that she can look after herself and her unborn baby without affecting the livelihood of her family.
The tea-producing belt of upper Assam, comprising Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Sivasagar and Tinsukia, has one of the country’s worst maternal mortality rates (MMR) due to anaemia and other diseases
The Annual Health Survey of 2012-13 puts MMR at 404 in the tea gardens, whereas the state’s average is 301. India’s average during 2014-16 was 130.
WHO’s First Global Conference On Air Pollution And Health at Geneva.
The first Global Conference on Air Pollution and Health was recently held at in Geneva.
14 out of the 20 most polluted cities in the world are in India
IIT Bombay Tops in QS India University Rankings
The Indian Institute of Technology Bombay has emerged on top in the first-ever standalone QS rankings for Indian institutions of higher education.
The India University Rankings is the second country-specific rankings done by QS, after it released one for China.
Seven out of the top ten positions were occupied by IITs in these rankings as IIT Madras, IIT Delhi and IIT Kharagpur bagged the third, fourth and fifth slots respectively. IISc bagged the second spot on the list.
Global Rankings
The QS world rank list released has ranked 1011 institutes in 85 countries.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is the world’s best university, IIT Bombay has been placed 162 rank followed by the foremost research institute of India IISc at 170.
IMPRESS and SPARC
The Union HRD Minister launched web portals of two schemes IMPRESS and SPARC, with an aim to build a research ecosystem in educational institutions.
Impactful Policy Research in Social Sciences (IMPRESS) is to identify and fund research proposals in social sciences with maximum impact on the governance and society.
The Scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration (SPARC) aims at building the research ecosystem of India’s higher educational institutions by facilitating academic and research collaborations between Indian and foreign institutions.
MoU Towards Sittwe Port Operationalisation
India and Myanmar have signed MoU towards operationalisation of Sittwe port.
appointment of a private Port Operator for the Operation and Maintenance of Sittwe Port, Paletwa Inland Water Terminal and associated facilities included in the Kaladan Multi Model Transit Transport Project.
Kaladan Multi Modal Transit Transport
is a project that will connect the eastern Indian seaport of Kolkata with Sittwe seaport in Rakhine State, Myanmar by sea.
In Myanmar, it will then link Sittwe seaport to Paletwa, Chin State via the Kaladan river boat route, and then from Paletwa by road to Mizoram state in Northeast India
Trade Deal USMCA to Replace NAFTA
The US and Canada have reached a new trade deal, along with Mexico, to replace the current North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
The new deal has been named as the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA)
IORA Countries Adopt The Delhi Declaration
21 countries in the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) have adopted the Delhi Declaration on Renewable Energy in the Indian Ocean Region.
Adoption of the declaration took place at 2nd IORA Renewable Energy Ministerial Meeting held at the 2nd Global Re-Invest India-ISA Partnership Renewable Energy Investor’s Meet & Expo in Greater Noida.
India ranked 58th in the WEF’s Competitiveness Index for 2018
India has improved its ranking by five places the largest gain among all G20 countries, with an overall score of 62.
Top 10 countries – USA (1st), Singapore (2nd), Germany (3rd), Switzerland (4th), Japan (5th), Netherlands (6th), Hong Kong (7th), United Kingdom (8th), Sweden (9th) and Denmark (10th)
BRICS Ranking – Brazil (72), Russia (43), India (58), China (28), South Africa (67)
Direct Tax Base widens sharply over 4 Years
growth of more than 80% in the number of returns filed in the last four financial years from 3.79 crore in financial year (FY) 2013-14 to 6.85 crore in FY 2017-18.
the Direct Tax-to-GDP ratio rose to 5.98% in FY 2017-18, the highest it has been in the last 10 years.
Kalyani Panel Suggests Delinking SEZs From Exports
A committee on special economic zones (SEZs) led by Baba Kalyani has suggested delinking the enclaves from exports and allowing payments to be made in rupee when they deal with areas outside the zone.
India’s export-linked incentive schemes including SEZs being disputed by the US in the World Trade Organization (WTO).
Exports from SEZs grew 15% to 5.52 lakh crore in 2017-18.
National Digital Communications Policy 2018
The Union Cabinet approved the new The National Digital Communications Policy 2018
aims to create four million jobs, draw $100 billion of investments into the telecom industry by 2022, boost sectoral contribution to 8% of GDP from 6% in 2017, besides backing the principles of net neutrality.
Axis Bank-e first to introduce iris authentication for Aadhaar-based transactions.
WEF launches Centre for Fourth Industrial Revolution in India.
BSE – first stock exchange to launch commodity derivative contracts.
Mahila Mall, the first mall in the country with an all-women crew will come up in Kozhikode in the month of November.
Appointment/Awards
Sudha Balakrishnan appointed the first Chief Financial Officer of RBI
National Statistics Day: June 29 15.
International Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day: June 27
Vishwas Patel appointed as Chairman of Payments Council of India.
