Assam Assembly passed Assam Ease of Doing Business (Amendment) Bill, 2020
The Assam Legislative Assembly recently passed the Assam Ease of Doing Business (Amendment) Bill, 2020, to make amendments to the Assam Ease Of Doing Business Act, 2016. The amendment will avail 0.25% additional borrowing from the centre. The new bill will simplify procedures and bring transparency and efficiency in the system.
Key points of Assam Ease of Doing Business (Amendment) Bill, 2020 are
Under the new Amendment Bill, the government has committed to create an investor friendly atmosphere in the state of Assam.
The Government of Assam is to do away with all types of renewal certificate, permissions and licences under be Assam is of doing business Amendment Bill . This is being done because a large number of renewable applications are pending at different levels in Assam. This causes unreasonable delay .
A computerized Central random inspection system is to be implemented. Under the system allocation of inspectors will be done centrally at random. The amendment makes sure that the same Inspector is not assigned to the same unit in the subsequent year.
FACTFILE – Assam Ease of Doing Business Act 2016
The Act was enacted in 2016. The Act aimed to streamline the regulatory structures and processes and simplify the procedures related to renew license, certificate, permissions in setting up of Enterprises and industries in the state of Assam.
Under the provisions of the Act, Assam Bureau of Investment Promotion was established to oversee the overall supervision and administration of speedy processing of applications.
January 04, 2021
Asian Development Bank’s $231 mn loan to enhance generation capacity in Assam
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Union Government of India signed a $ 231 million loan to augment electricity generation capacity in the state of Assam through construction of a 120MW hydroelectric power plant that will enhance availability of electricity for households.
This is the third tranche loan for the ongoing Assam Power Sector Investment Programme that was approved by the ADB Board in July 2014. Its two previous tranches, focuses on enhancing capacity and efficiency of the energy generation and distribution systems in Assam to improve electricity service to end users.
The project will add to Assam’s power generation capacity from clean hydroelectric source and improve electricity availability. Increased supply of affordable and clean electricity facilitated through the project will help improve living conditions, promote business expansion, and increase employment opportunities in the state beside reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The proposed hydroelectric project is run-of-the-river project over Kopili river which will help increase electricity supplied from clean energy by 469 gigawatthour (GWh) by 2025 and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 360,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually.
A $2 million grant from Japan fund for poverty reduction (JFPR) is also associated with the project to finance equipment and consulting services to improve capacity for resource management and community resilience.
January 07, 2021
Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia Appointed As Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court
Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia was sworn in as the new Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court. Gauhati High Court acting Chief Justice N Kotiswar Singh administered the oath of office to him during a programme in Raj Bhavan.
The swearing-in ceremony was attended by Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Law Minister Siddhartha Bhattacharya, Chief Secretary Jishnu Barua, Director General of Police Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta, high court judges and senior officials of the state government.
FACTFILE – Guwahati High Court
The Guwahati High Court was promulgated by the Governor general of India on 1 March 1948 after the Government of India Act 1935 was passed.
The High Court of Assam was established with effect from 5 April 1948, for the then Province of Assam. It was originally known as the High Court of Assam and Nagaland, but was renamed as Gauhati High Court in 1971 by the North-Eastern Areas (Reorganisation) Act, 1971.
It’s High Court with largest jurisdiction in terms of states, with its area covering the states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, and Mizoram.
It has Circuit Benches at Kohima, Aizawl and Itanagar.
January 11, 2021
Assam govt to rehabilitate Dibru Saikhowa National Park forest villagers in Tinsukia & Lakhimpur districts
Assam government has decided to rehabilitate the forest villagers of Dibru Saikhowa National Park in Tinsukia and Lakhimpur districts. The villagers of Laika would be rehabilitated in groups in the degraded reserve forest areas of Paharpur, Saleki and Namphai of Digboi forest division in Tinsukia district. And, the villagers of Dadhia will be settled in groups in Adakhana area of Pabha reserve forest in Lakhimpur district.
The State government has constituted a committee headed by state forest minister Parimal Suklabaidya to monitor and support the process of relocation and rehabilitation.
Around 135 hectares of land in Pabha RF would be diverted to settle the inhabitants of Dadhia while 166 hectares in Paharpur RF and 72 hectares in Namphai RF would be diverted to settle people of Laika.
February 02, 2021
Assam launches Pragyan Bharati & Bhasha Gourab Scheme for Authors and Students
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal launched Pragyan Bharati & Bhasha Gourab Scheme to provide monetary assistance to college students and literary bodies of the state. The schemes- Pragyan Bharati and Bhasha Gourab awarded Rs 1500 to college students, Rs. 50 thousand to 600 writers and Rs 43 crore to 21 Sahitya Sabhas.
Under Pragyan Bharati scheme, 3,26,046 college students were given Rs 1,500 each for purchasing textbooks. A total of Rs 161 crore was reimbursed for the free admission of 4 lakh eligible students.
Under the Bhasha Gourab second scheme, the state government provided 21 Sahitya Sabhas with a total of Rs 43 crore as a contribution towards their corpus funds. Under this scheme, 600 authors have been provided with an amount of Rs 50,000 each to help in their literary activities.
February 10, 2021
Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) Cabinet approves Grant-in-aid of Rs.100 crore to Brahmaputra Valley Fertilizer Corporation Limited, Assam
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi today accorded approval to the proposal of the Department of Fertilizers for Grant-in-aid of Rs.100 crore to Brahmaputra Valley Fertilizers Corporation Limited (BVFCL), Namrup to sustain operations of it’s urea manufacturing units.
Despite being the first gas based urea manufacturing unit in India and having all the infrastructure and feedstock availability, it has been difficult to maintain reasonable production level from the existing units in a cost effective manner because of their old & obsolete technology. In order to ensure the safe, sustainable and economic operation of the plants, certain equipment and machineries need to be replaced/overhauled. The minimum functional repair to be undertaken for smoother operation of the plants with procurement of mechanical, electrical, instrumentation and catalyst items etc. shall attract an estimated expenditure of Rs.100 crores.
The grant in aid of Rs. 100 crore to BVFCL will restore the urea production capacity of 3.90 Lac MT per annum and ensure timely availability of Urea to Tea Industry & Farming Sector in the entire North Eastern region specially Assam.
FACTFILE – Brahmaputra Valley Fertilizers Corporation Limited (BVFCL)
BVFCL, Namrup is a Public Sector Undertaking formed as per Companies Act, under the administrative control of the Department of Fertilizers (DoF), Government of India.
Presently, the Company is operating its two vintage plants viz. Namrup-ll and Namrup-lll in the premises of BVFCL in Namrup.
BVFCL plays an important role of economic growth in the region.
February 12, 2021
Mandarin Duck spoted in Assam after 118 years
The Mandarin duck which is a colourful duck from eastern Asia was spotted in Assam recently after 118 years, by the team of avian specialists in the Maguri-Motapung Beel of Tinsukia district in eastern Assam. Spotting of the Mandarin has raised hopes for the wetland which was affected by a blowout and inferno at a natural gas well in the year 2020.
Mandarin duck is the habitat of eastern China and southern Japan. The duck does not come regularly to India. But some of the ducks may join other migratory birds and follow their migration path.
The spotted duck accompanied a flock of Indian spot-billed duck that was migrated either to China or Japan. The last Mandarin duck was spotted in Assam in the year 1902.
FACTFILE – Mandarin duck
The scientific name of mandarin duck is Aix galericulata. It is a perching duck species which is native to the East Palearctic.
The duck is closely related to North American wood duck.
The ducks were once widespread in East Asia region. But they were exported on large-scale so the population reduced in the eastern Russia and China. Further, the destruction of its forest habitat further accelerated the reduction in population so much so that the population reduced below 1,000 pairs in each of Russia and China. Japan has an estimated population of around 5,000 pairs.
February 18, 2021
Sarbananda Sonowal Inaugurated Centre of Perishable Cargo at LGBI Airport
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated the Centre for Perishable Cargo (CPC) at Lokpriyo Gopinath Bordoloi International (LGBI) Airport. The Chief Minister also ceremonially flagged off an export cargo consignment of 600 kilograms of vegetables on the occasion of the inauguration.
This state-of-the-art facility will go a long way towards boosting exports of perishable produce, empowering farmers to add value to agri-products. The building will also solve infrastructure bottlenecks in exports.
The CPC was constructed with a total project cost of Rs 19 crore 84 lakhs where Rs 50 lakhs was contributed by the State Government and rest was borne by the Central Government.
The Cargo Centre is built with a 1705 square metre area which will contain cargo handling facilities for inbound and outbound cargo, cold storage along other measures to export agricultural perishable goods.
The CPC has been built by Assam Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC).
Airports Authority of India had leased 4050 square metres of land to AIDC for a period of seven years from May 31, 2017, for setting up the CPC at LGBI Airport, Guwahati.
The CPC is set to have the capacity to handle 10000 Metric Tonnes of perishable cargo with a nominal licence fee of Re 1/per annum with no royalty, as per a Union Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India directive with approval of Cabinet.
The cargo centre will consist of a one-stop facilitation centre to process perishable cargo with Customs EDI facility and further Forward and Backward Linkage project under TIES (Trade Infrastructure Export Scheme) by Positioning Airlines, Freight Forwarders, Customs Broker House, FPO’s, banks, plant quarantine etc.
February 19, 2021
PM Modi launches ‘Mahabahu Brahmaputra’ project, lays foundation of 2 bridges in Assam
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on launched the ‘Mahabahu-Brahmaputra’ and also layed the foundation stone of Dhubri Phulbari Bridge via video conferencing. He also performed the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the Majuli Bridge.
The ’Mahabahu-Brahmaputra’ program is aimed at providing seamless connectivity to the Eastern parts of India and includes various development activities for the people living around River Brahmaputra and River Barak.
The launch of Mahabahu-Brahmaputra will be marked by the inauguration of the Ro-Pax vessel operations between Neamati-Majuli Island, North Guwahati-South Guwahati and Dhubri-Hatsingimari.
The Ro-Pax services will help in reducing travel time by providing connectivity between banks and thus reducing the distance to be travelled by road. Ro-Pax operation between Neamati and Majuli will reduce the total distance of 420 km currently being travelled by vehicles to only 12 km, resulting in a substantial impact on logistics of small-scale industries of the region.
The proposed Dhubri Phulbari Bridge will be located on NH-127B, originating from Srirampur on NH-27, and terminating at Nongstoin on NH-106 in Meghalaya. It will connect Dhubri in Assam to Phulbari, Tura, Rongram and Rongjeng in Meghalaya. The bridge, to be built with a total cost of approximately Rs 4,997 crores, will meet the long-standing demand of the people from Assam and Meghalaya. It will reduce the distance of 205 km to be travelled by road to 19 km, which is the total length of the bridge.
A permanent Inland Water Transport Terminal will also be built at Jogighopa under the programme, which will connect with the multi-modal logistics park also coming up there. This terminal will help in reducing traffic on the Siliguri Corridor towards Kolkata and Haldia. It will also facilitate uninterrupted movement of cargo even during the flood season to various North-Eastern states like Meghalaya and Tripura and to Bhutan and Bangladesh as well.
February 25, 2021
AIIB to provide $304 million for Assam Power Transmission Project
The Union Finance Ministry has announced that Indian government has signed a loan agreement with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) for the Assam Power Transmission Project.
The loan agreement was signed worth $304 million, which will be used for strengthening the electricity transmission system in the state of Assam.
Total estimated cost of the Power Transmission project in Assam is $365 million, out of this, $304 million will be provided by AIIB. And the remaining amount will be provided by Assam govt.
This loan from AIIB has a maturity period of 24 years and a grace period of 5 years.
FACTFILE – Assam Power Transmission Project
This power transmission project will build new networks in the state that will ensure the affordable and reliable power supply in the state.
The project will also address the substantial energy deficit that the state of Assam faces because of congestion in transmission networks and electricity distribution.
The project comprises the laying down of a transmission line and construction of 10 transmission substations.
The project also seeks to strengthen the existing intra-state transmission network in the state by connecting it with new networks which will help in achieving the affordable, reliable, secure and efficient power.
March 5, 2021
Assam’s Red rice export to U.S.
The first consignment of Assam’s ‘Red rice’ was flagged off on March 4, 2021 to the United States, by rice exporter ‘LT Foods’.
The ceremony of the flagging-off of the export consignments was carried out by Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) Chairman Dr. M. Angamuthu in Haryana. The APEDA is involved in promoting rice exports with the help of several stakeholders along the value chain. The government had also set up a “Rice Export Promotion Forum (REPF)” under the parent head of APEDA.
Rice Export from India
The non-basmati rice exports of India have increased to Rs 26,058 crore for the months of April-January 2020-21 as compared to the exports of Rs 11,543 crore for the same period in the fiscal year 2019-2020.
FACTFILE – Red Rice
The red rice, also called as the ‘Bao-dhaan’, is rich in Iron and is grown in the Brahmaputra valley of Assam. It is grown without using any chemical fertilisers.
FACTFILE – Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA)
APEDA is the Apex-Export Trade Promotion Active government body, came into effect from February 1986.
The body was set up by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. It was set up under the APEDA Act 1985.
April 14, 2021
Bohag Bihu Bird Count 2021 begins
On April 14, 2021, the Bohag Bihu Bird count began in Assam. The Bohag Bihu Bird count was launched by Bird Count of India (BCI) for the first time.
Bohag Bihu
Bohag Bihu is the traditional ethnic festival celebrated in Assam. It marks the beginning of Assamese new year.
Rongali Bihu
During Rongali Bihu, many migratory species of birds that visited Assam and its surrounding regions during winter start flying back to their homes.
According to State of India’s Birds, 2020, the loss of habitat is mainly due to human activities, toxins, hunting and trapping for pet trade.
Highlights of State of Birds report, 2020
50% of 867 bird species in India are exhibiting population decline.
The number of birds in Western Ghats have declined by 75% since 2000.
Around 101 bird species in India have been placed under “high concern” category, 442 in “low concern category” and 319 in “moderate concern” category.
The population of House Sparrow was stable, however, their population was declining in major cities.
All the four Bustards namely the Great Indian Bustard, Lesser Florican, Macqueen’s Bustard and Bengal Florican are suffering from population decline.
The House Sparrow has been declared as the “State Bird of Delhi”.
May 4, 2021
Putola Nach- Puppetry Art-form of Assam
In collaboration with the UNICEF, a trust based in Assam recently made videos using the traditional art called “Putola Nach”. The art form was used to take the messages related to COVID-19 to the public through social media.
The videos named COVID Shatru (enemy), COVID Bibharat (confusion) were released in Assamese. Mama ro Mina ko COVID Katha (COVID Tale of Mama and Mina) was released in Nepali language.
FACTFILE – Putola Nach
It is a traditional string puppet theatre from Assam in North East India. It is also called putala bhaona.
These dolls are 1.5 metres tall and are made of hollow wood or bamboo and their heads are made of terracotta.
Musical Instruments used in performing the art are dhol, harmonium, kansi, double reed wind instrument and a bell metal plate beaten with a stick.
There were three different styles of string puppetry in Assam, viz. Kalaigaon, Barpeta-Nalbari and Majuli island.
May 09, 2021
Himanta Biswa Sarma to take over as Assam Chief Minister
Himanta Biswa Sarma, the face of the BJP in Northeast India, will be sworn in as the 15th Chief Minister of Assam. Himanta Biswa Sarma and the outgoing Chief Minister, Sarbananda Sonowal, met Governor Jagdish Mukhi and put forward the BJP’s claim to form the government.
Earlier, Mr. Sonowal submitted his resignation to the Governor, paving the way for Sarma to succeed him.
The BJP won 60 of the 126 seats in the Assam Assembly election. Its allies, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL), won nine and six seats, respectively.
Dr. Sarma was likely to keep the Finance, Health and Home portfolios with him. He handled Finance and Health in the Sonowal government as also in the Tarun Gogoi-led Congress government earlier.
May 11, 2021
Assam become first Indian state to have a digital flood reporting system
With the launch of Flood Reporting and Information Management System (FIRMS), Assam becomes the first state in India to have an real-time digital flood reporting system. Jishnu Barua, Chief Secretary, Assam, launched a digital real-time Flood Reporting and Information Management System (FIRMS) in the state of Assam.
With the river Brahmaputra flowing at the crux, Assam is prone to severe floods and erosion every year. Assam has a mandatory flood reporting protocol in place every year from May 15 to October 15.
FRIMS, a digital real-time flood reporting system, has been developed jointly by Assam State Disaster Management Agency (ASDMA) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
Tom White, UNICEF India Chief, Emergency and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) congratulated the Assam Government for becoming the first state to have a digital flood reporting system. “Such a system will go a long way in measuring the impact of disaster risk reduction interventions,” he added.
FACTFILE – Flood Reporting and Information Management System (FRIMS)
The Flood Reporting and Information Management System (FRIMS) is a digital real-time flood reporting system launched in Assam.
Assam is the first Indian state to adopt a digital flood reporting system that will replace the existing system of manual flood reporting.
FRIMS has been developed jointly by Assam State Disaster Management Agency (ASDMA) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
May 16, 2021
NABARD provided Rs 1,236 crores Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) to Assam in 2020-21
The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) recently announced that it provided Rs 1,236 crores to Assam in 2020-21 from its Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF).
Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) was created in 1995-96 with an initial corpus of Rs 2,000 crores. In 2020-21, Rs 29,848 crores was allocated to RIDF.
The fund shall be used for 37 eligible activities as approved by the Govt of India. These eligible activities are classified under the three broad categories, namely, (i) social sector, (ii) agriculture and related sector; and (iii) rural connectivity.
Social Sectors
Solid Waste Management
Construction of Anganwadis
Setting of KVIC centres
Pay and Use toilets
Infrastructure for Rural Education Institutions
Drinking water
Public Health Institutions
Agriculture and Related Sectors
Mechanisation of farm operations
Dedicated Rural Industry estates
Separate Feeder lines
Solar Photovoltaic power plants
Infrastructure works related to solar energy, energy conservation, wind energy.
Desalination plants in coastal areas
Infrastructure for Information Technology in rural areas
Cold storage, Public/ Joint sector cold storage at various exit points
Drainage
Flood Protection
Forest Development
Watershed Development
Soil Conservation
Minor Irrigation Projects
Rural Connectivity
Rural bridges and Rural Roads
Institutions which are eligible for funds from RIDF
State Governments and Union Territories
State Government sponsored and supported organisations
State owned corporations and state government undertakings
Panchayat Raj institutions and Self-Help Groups
May 26, 2021
Shiva Thapa secures 5th successive medal at Asian Boxing Championships
Assam pugilist Shiva Thapa put up a fabulous performance to defeat Nader Odah in the men’s 64kg quarter-finals at the 2021 ASBC Asian Boxing Championships in Dubai.
With a comprehensive 5-0 victory against Kuwait’s Odah, Thapa progressed into the semi-finals and also confirmed his fifth back-to-back medal at the Asian Championships.
BIOGRAPHY – Shiva Thapa
Shiva Thapa is an Indian boxer.
Shiva Thapa participated in the 2012 London Olympics, and was the youngest Indian boxer to qualify for the Olympics.
Shiva Thapa is ranked 3rd in the bantamweight category in the AIBA Men’s World Ranking.
He is the third Indian to clinch Gold at the Asian Games.
May 27, 2021
Assam govt gives OIL Rs 500 crore to increase stake in Numaligarh Refinery Limited
Assam government will raise its stake in Numaligrah Refinery Limited (NRL) to 26% from the initial level of 12.35%.
Govt of Assam raised its stake in NRL to 18.59%; another 7.41% shall be acquired. Total investment of Rs 2,187 crore, will be the highest ever investment by Govt of Assam in any PSU.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the Numaligarh Refinery (NRL) would increase its capacity from the existing 3 million metric tonnes (MMT) to 9 MMT, besides bringing 6 MMT crude oil to Assam from Odisha.
FACTFILE – Numaligarh Refinery (NRL)
Numaligarh Refinery is the largest among the four refineries operating in Assam. The refinery was set up as per Clause 7 of Assam Accord signed in 1985.
The refinery was commissioned in the year 2000 and since then has consistently excelled in physical and financial performance.
With the decision of the centre to privatize BPCL, NRL’s status as a Public Sector Enterprise was slated to be lost. To retain the public sector characteristics of the NRL, the Assam government accordingly took up the matter with the centre and decided to raise its stake in NRL to 26% from the initial level of 12.35%.
May 29, 2021
Assam hikes daily wages of Tea Garden Workers
The Assam government decided to hike wages of tea garden workers by Rs 38.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, held a meeting with representatives of Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha and other tea bodies to discuss issues pertaining of wage fixation.
With this hike, the tea workers in Brahmaputra valley would get Rs 205 from the existing Rs 167 and tea workers of Barak valley would get Rs 183 from the existing Rs 145.
FACTFILE – Tea Industry of Assam
Assam tea industry is India’s largest tea industry and second largest tea production region in the world after China.
Assam produces more than 50 % of the tea produced in India and about 1/6th of the tea produced in the world.
Tea industry has contributed substantially to the economy of Assam.
About 17 percent of the workers of Assam are engaged in the tea industry.
June 05, 2021
Raimona National Park becomes Assam’s sixth national park
Raimona National Park in Kokrajhar district within the Bodoland Territorial Region has become Assam’s sixth national park. The 422 sq ft wildlife habitat in Kokrajhar district adjoins western-most buffer to Manas Tiger Reserve.
Assam’s Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary, under stress for unregulated coal mining in the vicinity is also in the process of being declared as the seventh national park.
Assam already has the five national parks which are Kaziranga, Manas, Nameri, Orang and Dibru-Saikhowa.
Upgrading Dehing Patkai has been a long-felt need for the conservation of rainforest and elephant habitats. The area of the park includes the northern part of the notified Ripu Reserve Forest (508.62 sq. km), which forms the western-most buffer to the Manas National Park that straddles the India-Bhutan border.
Raimona also shares contiguous forest patches of the Phipsoo Wildlife Sanctuary and the Jigme Singye Wangchuk National Park in Bhutan (total area of 1,999 sq. km) creating a transboundary conservation landscape of more than 2,400 sq. km.
June 10, 2021
Assam gets Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary as its seventh national park
The Assam Government has decided in its recent cabinet meeting to declare Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary as the 7th National Park of the state. The newest national park, also known as Dehing Patkai Rain Forest, has unique floral and faunal diversity, which was recognized by the state government in 2004 when 111.19 square kilometres of the area was notified as Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary.
Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary is home to hoolock gibbon, elephant, slow loris, tiger, leopard, clouded leopard, golden cat, fishing cat, marble cat, sambar, hog deer, sloth bear, and several bird species including the endangered state bird, the white-winged wood duck.
With the addition big the two new national parks, Dehing Patkai and Raimona, Assam’s total national park goes to seven.
Assam now is the state with the second highest number of national parks in the country, after Madhya Pradesh’s 11. The Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar has nine national parks.
June 10, 2021
Assam’s Lovlina Borgohain becomes the first female pugilist from the state to qualify for Tokyo Olympics 2020
Assam’s Lovlina Borgohain becomes the first female pugilist from the state to qualify for Tokyo Olympics 2020. The young athlete Lovlina would be seen fighting it out in the Women’s 69 kg Welterweight category at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She is the first lady from Assam to represent India at the Olympics.
BIOGRAPHY – Lovlina Borgohain
Lovlina was born on 2 October 1997, and hails from the Golaghat district of Assam.
Lovlina’s career’s biggest break came when she was selected to participate in the 2018 Commonwealth Games welterweight boxing category, where she won a gold medal in the welterweight category.
She had also won the bronze medal at the Asian Boxing Championships in Vietnam in November 2017 and the bronze medal at the President’s Cup held in Astana in June 2017.
Lovlina later won a silver medal at the Ulaanbaatar Cup in Mongolia in June 2018 and a bronze medal at the 13th International Silesian Championship in Poland in September 2018.
June 11, 2021
Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarmalaunches Sishu Seva Achoni for COVID-19 Orphans
Assam CM Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma has dedicated Chief Minister Sishu Seva Scheme to the service of the beneficiaries and handed over the cheques of financial assistance to few beneficiaries who lost both their parents due to COVID.
As per the scheme, an amount to the tune of Rs. 7,81,200 would be parked in the bank as fixed deposit in the name of each beneficiary.
Monthly financial assistance of Rs. 3500 which will be realised from the fixed deposit will be given to the beneficiaries till they attain 24 years of age.
On completion of 24 years of age, the principal amount parked as a fixed deposit against each beneficiary would be credited to their bank accounts.
Orphaned adolescent girls will be given accommodation in suitable and reputed institutions like Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya residential schools, to ensure their sensitive care and proper protection.
June 15, 2021
Assam’s Shahil Dey is Northeast’s first Chess International Master
Shahil Dey from Assam becomes first International Master from Northeast India. The 13-year-old chess player achieved the feat by achieving his third International Master norm at the First Saturday GM held from June 5-14, 2021 at Budapest in Hungary.
Shahil originally from Assam, now lives in Kolkata in order to receive better training facilities. He is coached by IM Roktim Bandyopadhyay.
FACTFILE – Grand Master Title
Grand Master is the highest title a chess player can attain in their entire chess career. This title is given by the highest governing body of chess i.e. FIDE. If the title of Grandmaster once achieved, it can be held for life. However, the “World Chess Federation” has made some rules for it, if a player is found guilty of “cheating and corruption”, then the title can be snatched from him.
June 22, 2021
Assam govt signs MoU with Survey of India for implementation of SVAMITVA scheme in Assam
Assam government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Survey of India for implementing the Svamitva scheme in the state, to provide an integrated property validation solution for rural areas. The MoU was signed between Assam, Director of Land Records and Surveys, Shantanu P Gotmare and Director Assam and Nagaland, Survey of India. It is expected to reduce property related disputes in rural areas and legal cases.
Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj and Assam Government’s Department of Revenue and Disaster Management will implement the scheme with the support of the Panchayat and Rural Development.
Survey of India will take steps for survey of inhabited rural land by drone as well as establishment of ground based control stations to enable a detailed spatial database of properties in rural areas.
FACTFILE – SVAMITVA scheme
The SVAMITVA (Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas) scheme was launched on the National Panchayati Raj Day i.e. April 24, 2020.
The scheme is a collaborative effort of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, State Panchayati Raj Departments, State Revenue Departments and Survey of India.
It aims to provide an integrated property validation solution for rural India.
It is a scheme for mapping the land parcels in rural inhabited areas using drone technology and Continuously Operating Reference Station (CORS).
The mapping will be done across the country in a phase-wise manner over a period of four years – from 2020 to 2024.
June 24, 2021
World’s first genetically modified rubber plant planted in Assam
The world’s first genetically modified (GM) rubber plant was planted on the outskirts of Guwahati. Chairman and Executive Director of the Rubber Board, K.N. Raghavan planted the saplings at the Rubber Board’s Sarutari research farm near Guwahati.
The GM rubber plant was developed at the Kerala-based Rubber Research Institute of India (RRII) through long years of research at its biotechnology laboratory.
Benefits of genetically modified rubber plant
The GM rubber plant would be a game-changer in natural rubber cultivation in India, with additional copies of the gene MnSOD (manganese-containing superoxide dismutase) inserted in it.
The GM rubber plant is expected to tide over the severe cold conditions during winter, which is a major factor affecting the growth of young rubber plants. Natural rubber is a native of warm humid Amazon forests and it is not naturally suited for the cold conditions in this part of the country.
FACTFILE – Rubber Board of India
The Rubber Board is a statutory body constituted by the Government of India, under the Rubber Act 1947, for the overall development of the rubber industry in the country.
Assam is a land of large number of fairs and festivals. Most of the festivals celebrated in Assam characterize the spirit of accommodation and togetherness in the diverse beliefs of the numerous tribes and races residing there. Each festival is celebrated with equal passion and fervor, thus reflecting the lifestyle and tradition of the people of Assam.
Bihu Festival
The most important and enchanting festival of Assam is Bihu. The Bihu is celebrated three times a year:
Bohag Bihu or Rongali Bihu which augurs the wish for a good harvest because this is the time when farmers start sowing. It the most popular Bihu celebrates the onset of the Assamese New Year in mid-April) and the coming of Spring. This marks the first day of the Hindu solar calendar.