Justice Manjula Chellur taken oath as Chairperson of Appellate Tribunal for Electricity
R S Sharma re-appointed TRAI chairperson till 2020.
Ashish Kumar Bhutani appointed CEO of PM Fasal Bima Yojana.
Bhanu Pratap Sharma as new Banks Board Bureau Chairman
Sunil Mehta elected as new Chairman of Indian Bank’s Association for 2018-19.
Government sets up Injeti Srinivas High Level Committee on Corporate Social Responsibility.
2018 Nobel Peace in Economics – William Nordhaus & Paul Romer
2018 Nobel Peace Prize awarded to campaigners against rape in warfare – Nadia Murad and Denis Mukwege. Nadia Murad is the first Iraqi to win the award and was also named the UN’s first goodwill ambassador for survivors of human trafficking.
IIT-G scientists publish breakthrough research work on metastatic cancer
A research conducted by Gautam Biswas, IIT-G Director, alongwith his colleagues Siddhartha Sankar Ghosh of biosciences & bioengineering and Amaresh Dalal from mechanical engineering departments, have demonstrated the movement of metastatic cancer cells, a breakthrough in cancer research.
The research showed how cancer cells can deform, survive and pass through micro capillaries in the human body. Multi-cellular aggregates of cancer cells are the initiators of distant organ metastasis and cause spread of cancer in the body.
The findings been endorsed in the prestigious Scientific Journal, that publishes scientifically valid primary research from all areas of the natural and clinical sciences. Earlier it was assumed that cancer cells are too large to pass through narrow vessels such as pulmonary capillaries to reach other organs.
The research work is expected to be helpful for oncologists in devising new methods of cancer treatment.
FACTFILE – Cancer cells
Cancer cells are cells that divide relentlessly, forming solid tumors or flooding the blood with abnormal cells.
Healthy cells stop dividing when there is no longer a need for more daughter cells, but cancer cells continue to produce copies.
They are also able to spread from one part of the body to another in a process known as metastasis.
The enzyme telomerase is used to extend the cancer cell’s life span. While the telomeres of most cells shorten after each division, eventually causing the cell to die, telomerase extends the cell’s telomeres. This is a major reason that cancer cells can accumulate over time, creating tumors.
Nagaland launches Supply Chain Management for timely delivery of foodgrains
To ensure timely delivery of goods and services to the people of Nagaland, Supply Chain Management (SCM) was launched by DK Gupta, Director of Public Distribution, Ministry of Public distribution and Consumer Affairs.
SCM is a powerful monitoring tool for tracking stock inventory starting from the godown to the fair price shops. The application would make the beneficiaries aware about the availability of food grains.
Under the National Food Security Act, Nagaland has completed all the activities required for beneficiaries except FPS Automation. As per a Supreme Court order, all beneficiaries availing subsidized food grains in Nagaland and across the country have to seed their ration cards with Aadhaar on or before March 31, 2019.
The SCM will help in accquring accurate information on all storage facilities in the state and would help the department in making effective decision making.
Nagaland Govt. restricts use of plastics
The Nagaland government notified its policy for restricting the use of plastics in the state to eradicate the serious environmental and ecological challenges posed by rampant use of plastics with immediate effect.
As per the notification, all single-use plastics less than 50 microns especially plastic bags and plastic cutlery including styrofoam and thermocol disposable plates will be banned from December 1, 2018.
It said the government offices will stop using packaged drinking water bottles, below 20 litres capacity, by April 1, 2019. Alternatives like filtered water dispensers and reverse osmosis plants will be introduced while the government servants will be encouraged to carry reusable drinking water bottles.
Alternatives to plastic bags such as cloth, jute, paper bags, bamboo and leaf plates and cutlery will be promoted and popularized.
State Gvto will set up a taskforce in each district that will include government officials, NGOs and church leaders to devise local strategies and build awareness for plastic-free environment.
The village councils and municipal bodies will be sensitised to take proactive action for discouraging use of plastics in their jurisdiction and they can decide on the issue of levying penalties for continued use of single-use plastics in their jurisdiction.
The government will provide incentives to entrepreneurs investing in production of paper bags and cloth bag making units, disposable biodegradable cutlery from areca nut leaves, setting up of water ATMs in public places, plastic shredding units for recycling of plastics among others.
India’s PSLV rocket successfully puts HysIS satellite into orbit
India put into orbit its own Hyper Spectral Imaging Satellite (HysIS) an earth observation satellite.
The Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle Core Alone (PSLV CA) rocket variant lifted off with 31 satellites, the HysIS and 30 foreign satellites (including 23 satellites are from the US, the rest are from Australia, Canada, Columbia, Finland, Malaysia, the Netherlands and Spain).
The notable aspect of the rocket mission is the placing of the satellites in two different orbits of different altitude.
While the HysIS has been placed in its intended orbit, the remaining 30 foreign satellites will be later ejected at a lower orbit, all the foreign satellites were placed in a 504 km orbit.