Kongali Bihu or Kaati Bihu which is observed in mid-October to mark the cutting and binding of grains, and
Bhogali Bihu or Magh Bihu which marks the season of harvesting of grains. mid-January. Since the granaries are full, there is a lot of feasting and eating during this period.
The festival is mainly a celebration of the different phases of cultivation and is observed by all Assamese people irrespective of caste, creed, religion, faith and belief.
Ambubachi Fair
It is the most important festival of Kamakhya temple and is held every year during monsoon (mid-June). It is a ritual of austerities celebrated with ‘Tantric rites’. During Ambubashi the doors of the temple remain closed for three days. It is believed that the earth becomes impure for three days. During this time no farming work is undertaken.
Ambubachi mela is held at the Kamakhya temple, , atop Nilachal Hil, after being closed for the afore-mentioned three days. On the fourth day only the devotees are allowed to enter inside the temple for worship. Thousands of devotees from all over the country and abroad visit this mela.
Baishagu
This festival is celebrated in Assam by the tribes of Bodo and Kachari during the spring season, at the start of the Assamese New Year. Famous for its myriad colours and merriment, it is the most cherished festival of the Bodo tribe. The Bodos also celebrate it as a springtime festival at the advent of the new year. In this festival of Baishagu many traditional musical instruments are used. Such music instruments are: Khawbang, Jotha, Gogona, Siphung, Kham etc.
It is a two-day festival and is spent amidst fun and gaiety. The first day begins with the worship of cows. The next day corresponds with the 1st day of the Assamese Bohag month. Lord Shiva (Bathou in native terms) is worshipped and offerings like rice beer and chicken are given to Him. At the end of this Baishagu Festival of Assam the Assamese people gather together in a specified place for a community prayer which is called as “Garjasali” in Assamese language.
Me-Dum-Me-Phi
Me-Dum-Me-Phi is the most important Ahom festival. It is ancestor worship festival which is observed by the whole Ahom community community of Tai origin. This is performed on the 31st of January and helps to develop social contacts and community feelings among the Ahoms.
It is believed that if Me-Dum-Me-Fi is not celebrated in the customary way, the deities will be displeased and consequently there will be crisis in the State like political rivalry and infighting, increased activities of militancy, natural upheavals like floods and earthquakes resulting in loss of human lives and property.
Ali- Ai- Ligang
Ali-Aye-Ligang is a spring festival associated with agriculture, specially with the beginning of the Ahu paddy cultivation. It is celebrated by the indigenous Mising or Mishing tribe of Assam in the month of ‘Ginmur Polo’ (February-March).
The festival marks onset of sowing seeds. The name of the festival is made up of three terms, ‘Ali’, legumes, ‘Aye’, seed and ‘Ligang’, to sow.
A popular dance is performed by the young Mising people which is known as Gumrag. This dance is performed by encircling the courtyard of the house of the villagers.
Baikho
Also called Khoksi Puja, is a spring time festival, celebrated by the indigenous Rabha community of Assam. The festival comes across as the worship of the Goddess of Wealth, known as ‘Baikho’ adored for her “ability to bring forth rains, abundant crops and health for the community.”
Bohaggiyo Bishu
The Deoris of Assam, one of the four divisions of the ‘Chutiyas’, observe this festival during the spring season. Derived from the Chutiya word ‘Bisu’ (Bi- extreme, Su- rejoicing), the festival is a continuous celebration of 7 days. It usually starts on a Wednesday, with Than Puja and there is buffalo sacrifice every fourth year.
The major attractions of the festival are the Deodhani dance and Husori (folk song). The Deodhani Nrityaforms the most important and significant part of the festival. ‘Husori’ or Carol Song party is the main attraction.
Assam’s Poba Reserve Forest to be upgraded to wildlife sanctuary
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal announced that the Poba Reserve Forest in Dhemaji district would be upgraded to a Wildlife Sanctuary.
Poba Reserve Forest, declared in 1924 with an area of 10,522 hectares, is home to large number of flora and fauna.
FACTFILE – Poba Reserved Forest
Poba Reserved Forest is situated in Jonai Subdivision of Dhemaji District of Assam.
Poba is one of the richest rain forests of North-East India in terms of the flora and fauna found in it.
Poba Reserved Forest is an important elephant corridor linking the foot hills of Arunachal Pradesh and Dibru Saikhowa National Park via the proposed Kobu Chapori Reserve Forest.
Wildlife Sanctuary
A natural area which is reserve by a governmental or private agency for the protection of particular species.
It came under the category called “Protected Areas”. The Protected Areas are declared under Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has defined its Category IV type of protected areas
Reserved Forests
Land rights to forests declared to be Reserved forests or Protected forests are typically acquired and owned by the Government of India.
Unlike national parks of India or wildlife sanctuaries of India, reserved forests and protected forests are declared by the respective state governments.
Rights to all activities like hunting, grazing, etc. in reserved forests are banned unless specific orders are issued otherwise.
FIFA releases World Cup 2022 match schedule
The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) released the match schedule for the 2022 World Cup which will be hosted by Qatar.
The tournament will begin November 21 at Al Bayt Stadium in the northern city of Al Khor with the hosts Qatar in action while the final will be played on December 18 at Lusail Stadium in Doha.
The group stage will be spread over the course of 12 days and will feature four matches a day to give all teams “optimal rest” between their matches and promise fans a full and exciting schedule.
FACTFILE – The International Federation of Association Football (Fédération Internationale de Football Association), FIFA
FIFA was founded in 1904 to oversee international competition among the national associations of Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
It has headquartered in Zürich
It has total membership of 211 national associations. These national associations must each also be members of one of the six regional confederations viz. Africa, Asia, Europe, North & Central America and the Caribbean, Oceania, and South America.
FACTFILE – 2022 FIFA World Cup
The 2022 FIFA World Cup is the 22nd edition of the FIFA World Cup, scheduled to take place in Qatar in 2022.
This will be the first World Cup ever to be held in the Arab world and the first in a Muslim-majority country.
This will be the second World Cup held entirely in Asia after the 2002 tournament in South Korea and Japan.
Union Govt asked states to expedite work in Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan
Union Minister of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj Narendra Singh Tomar has urged the states to expedite the work under the Central government’s “Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan” with a competitive approach.
He reviewed the progress of Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan through video-conference with the Rural Development Ministers and senior officials of six states and found it satisfactory.
The drive of employment for migrant labourers at their native places launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 20, is being undertaken in 116 districts in the states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Rajasthan.
The ‘Abhiyaan’ will continue for 125 days, and 25 projects coming under 11 different ministries have been identified for completion.
The Abhiyaan was found to be progressing well under various parameters which are being regularly monitored.
Union Minister Tomar emphasised on developing a competitive approach among the states to achieve maximum results along with minimising the hurdles being faced by various ministries in the implementation process so that the set targets are completed within the determined time period.
Gujarat to develop water aerodromes
Gujarat state government has decided to set up water aerodromes at four places in the state. For this project, a tripartite MoU is to be signed between the state government, Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Airports Authority of India (AAI).
Under Indian government’s Regional Connectivity Scheme, RCS UDAN-3 and 4, the Gujarat government has decided to set up 4 water aerodromes at Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad, Sardar Sarovar Dam, Kevadia in Narmada, Shatrunjay Dam in Palitana near Bhavnagar and Dharoi dam in Mehsana.
The AAI will act as the implementing agency in the project and will develop the project at four places.
Water aerodromes are spaces in water bodies, where amphibious aircraft can take off and land.
July 16, 2020
First container ship from Kolkata to Agartala through Chattogram Port inaugurated
The first-ever container cargo from Kolkata via Bangladesh’s Chattogram port has reached Agartala, achieving a “historic milestone” in the Indo-Bangladesh connectivity and economic partnership.
An agreement was reached to use of Chattogram and Mongla Ports for movement of India’s transit cargo through Bangladesh.
Via this route, the distance and time taken in transportation of goods for India particularly the northeastern States will get reduced significantly.
It will enhance business services and revenue generation for Bangladesh while the logistical sector will also get a big boost in Northeast part of India.
Odisha CM Naveen Patnaikinaugurates Covid Plasma Bank
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated a Covid Plasma Bank at SCB Medical College Hospital in Cuttack through video conferencing to start the convalescent plasma therapy treatment of acute COVID-19 patients in the state. He also appealed to people who have recovered from COVID-19 to donate their plasma for treatment of other critical patients in the state.
The therapy will be introduced in three dedicated COVID Hospitals, viz. SUM Hospital and KIIMS Hospital in Bhubaneswar and Ashwini Hospital in Cuttack.
He also expressed gratitude towards the Drug Controller General of India for allowing the state to use of convalescent plasma for treatment of acute COVID-19 patients.
PM Modi addresses a digital conclave on World Youth Skills Day on 15 July
Addressing a digital conclave on World Youth Skills Day, on July 15, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the coronavirus pandemic has changed the “culture” along with the “nature of the job”.
He said the mantra to remain relevant is – skill, re-skill and up-skill. Skill – Learn a new skill and value add to things. Re-skill – Add to your skill every day by learning something new. Up-skill – Widening your skillset is upskilling yourself.
FACTFILE – World Youth Skills Day
World Youth Skills Day is celebrated each year on July 15.
Its aim is to recognise the strategic importance of equipping young people with skills for employment, decent work and entrepreneurship, and to highlight the crucial role of skilled youth in addressing current and future global challenges.
Scientists discover key element of strong antibody response to COVID-19
A team of scientists at the Scripps Research has discovered a common molecular feature found in many of the human antibodies that neutralize SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
The team reviewed data on nearly 300 anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and noted that a subset of these antibodies is particularly powerful at neutralizing the virus and these potent antibodies are all encoded by the same antibody gene, IGHV3-53.
The research was a collaboration chiefly involving the Wilson and Burton labs, and the Scripps Research-based Neutralizing Antibody Center of IAVI, a prominent non-profit vaccine research organization.
Antibodies are Y-shaped proteins made in immune cells called B-cells. Each B-cell makes a specific antibody type, which is encoded by a unique combination of antibody genes in the cell.
The scientists found that an antibody gene called IGHV3-53 was the most common of the genes for the 294 antibodies.
Tamil Naduallows the use of BCG vaccine for 60-95 aged Covid patients
Tamil Nadu government has allowed a pilot project to study if the Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine, which is actually used for the treatment of Tuberculosis, will help reduce the mortality rate among elderly Covid-19 patients.
The National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis will start the pilot programme and BCG vaccine will be administered on a trial basis to people in the 60-95 age group.
The BCG vaccine was found to boost innate immunity, which could lower morbidity and mortality rates. The vaccine could reduce the severity of Covid-19, avoid hospitalisation and mortality rate.
Odisha partners with online learning platform ‘Coursera’ to upskill 50,000 Youths
The Odisha Skills Development Authority (OSDA) has partnered with leading online learning platform ‘Coursera’ to train 50,000 unemployed youths during the COVID-19 crisis.
The partnership is part of Coursera’s global roll-out of the ‘Workforce Recovery Initiative’ where any state and country can provide unemployed workers with free access to online learning.
The programme aims to build in-demand skills like data science, cloud computing and Internet of Things while also offering professional certificates like the Google IT Support Professional Certificate.
The ‘Workforce Recovery Initiative’ initiative is part of the Coursera- for-the-government offering launched in 2017 to equip government employees and citizens with in-demand skills.
India ranks 3rd in Global Manufacturing locations suitability
As per property consultant Cushman & Wakefield, India ranks third in the list of most-suitable locations for global manufacturing among 48 countries in terms of cost competitiveness and operating conditions.
China and the US retain the top two positions, while India has moved one place higher to rank third.
In cost scenario also India is at 3rd position after China and Vietnam. But India ranks 30th in risk scenario, due political and economic risks.
IIT Madras-incubated start-up develops ‘MediCAB’portable hospital for Covid cases
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras-incubated start-up, Modulus Housing, has developed a portable hospital unit Called ‘MediCAB’ that can be installed by four people anywhere within two hours.
‘MediCAB’ it is a decentralised approach to detecting, screening, identifying, isolating and treat Covid-19 patients in their local communities at these portable microstructures.
Recently it was launched recently in Kerala’s Wayanad District, where the units are being deployed to treat Covid-19 patients.
The start-up firm Modulus Housing is developing micro hospitals that can be deployed rapidly across the nation.
The Medicab unit is composed of four zones – a doctor’s room, an isolation room, a medical room/ward and a twin-bed ICU, maintained at negative pressure.
Ved Parkash Dudeja, RLDA Vice-Chairman is awarded ‘Infra Business Leader of the Year’
The Vice-Chairman, Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) Ved Parkash Dudeja, was recently awarded the coveted ‘Infra Business Leader of the Year’ award for 2020 by the Rail Infra and Mobility Business Digital Awards (RIMBDA).
RLDA is a statutory authority under the Ministry of Railways, responsible for the development of vacant railway land for commercial use for the purpose of generating revenue by non-tariff measures and creating assets for Indian Railways.
Dudeja has initiated several commercial projects, multifunctional complex, colony redevelopment and station redevelopment projects and shattered all previous records of earnings as well as those of awarding of lease contracts in 2019-20.
Union Govt launches IIT Delhi’s COVID-19 test kit ‘Corosure’ for commercial use
Indian Government announced the commercial launch of a COVID-19 test kit which was developed by the IIT Delhi at a base price of ₹399, the cheapest in the market.
Approved by the Indian Medical Council of India with the highest score and Drug Control General of India with very high sensitivity and specificity, the commercial product named ‘Corosure’ was commercially developed by a company named NewTech Medical Devises after obtaining license from the IIT Delhi.
HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal, who e-launched the affordable RT-PCR based covid-19 diagnostic kit, said “the country requires affordable and reliable testing for the country which can help to control the pandemic. The Corosure has been developed indigenously and is much cheaper than other kits.
Hyderabad Airport gets India’s 1st contactless car parking
GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited (GHIAL) that operates the Hyderabad International Airport is offering fully contact-less airport car parking service.
Apart from offering an end-to-end contact-less boarding experience for safe travel, GHIAL has also scaled up its NETC (National Electronic Toll Collection) FASTag Car Parking in collaboration with NPCI (National Payments Corporation of India).
With this, the Hyderabad international airport now offers the country’s first and only fully contact-less airport car parking experience for passengers and visitors.
July 18, 2020
6 Agricultural scientists from Northeast get ICAR awards
Six agricultural scientists of three northeastern states Tripura, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh were awarded ICAR’s National Award for their outstanding innovation in farming and boosting agricultural economy in the region.
Additionally, two Krishi Vigyan Kendras in Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur and three farmers of Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya also received the ICAR awards for their exceptional feats in agricultural and farming sectors of the region.
Lopamudra Sahoo, Gulab Singh Yadav, Chandan Debnath and Basant Kumar Kandpal of ICAR research complex in Tripura received the Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed Award and Swami Sahajan and Saraswati Award.
Scientist Amit Kumar, associated with the ICAR research complex in Meghalaya and Nangsol Dolma Bhutia, Assistant Professor of Central Agricultural University at Pasighat have received the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for P.G. Outstanding Doctoral Thesis Research in Agricultural and Allied Sciences.
FACTFILE – The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)
The Indian Council of Agricultural Research is an autonomous body responsible for co-ordinating agricultural education and research in India
It is the largest network of agricultural research and education institutes in the world.
Clinical trials for Bharat Biotech’s Covid-19 vaccine begins
India’s first indigenous Covid-19 vaccine Covaxin got a nod from the AIIMS Ethics Committee to start human trials. AIIMS Delhi is among the 12 sites selected by the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) for conducting phase I and II human trials of Covaxin.
In phase I, the Covaxin vaccine would be tested on 375 volunteers and a maximum of 100 of them would be from AIIMS.
Moreover, human dosing of the vaccine developed by Bharat Biotech India (BBIL) in collaboration with ICMR’s National Institute of Virology (NIV) also started with the vaccine being given to participants at AIIMS, Patna and PGIMS Rohtak.
Drug firm Zydus Cadila also started human clinical trials of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate ZyCoV-D. The company will be enrolling over 1,000 subjects across multiple clinical study sites in India.
Earlier, DCGI has permitted two vaccines – Covaxin developed by the Bharat Biotech International Limited in collaboration with the ICMR and ZyCoV-D by Zydas Cadila Healthcare Ltd to go in for phase I and II human clinical trials.
Rose Raponda becomes Gabon’s first woman Prime Minister
The President of Gabon, Ali Bongo Ondimba, appointed the country’s first woman prime minister, Rose Christiane Ossouka Raponda.
After serving as budget minister eight years ago, she became the first woman to be elected mayor of the capital Libreville in 2014. Raponda had served as defence minister since February 2019.
FACTFILE – Gabon
Gabon is a country on the west coast of Central Africa, bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, the Republic of the Congo on the east and south, and the Gulf of Guinea to the west.
Its capital and largest city is Libreville and the official language is French.
Abundant petroleum and foreign private investment have helped make it one of the most prosperous countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, with the 7th highest HDI and the fourth-highest GDP per capita (PPP) in the region.
Uttarakhand govt to start ‘Waste to Energy’ initiative
Uttarakhand government has decided to convert waste generated in the state to electricity under an initiative ‘Waste to Energy’. The electricity will be generated from the waste coming out in the municipal corporation and municipality area.
The initiative was taken into consideration keeping in view the present issues faced by most municipalities and corporations of land scarcity in depositing solid waste at one place.
According to the assessment by Uttarakhand Environment Protection and Pollution Control Board (UEPPCB), the waste can generate up to 5 MegaWatt of electricity and curb the pollution.
Govt aims to make use of the 24 MW of biomass power generation capacity available in the state.
India ranks 34th in the Global Skills Index 2020 Report
India has surged ahead of China in business and technology skills due to its growing younger population, reported by the world’s largest online learning platform Coursera.
In its latest Global Skills Index 2020, India is placed at 34th position within the business domain as compared to China’s rank of 45.
Within the technology domain, India ranks 40th while China ranks 50th
Within the data science domain, India ranks 51th and within the data management competency, India ranks 58th.
Govt nod for contributions by individuals, institutions to NDRF
Central government has laid out the modalities for contributions and grants from any person or institution to the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF).
Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said the contributions to the NDRF have been allowed through any of the modes like physical instruments, RTGS/NEFT/UPI and https://bharatkosh.gov.in
The NDRF, constituted under Section 46 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, supplements the State Disaster Response Fund of the states in case of natural calamities like cyclone, drought, earthquake, fire, flood, tsunami, hailstorm, landslide, avalanche, cloud burst and pest attack considered to be of severe nature by the government.
FACTFILE – National Disaster Response Fund
The Disaster Management Act, 2005 (DM Act) defines “disaster” to mean ‘a catastrophe, mishap, calamity or grave occurrence in any area, arising from natural or man-made causes, or by accident or negligence which results in substantial loss of life or human suffering or damage to, and destruction of, property, or damage to, or degradation of, environment, and is of such a nature or magnitude as to be beyond the coping capacity of the community of the affected area.’
The financial assistance from SDRF/NDRF is for providing immediate relief and is not compensation for loss/damage to properties /crops.
The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the National Disaster Management Authority takes decisions on the expenses from National Disaster Response Fund
Ashok Lavasa appointed Vice-President of Asian Development Bank
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has appointed election commissioner Ashok Lavasa as its Vice-President on the recommendation of the Indian government.
Ashok Lavasa will succeed current vice president at ADB Diwakar Gupta and will look after private sector operations and public private partnerships.
FACTFILE – Asian Development Bank (ADB)
The Asian Development Bank is a regional development bank established on 19 December 1966, which is headquartered in Metro Manila, Philippines.
The company also maintains 31 field offices around the world to promote social and economic development in Asia.
The ADB was modelled closely on the World Bank and has a similar weighted voting system where votes are distributed in proportion with members’ capital subscriptions.
ADB is an official United Nations Observer.
Shareholding pattern – Japan holds the largest proportion of shares at 15.677%, the United States with 15.567%, China holds 6.473%, India holds 6.359%, and Australia holds 5.812%.
BIOGRAPHY – Ashok Lavasa
A 1980 batch Haryana cadre IAS officer, Ashok Lavasa took over as Election Commissioner on 23 January 2018.
He held a range of senior posts in the government, including finance secretary, environment secretary, civil aviation secretary among others.
UNICEF ties up with SAP India to provide career counselling to young people
UNICEF India partnered with a software major SAP India to provide career counselling to young people in order to improve their employability skills in the present and post-COVID-19 era.
UNICEF will also collaborate with ”YuWaah” – (Generation Unlimited), an initiative supported by the UN body, to provide digital education and occupational skill-set to the under-served young people of the country.
Generation Unlimited brings young people together with the private sector, governments, international and local organisations to tackle the challenge of investing in their learning and training.
Australia’s Monash University develops new blood test to trace coronavirus in 20 minutes
Researchers at the Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, have developed a new blood test that detects positive coronavirus cases in just about 20 minutes, a finding that could assist the world to mitigate the coronavirus spread through robust contact-tracing.
Researchers at the university developed the simple agglutination assay, an analysis to determine the presence and amount of a substance in blood to detect the presence of antibodies raised in response to the SARS-CoV-2 infection.
The team of researchers were able to identify recent COVID-19 cases using 25 microlitres of plasma from blood samples.
Positive COVID-19 cases caused an agglutination or a clustering of red blood cells, which was easily identifiable to the naked eye.
The findings could help high-risk countries with population screening, case identification, contact-tracing, confirming vaccine efficacy during clinical trials and vaccine distribution.
Delhi Police launches plasma donation campaign
On the initiative of Delhi Police, a ‘Plasma Donation Campaign’ has been launched at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).
The objective of the campaign is to encourage people to come forward to donate plasma to be used for the treatment of Covid-19 patients.
Covid-19 related death rates of NE states among the country’s lowest
Central Govt informed that India has one of the lowest fatality rates in the world. Four northeastern states viz. Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram and Sikkim have zero case fatality rate (CFR) till now.
As per the Health Ministry data, the northeastern states have less than one per cent CFR.
Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya and Tripura have a CFR of 0.23 per cent, 0.46 per cent, 0.48 per cent and 0.19 per cent respectively.
Himachal Pradesh promotes fruit cultivation through ADB funding
To make Himachal Pradesh a horticulture hub, the Asian Development Bank (ADB)funded HP Shiva Pilot Project is undergoing with an outlay of Rs 100 crore in four districts of the state.
The project would be implemented in Bilaspur, Mandi, Kangra and Hamirpur districts. Fruit-bearing sapling would be planted on 170 hectares. And a target of planting 2.50 lakh fruit-bearing saplings of orange, litchi, pomegranate, guava, etc., has been identified under the project in July and August.
The state has initiated several steps like 12.50 lakh hectare meter anti-hail net is made available for protecting the crops from natural calamities.
About 225 metric tonnes insecticide has been made available at subsidized rates. Special training is being given for packaging of apple, cherry and stone fruits. About 3.5 crore boxes were made available for packaging of fruits.
United Arab Emirates launches its first mission to Mars
The United Arab Emirates launched its first mission to Mars as it strives to develop its scientific and technological capabilities.
The Hope Probe blasted off from Japan’s Tanegashima Space Center for a seven-month journey to the red planet, where it will orbit and send back data.
The Emirates Mars Mission with a cost of $200 million, it aims to provide a complete picture of the Martian atmosphere for the first time, studying daily and seasonal changes.
To develop and build the Hope Probe, Emiratis and Dubai’s Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), Dubai, worked with U.S. universities.
HRD Ministry announced guidelines on digital education
Union Human Resource and Development Ministry has announced guidelines for online classes operationalised by schools amid the COVID pandemic.
Union Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank virtually released the PRAGYATA guidelines on digital education, which has many recommendations including restriction on the screen time for students.
Online classes for pre-primary students should not be for more than 30 minutes a day. For Classes 1st to 8th, it has suggested that not more than two online sessions of up to 45 minutes each should be conducted in a day.
For the senior students, from class 9th to 12th, the suggested limit of the online classes is to a maximum of four sessions of up to 45 minutes each.
These guidelines on Digital Education provide a roadmap for carrying forward online education to enhance the quality of education. It also stresses upon the use of an alternative academic calendar of NCERT.
The Guidelines also emphasize the need to unify all efforts related to digital, online education, benefitting school-going children across the country.
Indian Railways’ first cable-stayed rail bridge in Jammu
The Anji Khad Bridge, India’s first cable-stayed Indian Railways bridge will soon connect Katra and Reasi in of Jammu–Baramulla rail line.
The ambitious project of Indian Railways has a single pylon, standing at a height of 331 metres above the river bed, is being developed by Konkan Railway Corporation Limited.
The cable-stayed railway bridge is a part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project.
The total length of the bridge is 473.25 metres. The length of the viaduct is 120 metres and the central embankment has a length of 94.25 metres.
Indian-origin Chan Santokhi elected as the President of Suriname
Suriname, a small country in South America elected Indian-origin Chan Santokhi as the new President.
61-year-old Chan Santokhi, former police chief, won a landslide victory in the general elections.
Suriname is a former Dutch colony but the country’s relations with the Netherlands, which was once its primary trade partner, deteriorated under the previous regime.
FACTFILE – Suriname
Suriname is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America.
At just under 165,000 square kilometres, it is the smallest country in South America.
It’s capital and largest city is Paramaribo.
It is the first country to reach carbon neutrality.
Suriname is the only sovereign nation outside Europe where Dutch is spoken by a majority of the population.
Union Minister of Food Processing Industries Harsimrat Kaur Badal inaugurated the Zoram Mega Food Park Ltd at Kolasib in Mizoram through virtual conference.
The Zoram Food Park built at a cost of Rs 75 crore will directly benefit over 25,000 farmers and will create employment for over 5,000 local people.
It is the first mega food park operationalized in Mizoram. It will benefit about 25,000 farmers in the core processing centre and primary processing Centre catchment areas.
The 55-acre Zoram food park, promoted by Zoram Mega Food Park Pvt Ltd, is located at Khamrang village in Kolasib District, Mizoram.
A total of 88 ministry-supported food processing projects have been sanctioned in the entire North Eastern Region.
The human trial of COVID-19 vaccinecandidate developed by the University of Oxford and backed by AstraZeneca Plc has shown a positive result. The vaccine has generated a protective immune response in the vaccinated sample population.
This Covid-19 vaccine is a chimpanzee adenovirus viral vector (ChAdOx1) vaccine that expresses the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. It uses a common cold virus i.e. adenovirus, that infects chimpanzees, which has been weakened so that it can’t cause any disease in humans, and is genetically modified to code for the spike protein of the human SARS-CoV-2 virus.
When the adenovirus enters vaccinated people’s cells it also delivers the spike protein genetic code. This causes these people’s cells to produce the spike protein, and helps teach the immune system to recognise the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
CBDT, MSME Ministry sign pact for sharing tax related data
The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) and the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises signed a MoU for facilitating seamless sharing of Income Tax Return (ITR) related information concerning SMEs.
This data will enable the ministry to check and classify enterprises in Micro, Small and Medium categories as per the new criteria notified by the government.
MSME Criteria
Composite Criteria: Investment in Plant & Machinery/equipment and Annual Turnover
Classification
Micro
Small
Medium
Manufacturing Enterprises and Enterprises rendering Services
Investment in Plant and Machinery or Equipment: Not more than Rs.1 crore and Annual Turnover ; not more than Rs. 5 crore
Investment in Plant and Machinery or Equipment: Not more than Rs.10 crore and Annual Turnover ; not more than Rs. 50 crore
Investment in Plant and Machinery or Equipment: Not more than Rs.50 crore and Annual Turnover ; not more than Rs. 250 crore
TN signs eight investment MoUs for Rs 10,339 crore
Tamil Nadu government signed eight Memorandums of Understanding involving an industrial investment of about Rs 10,339 crore with an employment potential for 13,507 persons.
The proposed projects include production of solar cells and modules, air compressors, ductile iron foundry, industrial parks, cashew nut processing, data centre and a foundry expansion project.
Some of the important projects are
Vikram Solar to invest Rs 5,423 crore in a facility to produce solar cells and modules in Orgadam in Kancheepuram district.
Hiranandani group’s Yotta to set up a data centre in Chengalpattu district at an investment of Rs 4,000 crore.