HySIS is an Earth observation satellite which will provide hyperspectral imaging services to India for a range of applications in agriculture, forestry, defence and in the assessment of geography such as coastal zones and inland waterways.
Payloads
HySIS carries two payloads, the first in the Visible Near Infrared (VNIR) spectral range of 0.4 to 0.95 micrometers with 60 contiguous spectral bands and the second in the Shortwave Infrared Range (SWIR) spectral range of 0.85 to 2.4 micrometres with a 10 nanometre bandwidth and 256 contiguous spectral bands.
Indo-Russian joint military drill INDRA concludes
The 10th edition of Indo-Russian joint military exercise INDRA culminated at Babina Military Station here on Wednesday after a joint tactical exercise and a grand closing ceremony.
The 11-day long joint training that commenced on November 18 included developing “common understanding of transnational terrorism, interoperability and conduct of joint tactical operations” controlled by a Joint Command Post working under the aegis of United Nations.
Classes were organised on cordon and search operations, raid on terrorist hideout, intelligence gathering and sharing, perception management, humanitarian laws and hostage rescue.
The participating contingents also carried out specialised joint training on hostage rescue by slithering from MI-17 helicopters.
Major General P.S. Minhas, General Officer Commanding of White Tiger Division of the Indian Army and Major General Tsekov Oleg Moosovich, Commander, Fifth Army of the Russian Army witnessed the validation exercise conducted at the field firing ranges.
November 30
Silapathar Science Collegecreates rice bank to preserve indigenous varieties
The Silapathar Science College, located in Dhemaji district of Assam has not only set up a rice bank to preserve seeds of indigenous varieties that are losing out to new high-yielding varieties but also encouraging farmers to grow them so that they do not become extinct.
The College has so far documented and preserved 251 indigenous varieties through its rice bank.
Set up in 1996, the college started to work closely with farmers in the district since 2015 and organised a “Rice Mela” to showcase the indigenous varieties grown in the district.
Assam produced over 70 lakh tonnes of rice in 2017, compared to 52 lakh tonnes the previous year.
Besides the normal rice, Assam also produces different varieties of aromatic rice, locally known as “Joha”; some varieties of soft rice, locally known as “Komal Saul” that needs no cooking; and a huge variety of sticky rice, commonly known as “Bora”.
New health project ‘PLUS’ launched in five Arunachal districts
A health project named ‘Precious Lives under Safety (PLUS)’ is recently launched by Arunachal Government.
The project is initially launched in five district of Papumpare, Lower Subansiri, West Siang, East Siang and Lohit.
It was a modified form of Prime Minister Surakshit Matritwa Yojana, which ensures zero mortality of pregnant mother and neo natal babies besides 100 percent coverage of child birth in government run hospitals.
He said that about 50 percent registered pregnant women in the state gives birth out of government hospital under various reason, but the new project would facilitate them to come to government hospitals for at least four times ante-natal check up and hospital delivery.
Nagaland signed MoU with Estonia for setting up e-governance academy
The Nagaland government signed an MoU with Estonian to setup as academy in Kohima to enlighten the state people on the e-governance models prevailing in the world.
The main objective of the five-year agreement with the e-Governance Academy of Estonia is to work together to develop and expand scientific collaboration on setting up e-Governance Academy in Nagaland.
The agreement was signed during the e-Naga Summit, held with a vision to embark on a process to instill the spirit of innovation and use of technology for impacting positive change in the society.
Manipur emerges overall champion in National School Games
Host Manipur emerged overall team champion at the end of 5-day 64th National School Games, 2018 in Taekwondo for U-14 Boys & Girls held at the Taekwondo Training Hall of Khuman Lampak Sports Complex in Imphal.
Manipur won a total of five gold, three silver and one bronze medals and tops the medal tally while Haryana took three gold, four silver and one bronze medals to clinch the overall runner’s up title. The third position in the tally was bagged by Maharashtra with two gold, five silver and two bronze medals.
With two gold medals and one bronze medal, Nagaland ranked 7th the in medal tally after Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Delhi.
The Youth Affairs and Sports Department organised the games under the aegis of School Games Federation of India.
India-UK joint naval exercise Konkan-2018 begins at Goa
India-UK joint naval exercise “Konkan-2018” has started at Goa and would go on till December 6, The Royal Navy of UK will be represented by HMS Dragon, a Type 45 Class Destroyer equipped with an integral Wildcat helicopter.
The Indian Navy will field INS Kolkata, the first ship of latest Kolkata class destroyers, equipped with integral Seaking and an IN submarine.
In addition, Indian Navy’s maritime patrol aircraft Dornier will also participate in the exercise.
The thrust of the exercise this year would be on anti-submarine warfare, visit board search and seizure (VBSS), anti-air warfare, anti-surface warfare and seamanship evolutions.
The bilateral Konkan exercise provides a platform for the two navies to periodically exercise at sea and in harbour, so as to build interoperability and share best practices.