Elgi Equipments will invest Rs 250 crore in setting up an air compressor unit.
Aquasub to invest Rs 200 crore to set up a ductile iron foundry in Coimbatore.
GI Agro Tech to set up a cashew nut processing unit at Villupuram investing Rs 36 crore.
JS Auto Cast to expand its foundry facility at Erode district at an outlay of Rs 40 crore.
CGD Satharai Pvt Ltd to set up an Industrial park projects with outlay Rs 250 crore at Kancheepuram district and NDR Infrastructure to set up another industrial park with an outlay of Rs 200 crore at Ranipet.
UP launches ‘Navin Rojgar Chhatri Yojana’ for SCs
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath launched ”Navin Rojgar Chhatri Yojana” for an all-round development of the Scheduled Castes communities.
Economic equality becomes the basis of social equality. The society with one of its sections becoming strong while another remaining weak will not be able to become self-reliant. It is necessary that there is a balance in the society and this balance should also be at the economic level.
Marianna Vardinoyannis & Morissana Kouyate win UN 2020 Nelson Mandela Prize
Marianna Vardinoyannis of Greece and Morissana Kouyate of Guinea are selected for this year’s United Nations 2020 Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela Prize.
Marianna Vardinoyannis is a Greek philanthropist known for fighting childhood cancer and for a world without borders in health for about 30 years. He is also the world advocate for human rights and the protection of children’s health and welfare.
Morissana Kouyate is also a Human rights activist known for her contribution towards curbing violence against women and girls in Africa. She is a leading advocate in the fight against harmful traditional practices against women, particularly female genital mutilation.
The prize was established in 2014 by the General Assembly to recognise the achievements of those who dedicate their lives to the service of humanity by promoting the purposes and principles of the United Nations while honouring and paying homage to Nelson Mandela’s extraordinary life and legacy of reconciliation, political transition, and social transformation.
FACTFILE – The United Nations Nelson Mandela Prize
The United Nations Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela Prize aims to recognize the achievements of those who dedicated their lives to the service of humanity as guided by the purposes and principles of the UN while honouring and paying homage to Mandela’s extraordinary life and legacy of reconciliation, political transition and social transformation.
The prize is awarded every five years. It was first awarded in 2015.
PM SVANidhi mobile app for street vendors launched
A mobile application of PM Street Vendor’s Atmanirbhar Nidhi, PM SVANidhi was launched in New Delhi to bring micro-credit facility for street vendors at their doorsteps.
PM SVANidhi Mobile App aims to provide a user-friendly digital interface for lending institutions and their field functionaries for sourcing and processing loan applications of street vendors under the scheme.
The app is a step towards boosting the use of digital technology and will enable field functionaries to ensure maximum coverage of the scheme.
The Mobile App will give impetus to the implementation strategy of the scheme besides promoting paper-less digital accessing of micro-credit facilities by the street vendors.
More than one lakh 54 thousand street vendors have applied for working capital loan across States and Union Territories. Out of which, loan to over 48 thousand street vendors have already been sanctioned.
PM SVANidhi scheme was launched for providing affordable working capital loan to street vendors to resume their livelihoods that have been adversely affected due to COVID-19 crisis.
Under the scheme, the vendors can avail a working capital loan of up to ten thousand rupees, which is repayable in monthly instalments in the tenure of one year. There will be no penalty on early repayment of the loan.
Karnataka launches 6 locally developed products to fight Covid-19
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister C.N. Ashwathnarayan launched six Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) approved products made by startups to fight the Covid-19 pandemic. The six products are Shieldex 24, Florescence probes and PCR mix, Daksh, VTM, Cov-Astra and Anti-microbial face wash.
Developed by Ravi Kumar at Biofi, Shieldex 24 is a UV-ROS box for Covid sterilisation. It can help eliminate viruses located on objects and is useful in the transportation industry.
Govindarajan and Meher Prakash from VNIR have developed the Florescence probes and PCR mix for RTPCR detection. These probes are part of Covid testing kits which are currently being imported.
Arun Agrawal from Janitri has developed Daksh, a remote foetal monitoring device which is used in treating Covid positive pregnant women.
Manjunath and Dinesh from Deno Bio labs at IBAB have developed the VTM which helps in safely transporting live virus samples from a sample collection centre to a testing lab.
Cov-Astra is an Artificial Intelligence based device which can detect Covid virus through x-ray, relegating the conventional throat swab for testing people for the virus.
Developed by Adarsh Nararajan from Aindra A, Cov-Astra can help detect the virus at a significantly lower price of Rs 150 to Rs 250 per person.
Latha Damle and team from Atrimed have developed an anti-microbial face wash containing herbal anti-microbials, which can kill viruses on the face in a fraction of seconds.
India, Sweden agree to cooperate in fight against Covid-19
Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan and his Swedish counterpart Lena Hallengren discussed via video link the status and plans to handle coronavirus and decided to co-operate in the field of health and medicine.
The two countries and agreed to hold the Joint Working Group”s (JWG) next meeting by autumn and stay in touch digitally till the end of crisis.
Vardhan spoke about the decade of vibrant Indo-Swedish partnership that oversaw 10 JWG level bilateral meetings and mentioned recent achievements of India, like the Ayushman Bharat Yojana that covered 550 million people.
World Bank provides $400 million to enhance support for Namami Gange
Indian government and the World Bank(WB) signed a loan agreement of $400 million, to enhance support for the Namami Gange programme that seeks to rejuvenate the Ganga.
The Second National Ganga River Basin Project will help stem pollution in the iconic river and strengthen the management of the river basin which is home to more than 500 million people.
The agreement comprises a loan of $381 million and a proposed guarantee of up to $19 million. The $381 million variable spread loan has a maturity of 18.5 years including a grace period of 5 years.
The World Bank has been supporting the government’s efforts since 2011 through the ongoing National Ganga River Basin Project, which helped set up the National Mission for Clean Ganga as the nodal agency to manage the river, and financed sewage treatment infrastructure in several riverside towns and cities.
To ensure that these infrastructure assets function effectively and are well maintained, the project will build on the innovative Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM) of public private partnership introduced under the ongoing NGRBP, and which has become the solution of choice for sewage treatment investments in the Ganga Basin.
Government pays a private operator 40 per cent of the capital cost to build a sewage treatment plant during the construction period; the remaining 60 per cent is paid as performance-linked payments over 15 years to ensure that the operator runs and maintains the plant efficiently.
India’s First NPNT Compliant Drone Flight Successfully Completed
Quidich Innovation Labs announced the successful completion of India’s First No-Permission No-Takeoff (NPNT) compliant drone flight on the A200 Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS).
The flight was carried out in a green zone identified by the DGCA in Karnataka and marks a critical breakthrough in online testing and permission systems. This will go a long way in opening up the skies for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs).
MoCA& DGCA released a comprehensive policy on use of UAVs, which came into effect in 2018. Under the new policy, only UAVs which complied to stringent manufacturing standards laid down by the government could be used.
The UAV also had to be compliant with the newly formulated NPNT architecture. A Unique Identification Number (UIN) and an Unmanned Aircraft Operator Permit (UAOP), along with Online permission artifacts (OPA) for every flight, are mandatory.
Himachal Pradeshbecomes the first state where everyone possesses LPG connection
Himachal Pradesh has become the first state in the country in which every household has an LPG gas connection.
HP Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said that as many as 2,76,243 families were provided free gas connections under the Himachal Grihini Suvidha Yojana.
This scheme was launched for those households which were left out of the Central Govt’s Pradhan Mantri Ujjawala Yojana under which connections were provided free to poor women of rural areas.
CBDT, SEBI sign MoU for exchange of data
The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) and the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for data exchange between the two organisations.
The MoU will facilitate the regular sharing of data and information between the SEBI and the CBDT on an automatic and regular basis.
SEBI and the CBDT will also exchange with each other, on request and suo moto basis, any information available in their respective databases, for the purpose of carrying out their functions under various laws.
July 09, 2020
UP govt approves new start-up policy 2020
UP state government has approved the UP-Start-up Policy 2020 to promote fledgling units in various areas including agriculture, health, power, education, tourism and transport.
Objective of the policy is to ensure that UP is ranked within the first three states in the Centre’s start-up rankings, create 100 incubators with, at least, one in each district, create an ecosystem to promote at least 10,000 start-ups, set up state of the art excellence centres and create India’s largest incubator in Lucknow.
The policy will be valid for five years and will provide direct employment to 50,000 people and indirect employment to 1 lakh.
There are more than 1,800 start-up units registered with the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade under the Centre and since there is no holistic policy for start-ups, it was decided to create an ecosystem for promotion of start-ups which would require a new policy.
The state government is already providing start-ups with a subsidy and has started a Rs 1,000 crore fund to promote new entrants in the field.
Punjab okays Rs 3,200 crore for Industrial park and manufacturing cluster
Punjab govt approved development of a modern Industrial Park and Integrated Manufacturing Cluster near Ludhiana and Rajpura, respectively, at a cost of Rs 1,600 crore each.
The two projects, be set up in 1,000 acres each, the projects will help prospective entrepreneurs and industrialists set up ventures, will help accelerate industrialisation and create jobs.
The And Integrated Manufacturing Cluster near Rajpura in the Patiala district will be developed with the help of the National Industrial Corridor Development Corp.
To mobilise additional revenue, the cabinet gave the go-ahead to raise the mutation fee from Rs 300 to Rs 600. Accordingly the State Govt asked the Revenue Department to launch a campaign for clearing all pending mutations in the interest of landowners.
Union Cabinet approves Rs 12,450 crore recapitalisation of 3 Govt general insurance companies
The Union Cabinet approved capital infusion of Rs 12,450 crore for three state run insurance companies, viz. Oriental Insurance Company, National Insurance Company and the United India Insurance Company.
The approved amount also includes Rs 2,500 crore infused in FY 2019-20.
In the Union Financial Budget 2020-21, central government had set aside Rs 6,950 crore for recapitalisation of the three public sector general insurance companies.
The government aims to improve the solvency ratio of these companies before merging theses three state-run general insurance entities to create a general insurance giant.
NSDC, Microsoft partnership to impart digital skills to Indian youths
The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and Software major Microsoft announced a partnership aimed at providing digital skills to over 1 lakh youth in the country over the next 12 months.
Microsoft will collaborate with NSDC’s eSkill India portal to provide free access to learning resources and conduct digital skilling awareness drives, equipping the next generation of learners with the skills they need to find employment opportunities in the digital economy.
Microsoft’s this partnership is an extension of it’s global skilling initiative to help 25 million people worldwide acquire new digital skills needed for the future economy.
Microsoft’s learning resource centre, Microsoft Learn will be integrated with the eSkill India digital platform to provide access to personalised learning paths and resources that are recently in demand and expected to continue to grow in the time to come.
Learnings will cover a broad range of skills, from entry-level digital literacy to advanced product-based skilling in critical technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Cloud computing, providing numerous opportunities for people to reskill and upskill.
FACTFILE – National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC)
NSDC is a not-for-profit public limited company incorporated on July 31, 2008 under section 25 of the Companies Act, 1956. It was set up by Ministry of Finance as Public Private Partnership (PPP) model.
Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE) holds 49% of the share capital of NSDC, while the private sector has the balance 51% of the share capital.
NSDC aims to promote skill development by catalyzing creation of large, quality and for-profit vocational institutions. It also provides funding to build scalable and profitable vocational training initiatives. Its mandate is also to enable support system which focuses on quality assurance, information systems and train the trainer academies either directly or through partnerships.
NSDC acts as a catalyst in skill development by providing funding to enterprises, companies and organizations that provide skill training. It also develops appropriate models to enhance, support and coordinate private sector initiatives.
NSDC’s eSkill India portal catalogues more than 490 e-learning courses in multiple Indian languages through leading knowledge providers.
Chhattisgarh becomes India’s first state to start e-Lok Adalats
The Chhattisgarh High Court and the Chhattisgarh State Legal Services Authority organized the India’s first ever E-Lok Adalat amid the Covid-19 lockdown.
About 195 benches were constituted at different places of the state, including remote areas like Sarguja, Kanker, Bastar, Surajpur etc., via video conferencing and 3,135 cases were identified for compromise.
2,270 cases were settled in a single day via e-Lok Adalat.
Himalayan Butterfly ’Golden Birdwing’ is India’s largest butterfly
A Himalayan butterfly named Golden Birdwing is India’s largest, a record an unknown specimen had held for 88 years.
With a wingspan of 194 mm, the female of the species is marginally larger than the Southern Birdwing (190 mm) that Brigadier William Harry Evans, a British military officer and lepidopterist, had recorded in 1932.
The hitherto largest Indian butterfly that Brigadier Evans recorded in 1932 was an individual of the Southern Birdwing (Troidesminos), which was then treated as a subspecies of the Common Birdwing.
While the female Golden Birdwing was recorded from Didihat in Uttarakhand, the largest male was from the Wankhar Butterfly Museum in Meghalaya capital Shillong.
India good example in solar auctions amidst pandemic, say UN Secretary General
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said that as the world designs and implements Covid-19 recovery plans, it should invest in a better, more sustainable future.
Citing the case of India, he said at the International Energy Agency (IEA)’s Clean Energy Transition Summit that solar auctions have seen popularity amidst the height of the pandemic.
A growing number of coalitions of investors and real economy stakeholders are advocating for a recovery aligned with the goals of the Paris Agreement. Bailout support to sectors such as industry, aviation and shipping should be conditioned on alignment with the goals of the Paris Agreement.
Praising India, Antonio Guterres said that Solar auctions have seen popularity amidst the height of the pandemic. India serves as a good example.
IIT Hyderabad and Nvidia team up for AI research centre
Nvidia unveiled ‘The Nvidia AI Technology Centre ‘, a technology centre at the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad that will accelerate research in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its commercial adoption.
The collaboration between IIT Hyderabad and Nvidia will focus on advancing AI research in the areas of agriculture and smart cities, besides language understanding.
The projects in the area of increasing crop yield using AI algorithms, applying AI-based solutions to support safer transportation systems and better ways of managing traffic, will be taken up.
FACTFILE – Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad
The Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IITH) is a public technical and research university located in Sangareddy district of Telangana, India.
It is known for its academic strength, research, publications and proximity to IT and industrial hubs.
IITH was founded in 2008, among the eight young Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).
It was ranked 201st in Asia by the QS World University Rankings in 2020 and 94 among BRICS nations in 2019. Ranks in the range of 601-650 in the World.
In India, IIT Hyderabad was ranked 8 among engineering institutes by the National Institutional Ranking Framework in 2020 and 17 overall.
AIIB released $50 million loan to L&T Infra Finance for Renewable Energy
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has released $50 million in the first tranche of assistance to L&T Infrastructure Finance Ltd for funding Renewable Energy projects in India.
AIIB invests in sustainable infrastructure, has sanctioned total $100 million loan to unit of L&T Finance Holdings. This is it’s first loan to an Indian non-banking financial company (NBFC).
AIIB provide loans for operational infrastructure projects of which majority are backed by tripartite agreements, government guarantee and support from government.
FACTFILE – Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) is a multilateral development bank that aims to support the building of infrastructure in the Asia-Pacific region.
It has 82 members as well as 20 prospective members from around the world.
AIIB started operation after the agreement entered into force on 25 December 2015, with initial capital base of $100 billion, which is 2⁄3 of the capital of the Asian Development Bank and about half that of the World Bank.
The bank received the highest credit ratings from the three biggest rating agencies in the world, and is perceived as a potential rival to the World Bank, ADB and IMF.
July 11, 2020
Central Govt to set up Bamboo Industrial Park in Dima Hasao
The Central government has decided to set up the first Bamboo Industrial Park in the Northeast in Dima Hasao district of Assam for tapping the immense potential of bamboo sector of the locality.
The park on completion will cover an area of 75 hectares, would contribute to the overall economic development of the State apart from developing the bamboo-based industries.
The Bamboo Industrial Park would immensely benefit the bamboo growers of the State which has come close on the heels of Assam Govt’s Bamboo and Cane Policy.
DoNER ministry has taken at the initiative for setting up this Bamboo Industrial Park.
T-Hub partners MeitYto mentor hardware startups in India
Hyderabad-based global start-up catalyst T-Hub announced a partnership with the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to lead Digital India’s Scale Up programme for hardware and Internet of Things (IoT) startups.
As many as 15 startups with leading-edge solutions in mobility, energy, agriculture, aerospace, manufacturing, consumer, healthtech, medtech, smart cities and logistics and supply chain sectors will be shortlisted for the programme.
The startups will go through regular interventions through bootcamps and dedicated mentoring organised by T-Hub. The startups will get exposure to design/enhance their hardware.
They will receive mentorship in areas such as pricing, go-to-market strategies, fund raising, and will also receive equity-free grants.
BDL signs contract for licence & Technology Transfer of Akash Missile with DRDO
Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) has signed a licence agreement and transfer of technology of Akash Missile Weapon System with Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
FACTFILE – Akash Missile Weapon System (AKASH)
Akash is a medium-range mobile surface-to-air missile defense system developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and produced by Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) for Missile Systems, Bharat Electronics (BEL), Tata Power Strategic Engineering Division and L&T for other radars, control centers, launcher systems in India.
It can target aircraft up to 30 km away, at altitudes up to 18,000 m and has the capability to neutralize aerial targets like fighter jets, cruise missiles and air-to-surface missiles as well as ballistic missiles.
FACTFILE – Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL)
Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) was founded in 1970 to be a manufacturing base for guided weapon systems.
It is one of India’s manufacturers of ammunitions and missile systems. It in Hyderabad, Telangana, India.
BDL began by producing a first generation anti-tank guided missile – the French SS11B1. This product was a culmination of a licence agreement the Government of India entered into with Aerospatiale.
Injeti Srinivas appointed as Chairman of International Financial Services Centre Authority (IFSCA)
IAS officer Injeti Srinivas has been appointed as the first chairman of the International Financial Services Centre Authority (IFSCA) for the Gandhinagar-based Financial Special Economic Zone, popularly known as Gujarat International Finance Tech (GIFT) City.
Injeti Srinivas is a 1983 batch IAS officer from the Odisha cadre and served at the corporate affairs ministry for nearly three years. He has also served as secretary, department of sports, and as Director General of SAI.
The main function of the IFSCA is to regulate financial products such as securities, deposits or contracts of insurance, financial services, and financial institutions that have been previously approved by any appropriate regulator in an IFSC.
FACTFILE – International Financial Services Centre Authority (IFSCA)
Indian government has established International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) to regulate all financial services in International Financial Services Centres (IFSCs) with headquarters in Gandhinagar.
IFSCA will regulate financial products such as securities, deposits or contracts of insurance, financial services, and financial institutions which have been previously approved by any appropriate regulator such as RBI, the SEBI etc., in an IFSC.
It will also regulate any other financial products/services/institutions in an IFSC.
It will consist of nine members, appointed by the central government, including the Chairperson of IFSCA, a member each from the RBI, SEBI, IRDAI, and PFRDA; and two members from the Ministry of Finance and two other members will be appointed on the recommendation of a Selection Committee.
Unification of regulatory activities under one authority will be of immense benefit and would accelerate the development of India’s first IFSC at GIFT City, Gandhinagar.
Odisha Govt launches Bhubaneshwar Land Use Intelligence System
Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik launched BLUIS (Bhubaneswar Land Use Intelligence System), the flagship development of General Administration and Public Grievances Departments.
Under the initiative, a web and mobile-based solution has been developed to monitor changes in all government lands in Bhubaneswar by leveraging high-resolution satellite imagery.
BLUIS is a geo-tagged repository of all the government lands in Bhubaneswar, created through high-resolution satellite imagery to detect all changes taking place on government lands.
Odisha became the first state in the country to tap space technology and artificial intelligence for safeguarding government lands.
The mobile app also enables crowdsourcing cases of unauthorised land use and can also be used by citizens to report any unauthorised development taking place over geo-tagged government lands. This will check the menace of encroachments of public lands.
The Centre has released the fourth tranche of the Post Devolution Revenue Deficit Grant equated monthly instalment amounting Rs 6,195 crore Assam and other 13 states.
The Centre released advance payments of over Rs 631 crore to Assam.
Other states which received the grant were Kerala (Rs 1,276 crore), Himachal Pradesh (Rs 952 crore), Punjab (Rs 638 crore), Andhra Pradesh (Rs 491 crore), Uttarakhand (Rs 423 crore) and West Bengal (Rs 417 crore).
As per the recommendation of the 15th Finance Commission, equal instalments of the grant have been issued by the Centre to the states since April 2020.
The grant will assist the states to take preventive and mitigation measures for containment of the COVID-19 and these funds can be used to cover the cost of consumables, and purchase of personal protection equipment (PPE) for healthcare, municipal, police and fire authorities, besides purchase of medical equipments.
Biosafety level two lab unveiled in Chikkaballapura, Karnataka
Karnataka Medical Education Minister K. Sudhakar inaugurated a biosafety level two dedicated Covid and Virology lab in Chikkaballapura, Karnataka. The state-of-the-art lab is temperature controlled and complete clean air lab with fully automated machine for autolysis with RNA extraction.
It has contamination free passage for samples through ultra violet pass boxes without the need for human movement.
Bio-medical waste disposal from the lab is also carried through contamination free ISO – 8 classification process.
Flipkart signs MoU with Karnataka to promote local art and craft
Flipkart has signed an MoU with Karnataka Govt’s MSME and Mines Department to promote the states arts, crafts and handloom sectors by bringing them on to e-commerce and providing market access, under it’s Samarth programme.
The partnership will enable Karnataka’s local artisans, weavers and craftsmen to showcase their hallmark products to a pan-India customer base.
Both the parties will focus on creating avenues to increase business and trade inclusion opportunities for these underserved segments of the society.
Manipur’s Gyanendro Ningombam elected as new President of Hockey India
Gyanendra Ningombam has been elected unanimously as Hony President of Hockey India. Gyanendra is a resident of Imphal East district, the septuagenarian Hockey lover has long been associated with Hockey promotion in Manipur for the last four decades.
He is instrumental in producing eminent international class hockey players from the state. He also served as General secretary of the earstwhile Manipur Hockey Association, and presently Senior Vice president of Manipur Hockey and also of Hockey India.
Indian battalion wins UNIFIL environment award
An Indian battalion stationed with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has won an environment award for a project that aims to decrease waste generation, reuse plastic and build green houses.
UNIFIL’s Indian Battalion was adjudged first for a project that seeks to increase awareness and decrease waste generation by planting seedlings in their positions and areas of responsibility and reducing wastage.
Other UNIFIL units that received awards and recognitions included French-led Force Commander’s Reserve, Indonesian Battalion, Republic of Korea Battalion and Italian Battalion.
The awards commend individuals, UN positions, contingents, sections and units that have demonstrated leadership, innovation or exceptional activities in protecting the environment.
July 13, 2020
‘Ypthimawatsoni’ butterfly discovered in Tripura
A team of wildlife researchers has rediscovered ‘Ypthimawatsoni’ butterfly commonly known as ‘Looped three-ring’ after 61 years near a village in Jampui Hills under the North Tripura district of Tripura.
Researchers constantly survey the butterflies in North-East India to document current populations, distributions, and status of butterflies for the past five years.
Looped Three-ring Ypthimawatsoni, 1893 belonging to subfamily Styrene and family Nymphalidae of insect order Lepidoptera has not been recorded for approximately 61 years since it was last seen in the year 1958 in Manipur.
This rediscovery is also important in the context of updating the status and distribution of the butterfly fauna for Tripura.
United States remains India’s top trading partner in 2019-20
The US remained India’s top trading partner for the second consecutive fiscal in 2019-20, which shows increasing economic ties between the two countries.
In 2019-20, the bilateral trade between the US and India stood at $88.75 billion as against $87.96 billion in 2018-19.
The trade gap between the countries has increased to $17.42 billion in 2019-20 from $16.86 billion in 2018-19.
China was India’s top trading partner from 2013-14 to 2017-18. But in 2018-19, the US first surpassed China to become India’s top trading partner.
The bilateral trade between India and China has dipped to $81.87 billion in 2019-20 from $87.08 billion in 2018-19 and the trade deficit between the two has declined to $48.66 billion in 2019-20 from $53.57 billion in the 2018-19.
IIIT Delhi develops AI model to repurpose existing drugs to treat Covid cases
The Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology (IIIT-Delhi) has developed an Artificial Intelligence (AI) model for drug repositioning in the treatment of Covid-19.
Instead of manually going through available drug and checking its effectiveness against Covid-19 one, using AI to speed things up and find the drugs which have the highest probability of success against the disease.
The AI model computes the similarity between the chemical structures of the drugs and the similarity between the genomic structures of existing viruses and the novel Coronavirus.
The model analyse the historical information about the efficacy of the drugs on different viruses; it selects chemical structurally similar drugs that have been successful in treating viruses that have a genomic structure close to that of the novel Coronavirus.
Russia 1st nation to finish human trials for Covid-19 vaccine
Russia became the first nation to complete clinical trials of Covid-19 vaccine on humans, and the results have proven the medication’s effectiveness.
Russia had allowed clinical trials of two forms of a potential Covid-19 vaccine developed by the Gamaleya National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology.
The first vaccine, in the form of a solution for intramuscular administration, was carried out at the Burdenko Military Hospital and other vaccine, in the form of a powder for the preparation of a solution for intramuscular administration, was carried out at Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University.
Microsoft joins Google to create new generation of web apps
Microsoft’s PWABuilder and Google’sBubblewrap have joined hands to help web developers get their Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) into the Play Store.
Progressive web apps use emerging web browser APIs and features, along with traditional progressive enhancement strategy, to bring a native app-like user experience to cross-platform web applications.
com is Microsoft’s open source developer tool that helps build high-quality PWAs and publish them in app stores.
Google’s Bubblewrap is command line utility and library to generate and sign Google Play Store packages from Progressive Web Apps.
Arunachal Pradesh filmmaker Kezang D Thongdok bagged the Dada Saheb Phalke Award 2020
Kezang D Thongdok, an independent filmmaker, documented the process of honey hunting has bagged the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award 2020.
Thongdok’s short documentary ‘Chi Lupo’ artfully sketches the custom of honey hunting practised in the Shertukpen community wherein ‘Chi’ means honey and ‘Lupo’ means hunters
Thongdok’s attempt to depict and preserve the age-old tradition of honey hunting amongst the Shertukpens bagged him the prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke Award this year.
Govt to curb import dependence of APIs/medical devices
As part of efforts to make India self-sufficient in manufacturing bulk drugs or APIs, the Govt of India’s Department of Pharmaceuticals is finalising guidelines for selecting locations of three bulk drug parks and four medical devices parks.
Currently, India imports more than 70 per cent of its API or bulk drug needs, largely from countries such as China.
The guideline will become the basis for selection of developers for this prestigious project which is part of government’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat mission.
The guidelines which will form basis for objectively selecting locations of upcoming three bulk drugs parks and four medical devices parks in the country.
In order to encourage domestic production of critical APIs and medical devices, the Union Cabinet had recenlty approved a scheme for development of three bulk drugs and four medical devices parks in which the Centre will extend Grants-in-Aid to states with a maximum limit of Rs 1,000 crore per bulk drug park and Rs 100 crore per medical device parks.
Govt has also announced a production linked incentive scheme for promoting domestic manufacturing of key critical starting materials/drug intermediates & APIs and medical devices.
Google’s Rs 75,000 crore boost for digitisation in India
Sundar Pichai, Google CEO, announced a Google for India digitisation fund through which, the company will invest Rs 75,000 crore or approximately $10 billion over the next five to seven years to help India go digital.
The investment will focus on four areas important to India’s digitisation:
By enabling affordable access to information to every Indian in their own language.
By building new products and services that are deeply relevant to India’s specific needs.
By empowering businesses to continue or embark on digital transformation.
By leveraging technology and Artificial Intelligence for social good in areas like health, agriculture and education.
India becomes second-largest foreign investor in the UK
India invested in 120 projects and created more than 5000 new jobs in the UK to become the second-largest source of foreign direct investment (FDI) after the US in 2019.
The US remains the number one source of FDI for the UK, delivering 462 projects, followed by India, Germany, France and China and Hong Kong.
The Department for International Trade inward investment statistics for 2019-2020 found India moving up from its previous third-largest spot, representing an overall 4 per cent FDI increase for the UK on 2018-2019 with 1,852 new inward investment projects in the 2019/2020 financial year.
DRDO develops software tool for tracking Covid patients in quarantine
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed a software tool for enforcement of quarantine, which will be implemented in partnership with the Telangana Information Technology Association (TITA), an industry body of software professionals.
Both the organisations signed an agreement to implement the automated management of the software. The pilot for the implementation is likely to begin soon.
The DRDO has devised Smart Automated Management of Patients and Risks for Covid-19 (SAMPARC), an intelligent software for enforcement of quarantine or isolation.
The software tool will be a handy tool for law enforcement and health officials, as it would enable intelligent automated tracking of those in quarantine or isolation.
It will also generate alerts if there are violations or wilful suppression of movement details. This is expected to reduce the tracking workload of law enforcement or health officials.
The online pact was signed by Dr Rituraj Kumar, Scientist G, Centre for AI & Robotics (CAIR) of the DRDO and Sundeep Kumar Makthala, Global President, TITA.
The SAMPARC solution can be deployed as a national service by the National Informatics Centre (NIC), or can be distributed as a state-wise or region-wise service.
Relying on the information provided by the police and health officials, it allows geofencing, face recognition, display of data on map.
The rollout of the solution involves no cost to the patient and local authority needs to position only a suitable computer and the software is based on a combination of open-source software.
Details of the patient including name, cell phone number, IMEI of the phone, coordinates of the quarantine location, duration of quarantine, email id and optionally photographs of the patient for AI-based face detection.
The app has to be installed on the patient”s smartphone which would automatically send a protected message to the Covid server every 10 minutes. The app would run as a background service that would automatically restart even if the phone reboots.
Based on the requirements of the authorities, the patient will be able to send selfies taken through the SAMPARC app to the server for automated AI based face recognition.
Lee Hsien Loong won fourth term as Prime Minister of Singapore
Lee Hsien Loong has become the Prime Minister of Singapore after the People’s Action Party won the recently held General Elections. With this, Lee Hsien Loong has won a fourth term as the PM of Singapore.
The People’s Action Party (PAP) have won 83 seats out of the total 93 seats contested in the Election by securing 61.24 per cent of the total valid votes.
BIOGRAPHY – Lee Hsien Loong
Lee Hsien Loong is a Singaporean politician who has served as the 3rd Prime Minister of Singapore since August 2004. Lee is the eldest son of the 1st Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew.
He led the People’s Action Party to victory in the 2006, 2011, 2015 and 2020 general elections.
Lee graduated from Trinity College, Cambridge University and later earned a Master of Public Administration at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.
NTPC Limited wins CII-ITC Sustainability Award 2019
National Thermal Power Corporation has won the prestigious CII-ITC Sustainability Award 2019, under Outstanding Accomplishment in Corporate Excellence Category. It has also received Commendation for Significant Achievement in the category of CSR.
NTPCs flagship CSR program Girl Empowerment Mission, a four weeks residential program has been institutionalized in the vicinity of its power stations for the benefit of school going girls to support in their overall development.
India’s 2018 Tiger census sets new Guinness World Record
The fourth cycle of the All India Tiger Estimation 2018 has entered the Guinness World Record for being the world’s largest camera trap wildlife survey.
The country now has an estimated 2967 tigers as per the latest census, which makes India home to nearly 75 percent of the global tiger population and has already fulfilled its resolve of doubling tiger numbers, well ahead of the target year of 2022.
The fourth iteration of the survey – conducted in 2018-19 – was the most comprehensive to date, in terms of both resource and data amassed. Camera traps were placed in 26,838 locations across 141 different sites and surveyed an effective area of 1 lakh 21 thousand 337 square kilometres.
Atal Innovation Mission launches app development module for school students
NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission has launched the ATL App Development Module for school children across the country.
Through six project-based learning modules and online mentoring sessions, young innovators can learn to build mobile apps in various Indian languages.
To build capacities and acumen for app development within school teachers, periodic Teacher Training sessions will be conducted on the AIM App Development course.
NITI Aayog is now bringing the skills of app development to the young tinkerers of Atal Tinkering Labs across the country so that they can integrate their Tinkering Lab innovations with mobile apps enhancing the usability and reach of their innovations.
Assam governmentprohibits use of spiked bits on horses
The Assam government has banned the use of spiked bits or yokes with spikes on horses, by enforcing a prohibition under the cruelty provisions to the Drought and Pack Animals Rules, 1965.
This order was issued recently by Assam’s Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department Secretary Devajyoti Hazarika following a complaint by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA-India).
PETA India had launched a nationwide campaign in 2019 based on the outcome of a multi-state survey of government efforts to impose a ban on using spiked bits on horses.
Other states like Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, Delhi, Karnataka, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh have already issued orders enforcing these prohibitions.
India ranked 117th in SDG Index 2020
India is ranked at 117th position with a score of 92and is also facing major challenges in 10 of the 17 SDGs including zero hunger, good health, gender inequality among others.
The index has been topped by Sweden with score of 84.72, Denmark scored 84.56, Finland scored 83.77.
The 2020 report has reviewed the performance of 193 UN Member States out of which 166 were ranked under SDG index 2020.
The report identifies five key measures that global cooperation should include:
Disseminate best practices rapidly;
strengthen financing mechanisms for developing countries;
Address hunger hotspots;
Ensure social protection;
Promote new drugs and vaccines.
Since its launch in 2016, the report provides the most up-to-date data to track and review the performance of all 193 UN member states on the 17 SDGs.
HDFC Bank launches ”e-KisaanDhan” app for farmers
HDFC Bank launched ”e-KisaanDhan” mobile app for farmers across India to access various agricultural and banking services.
The Mobile App, which serves as a repository of knowledge and information for any individual engaged in farming, helps meet needs of the rural ecosystem.
This will also provide value-added services, like mandi prices, latest farming news, weather forecast, information on seed varieties, SMS advisory, e-pashuhaat, multiple banking services, like procuring loans, opening bank accounts, insurance facilities, online calculation of KCC loan eligibility.
This app is a part of the bank’s ”HarGaonHamara” initiative to reach out to customers in the rural and under-served areas.
World Bank offers $750 million loan for India’s MSMEs
The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors has approved a $750 million MSME Emergency Response program to support increased flow of finance into the hands of India’s micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
The MSME Emergency Response program will address the immediate liquidity and credit needs of 15 lakh MSMEs to help them withstand the impact of the current shock and protect jobs.
The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) loan of $750 million has a maturity of 19 years including a 5-year grace period.
This program will support the government’s efforts to channel liquidity to the MSME sector by de-risking lending from banks and NBFCs to MSMEs through a range of instruments, including credit guarantees.
The World Bank has so far committed $2.75 billion to support India’s emergency COVID-19 response.
Uniform stamp duty on securities market instruments from July 1
The amendments in the Indian Stamp Act, 1899, to bring about uniformity of the stamp duty on securities across states will come into effect from July 1, 2020.
Central Govt has created the legal and institutional mechanism to enable states to collect stamp duty on securities market instruments at one place by one agency, through the stock exchange or clearing corporation authorised by it or by the depository on one instrument.
The amendment will improve the ease of doing business and bring in uniformity of the stamp duty on securities across states, which can help building a pan-India securities market.
Stock exchanges will now collect stamp duty for trading in securities at a unified rate from July 1 and deposit the proceeds with the Centre, which will then divide it among states where the trade took place.
At present, market participants collect stamp duty at rates fixed by the state where the trade takes place. This created a complex system with multiple tax rates and differing regulations in different states, posing a challenge to settle deals.
Under the new provisions, stock exchanges/clearing agencies would collect duty on securities transactions and deposit it with the centre, for off market transactions platform, the depositories would collect stamp duties.
This centralised collection mechanism is expected to ensure minimise cost of collection and enhance revenue productivity. It will help develop equity markets and equity culture across the length and breadth of the country, ushering in balanced regional development.
Microsoft collaborate withAccenture to nurture B2B startups in India
Microsoft announced to collaborate with global professional services company Accenture to host the third edition of the Accenture Ventures Challenge for B2B startups in India.
It will recognise startups in India in four categories: supply chain resilience, channel shift to digital commerce, systems resilience and responsible technology.
Microsoft, in February 2020, launched the “100X100X100” programme to bring 100 companies to commit $100,000 each for enterprise-ready solutions from 100 business-to-business (B2B) startups in the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) space in India over the course of 18 months.
Accenture Ventures Challenge identifies the best B2B tech startups to develop solutions for real-world challenges faced by businesses. Its’ 2020 edition will identify 12 innovative startups that are helping to address the business and human impact of COVID-19.
The winner in each category will be given an opportunity to join the Accenture Ventures Open Innovation partner programme and co-create solutions for Accenture clients around the world.
July 02, 2020
Assam Govt decided to upgrade Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary into National Park
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal announced that the state government has decided to upgrade the DehingPatkai Wildlife Sanctuary, which is home to a vast variety of flora and fauna, into a national park.
FACTFILE – Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary
Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary is located in the Dibrugarh and Tinsukia Districts of Assam and covers an area of 111.19 km2 rainforest.
It was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 2004.
The Dehing Patkai forms the largest stretch of lowland rainforests in India.
The Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary and a part of Dehing Patkai Rainforest, due to their importance for elephant habitat, were declared as Dehing-Patkai Elephant Reserve under Project Elephant.
Railways to invite private players for passenger train operations
Indian Railway has invited request for qualifications for private participation for passenger train operations on 109 pairs of routes through 151 modern trains.
Railway ministry plans to allow private entities to operate passenger trains. The project would entail private sector investment of about Rs 30,000 crore.
The private investment for running passenger trains over Indian Railways network
began last year with the introduction of Lucknow-Delhi Tejas Express by Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC).
The objective of this initiative is to introduce modern technology rolling stock with reduced maintenance, reduced transit time, boost job creation, provide enhanced safety, provide world class travel experience to passengers.
The 109 (origin-destination) pairs of trains have been formed into 12 clusters across the Indian Railway network. The private entity shall be responsible for financing, procuring, operation and maintenance of the trains. Trains shall be designed for a maximum speed of 160 kmph and should reduce journey time.
Indian Institute of Technology Kanpurdevelops new micro porous film
Researcher Dr Tushar Deshpande of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur, has developed an elastomeric film that has multiple uses. The film can be used as a bandage to prevent a wound from getting infected. It will also speed up healing by aiding tissue building around the wound, by allows air to pass but no virus.
Deshpande said the film can also separate petrol from water. The film doesn’t absorb any liquid and has been made with polydis methyl siloxin, ethyl acetated and water and its thickness is 150 microns.”
It could also be used in making personal protection equipment (PPE) kits to prevent coronavirus infection. The film will also be effective in making tissues of other organs, including heart, liver and brain.
Delhi CM Kejriwal announces India’s first Coronavirus plasma bank in Delhi
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced the first plasma bank in the country for the novel coronavirus patients in the city and urged the Covid survivors to come forward and donate plasma to save lives. He also launched the helpline number to register names for plasma donation.
The patients who were treated from Covid-19 and have completed 14 days after their treatment are eligible for donating plasma. They must be between 18 and 60 age groups, must have weight more than 50 kg.
AAI inks MoA with Cachar District for financial assistance to Cacahr Cancer Hospital
The Cachar District Adminstration and authorities of Airports Authority of India (AAI) Silchar airport signed an Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) for providing financial assistance for procurement of ambulance for Cachar Cancer Hospital & Research Centre, Silchar amounting to Rs 13 Lakh.
The MoA was signed by Cachar Deputy Commissioner Keerthi Jalli and Silchar Airport Director PK Gorai.
As a part of the CSR initiative, the Airport Authority of India will support the project by providing financial assistance for procurement of sophisticated ambulance for the cancer hospital.
World Bank approves $500 million project STARS to better education quality in 6 Indian states
The World Bank board of executives has approved a new project worth $500 million to improve learning outcome and governance of government schools in six Indian states.
The project STARS (Strengthening Teaching-Learning and Results for States Program) will be implemented through the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan in partnership with Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha and Rajasthan.
STARS will help improve learning assessment systems, strengthen classroom instruction, and remediation, facilitate school-to-work transition, and strengthen governance and decentralized management.
The STARS program builds on the long partnership between India and the World Bank, since 1994, for strengthening public school education and to support the country’s goal of providing ‘Education for All’.
The program will support individualized, needs-based training for teachers that will give them an opportunity to have a say in shaping training programs and making them relevant to their teaching needs.
India, World Bank sign loan agreements for housing sector in Tamil Nadu
The Govt of India, state Govt of Tamil Nadu and the World Bank signed legal agreements to help low-income groups in the state of Tamil Nadu get access to affordable housing.
The loan agreements were signed for two projects:
The $200 million First Tamil Nadu Housing Sector Strengthening Programme supports the government’s ongoing efforts to increase the availability of affordable housing by gradually shifting the role of the state from being the main provider to an enabler.
It aim to unlock regulatory barriers and incentivise private sector participation in affordable housing for low-income families.
$50 million Tamil Nadu Housing and Habitat Development Project is also approved to support innovations in housing finance and strengthen housing sector institutions in the state. It will finance the newly created Tamil Nadu Shelter Fund (TNSF) – an innovation in housing finance in India.
These loans from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) have a maturity of 20 years including a grace period of 5 years.
Former RBI Governor C. Rangarajan gets Mahalanobis award
Former Reserve Bank of India Governor C. Rangarajan has been conferred the P.C. Mahalanobis Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his contribution to official statistics, on the occasion of Statistics Day on June 29.
Rangarajan had also held the posts of Chairman, Financial Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, and Chairman, Madras Faculty of Economics.
BIOGRAPHY – Chakravarthi Rangarajan
Chakravarthi Rangarajan is an Indian economist and 19th Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
He is the former Chairman of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council, he resigned the day the UPA lost power. He is also the Chairman of the Madras School of Economics; former President of the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI).
He served as the Governor of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Tamil Nadu.
He was also the chairman of the Twelfth Finance Commission.
In 2002, the Government of India awarded him the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second highest civilian award.
To maintain the academic regularity of students during the Corona crisis, the State Education Center has prepared a ‘HamaraGhar-HamaraVidyalaya’ means My Home-My school scheme, in which children will be taught at home in a school-like environment.
Under the scheme, the school bells are going to be heard within the student’s house and the teachers will begin the class of the students after the bell. It provides a school-like environment for the children taught at their home through online classes.
Two new species of butterfly ‘Striped Hairstreak and Elusive Prince’ discoved in Arunachal Pradesh
Lepidopterists have discovered two new species of butterfly, namely the Striped Hairstreak and Elusive Prince, in Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh
The Striped Hairstreak, was first recorded by Japanese entomologists in Hainan province of China. And the Elusive Prince, has a Vietnamese connection and was thought to be the more familiar Black Prince found in the Eastern Himalayas.
The findings from Arunachal Pradesh indicate the rich biodiversity of the State. India now has 1,327 species, up from 1,318 in 2015
The Striped Hairstreak (Yamamotozephyruskwangtugenesis) was located in Vijaynagar bordering Myanmar while the Elusive Prince was found in Miao on the periphery of the Namdapha National Park.
Delhi launches remote teaching-learning activities and LEAD portal
Delhi Education Minister Manish Sisodia announced the commencement of remote teaching-learning activities for students of city government schools.
The Directorate of Education has devised an alternate teaching-learning plan to reduce the academic loss of students in classes KG to XII of all government and aided schools in Delhi.
A plan of action in this regard has been worked out for the students through a combination of strategies using digital devices and support of the parents and the school managements.
Apart from these regular teaching-learning activities, additional optional online teaching-learning activities will be added from time to time to enhance the learning activities of the students.
Delhi Deputy Chief also launched a comprehensive e-learning portal called LEAD (Learning through E-Resources Made Accessible for Delhi)— which has more than 10,000 instructional materials and course content for school students.
Through LEAD, students will have access to textbooks, study material and course content as per the syllabus of the CBSE, NCERT and the Delhi government’s curriculum.
Global e-waste increased by 21% in five years, says UN
As per the UN’s Global E-waste Monitor 2020, a record 53.6 million metric tonnes of electronic waste was generated worldwide in 2019, up 21 per cent in just five years.
The prediction of global e-waste (defined as any discarded products with a battery or plug) will reach 74 Mt by 2030, almost a doubling of e-waste in just 16 years.
e-waste became world’s fastest-growing domestic waste stream, fuelled mainly by higher consumption rates of electric and electronic equipment, short life cycles, and few options for repair.
Region wise: Asia generated the greatest volume of e-waste in 2019, some 24.9 million metric tonnes, followed by the Americas (13.1 million metric tonnes) and Europe (12 million metric tonnes), while Africa and Oceania generated 2.9 million metric tonnes and 0.7 million metric tonnes respectively.
Only 17.4 per cent of 2019’s e-waste was collected and recycled.
E-waste is a health and environmental hazard, containing toxic additives and substances such as mercury, which damages the human brain and/or coordination system.
FACTFILE – The Global E-waste Monitor 2020
The Global E-waste Monitor 2020 is a collaborative product of the Global E-waste Statistics Partnership (GESP), formed by UN University, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and the International Solid Waste Association, in collaboration with the UN Environment Programme.
Railways runs longest train ”SheshNaag” of 2.8-km length
The Indian Railways broke its own record of the longest train ever to run on Indian Railways, by operating ”SheshNaag”, a 2.8-km-long freight train. The South East Central Railway in Nagpur division attached long haul freight train consisting of four BOXN that is 251 wagons hauled by four electric locomotives.
The train had three rakes of 58 wagons and one rake of 59 wagons.
The whole train got the power of the four railway locomotives as a result. With this formation, Indian Railways will be able to save time required for the movement of freight trains in the Indian Railways network.
Bharti Airtel’s Ajai Puri appointed new Chairman of COAI
The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) announced the appointment of Ajai Puri, Chief Operating Officer (India and South Asia), Bharti Airtel as its Chairman for the year 2020-21.
Pramod Kumar Mittal, President, Reliance JioInfocomm, will be the Vice Chairman of the Association.
Ajai Puri has been with Bharti Airtel since 2004, and has held several senior leadership positions including Director for Market Operations and Director and CEO, DTH.
Indra Mani Pandey appointed India’s Permanent Representative to UN
Indra Mani Pandey has been appointed as India’s next Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other international organisations in Geneva.
Indra Mani Pandey, a 1990-batch Indian Foreign Service officer, is currently serving as an additional secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
Before, Pandey served in Indian missions in Damascus, Cairo, Islamabad, Kabul, Muscat and Geneva.
He also served as joint secretary in the Disarmament and International Security Affairs division of the MEA.
Giriraj Singh launches the first edition of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Newsletter “Matsya Sampada”
Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Shri Giriraj Singh launched the first edition of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Newsletter “MATSYA SAMPADA”. It would be published on a quarterly basis.
Published by the Department of Fisheries, Ministry for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Government of India and the Operational Guidelines of the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY).
The Newsletter is an outcome of the endeavours of the Department of Fisheries to reach out to the stakeholders especially fishers and fish farmers through various means of communication, and to inform and educate them about the latest developments in the fisheries and aquaculture sector.
Fitch slashes India’s growth projection from 9.5% to 8% for FY22
Fitch Ratings cut India’s growth forecast for 2021-22 fiscal to 8 per cent from 9.5 per cent projected last month. Though it retained projection of Indian economy contracting by 5 per cent in the current fiscal.
Indian economic growth stood at an estimated 4.2 per cent in 2019-20. Earlier, Fitch projected Indian economy to grow 5.5 per cent in 2022-23.
S&P has forecast a 5 per cent contraction in the current fiscal year and the growth to recover to 8.5 per cent next fiscal.
Moody’s predicts India’s real GDP to contract by 4 per cent in fiscal 2020 due to the shock from the coronavirus pandemic and related lockdown measures, followed by 8.7 per cent growth in fiscal 2021.
July 04, 2020
Andhra Pradesh govt Launches Corporation for Outsourced Services
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy launched the Andhra Pradesh Corporation for Outsourced Services (APCOS) to recruit employees for various government departments in the state.
The establishment of a separate department is expected to eliminate contractors and middlemen who used to control outsourcing for government services.
The move is part of the reforms undertaken by the state government to usher transparency in governance.
APCOS will handle processes such as recruitment and salaries, including the ESI and PF benefits. It will hand over 50,449 appointment letters to the employees working in various departments across Andhra Pradesh.
ICMR to launch 1st indigenous Covid vaccine by August 15
The Indian council of Medical Research (ICMR) plans to launch indigenous vaccine for COVID-19 by August 15 after the completion of the clinical trials. It has selected 13 institutions across the country for clinical trials and asked them to initiate subject enrollment by July 7.
ICMR Director General Balram Bhargava informed the selected institutions that it has partnered with Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL) to fast-track clinical trials of the indigenous COVID-19 vaccine (BBV152 COVID vaccine).
The vaccine is being derived from a strain of SARS-CoV-2 isolated by ICMR-National Institute of Virology, Pune.
Institutions involved in vaccine trials include Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS), Hyderabad, King George Hospital, Visakhapatnam, University of Health Sciences, Rohtak, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi and AIIMS Patna.
RBI announces special liquidity scheme for NBFCs and HFCs
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said the government of India has approved a scheme to improve the liquidity position of NBFCs/HFCs through a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to avoid any potential systemic risks to the financial sector.
To be eligible under the scheme, RBI laid out the conditions:
The Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFCs), including Microfinance Institutions that are registered with the RBI, under the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934, excluding those registered as Core Investment Companies.
Housing Finance Companies that are registered under the National Housing Bank Act, 1987.
CRAR/CAR of NBFCs/HFCs should not be below the regulatory minimum, i.e., 15% and 12% respectively as on March 31, 2019.
The net non-performing assets should not be more than 6% as on March 31, 2019.
They should have made net profit in at least one of the last two preceding financial years (i.e. 2017-18 and 2018-19)
They should not have been reported under SMA-1 or SMA-2 category by any bank for their borrowings during last one year prior to August 01, 2018.
They should be rated investment grade by a SEBI registered rating agency.
They should comply with the requirement of the SPV for an appropriate level of collateral from the entity, which, however, would be optional and to be decided by the SPV.
SBICAP has set up a SPV (SLS Trust) to manage this operation.
India-Bangladesh form 50:50 Joint Venture (JV) for LPG business in Bangladesh
India and Bangladesh signed an agreement for the formation of a 50:50 Joint Venture Company for LPG business in Bangladesh.
The agreement was signed between the IOC Middle East FZE, Dubai, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) and RR Holdings Ltd., Ras Al Khaimah, UAE, the holding company of Beximco LPG of Bangladesh.
The Joint Venture will help reduce the cost of imprt of LPG and make it more affordable for the consumers in Bangladesh. The LPG market in Bangladesh is fast expanding and the new project will draw upon the strengths of the Indian oil and Beximco in their respective areas.
The company plans to diversify into LPG export to the north eastern states of India from Bangladesh which will mutually benefit both the countries.
The new Joint venture company set up takes further the ‘neighbourhood first’ policy of the government of India. The energy cooperation between India and Bangladesh has made significant achievement in the recent years.
IIT Kanpur has developed a classroom-to-home teaching setup, named ‘Mobile Masterjee’, that can record the lectures by the teachers while using their available smart phones.
The product is lightweight and has adjustments to fit sheets and book on it for delivering instructions to the kids. The “Mobile Masterjee” can hold, position, and focus the whole recording setup, while making the online class a comfortable home environment.
PM launched the Digital India Aatma Nirbhar Bharat Innovate Challenge
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Digital India AatmaNirbhar Bharat Innovate Challenge to identify the best Indian apps, already being used by citizens and have the potential to scale up and become world class.
The Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology along with the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) have come up with this challenge, which will run in two tracks promotion of existing apps and development of new apps.
For the promotion of existing apps and platforms across the categories of e-learning, work-from-home, gaming, business, entertainment, office utilities and social networking, the government will provide mentoring, hand-holding and support.
India ranks 34th in Global Realty Transparency Index
India’s Global Real Estate Transparency Index ranking has improved by one rank to 34 on the back of regulatory reforms, better market data and green initiatives, according to property consultant JLL.
India was ranked 35th in the index during 2018 bi-annual survey, while the country was at 36th position in 2016 and 39th in 2014.
The United Kingdom ranks first in the list of 99 countries, followed by the United States, Australia, France, Canada, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Ireland, Sweden and Germany.
Top 10 countries are categorised as highly transparent, while those in the 11th position to 33rd are termed as transparent.
The INDIA rank of 34 is with higher levels of transparency observed due to regulatory reforms, enhanced market data and sustainability initiatives.
This improvement is led by structural reforms such as the Real Estate Regulation and Development Act 2016 (RERA), GST, Benami Transaction Prohibition (Amendment) Act, 2016, Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code and digitisation of land records have brought about greater transparency in what was an erstwhile largely unregulated sector a few years back.
Care Ratings forecasts Indian Economy to contract by 6.4%
Care Ratings revised India’s GDP growth forecast for the current financial year to – 6.4 per cent as economic activity continues to be under restriction due to the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.
Forecast for GDP growth is now -6.4 per cent for FY21 with GVA degrowth estimated to be around -6.1 per cen.
The sharper fall in real GDP also means that the nominal GDP for the year will also decline assuming inflation of 5 per cent which in turn will affect the projected fiscal deficit number of the central government which will be in the region of 8 per cent for FY21.
July 05, 2020
Government of India declares Nagaland as “Disturbed Area” for six more months
Union Govt declared the entire Nagaland as “disturbed area” for a further period of six months till December-end.
The Home Ministry notified that the area comprising the whole Nagaland is in such a disturbed and dangerous condition that the use of armed forces in aid of the civil power is necessary. Therefore, in exercise of the powers conferred by Section 3 of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (No.28 of 1958) the central government hereby declares that whole of the said State to be a ‘disturbed area’ for a period of six months with effect from 30th June, 2020 for the purpose of that Act.
Nagaland has been under the coverage of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) for almost six decades.
IIT Madras launches world’s first online BSc degree in Programming and Data Science
The Indian Institute of Technology Madras has launched the “world’s first” online BSc degree course in Programming and Data Science. The course will be open to anyone who has passed class 12 with English and Maths at class 10 level, and enrolled in any on-campus undergraduate course.
Even the current batch of students who are completing their class 12 are eligible to apply. Graduates and working professionals can also take up this programme.
The course will be offered in three different stages – Foundational Programme, Diploma Programme and Degree Programme. At each stage, students will have the freedom to exit from the programme and receive a certificate, diploma or a degree, respectively.
PM Modi dedicates Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Power project to nation
Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated to the nation the Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Power project, to the nation via video conference.
Prime Minister said the Rewa project will make the entire region a major hub for pure and clean energy in this decade. Madhya Pradesh would be the main centre of solar energy in India, as such major projects are in progress in Neemuch, Shajapur, Chattarpur and Omkareshwar.
Solar energy as one which is ”Sure, Pure & Secure”. Sure because of the continuous supply of energy from the Sun, pure as it is environment friendly and secure because it is a secure source for our energy needs.
FACTFILE – Rewa Ultra Mega Solar
Rewa Ultra Mega Solar is the first solar project in India to break the grid parity barrier. It is an operational ground mounted, grid-connected photovoltaic solar park spread over an area of 6.4 km2 in the Gurh tehsil of Rewa district of Madhya Pradesh.
The project was commissioned with 750 MW capacity in December 2019.
This Solar plant is India’s first solar project to get funding from Clean Technology Fund (CTF), which is available at a rate of 0.25% for a 40-year period, and from the World Bank.
India Ranked 31st in INFORM Risk Index 2020 for Humanitarian crises & Disasters
India has been ranked at 31st position with an inform risk of 5.4, means risk of humanitarian crises and disasters.
This report is produced by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN-OCHA) on behalf of all INFORM Partners. It is the first global, objective and transparent tool for understanding the risk of regions based upon crises and disasters.
The report considers the following while framing the index
Natural Factors: Tsunami, Earthquake, Drought, Flood, Epidemic and Tropical Cyclones;
Human Factors: Human Conflicts and conflict risks;
Socio-Economic factors: Inequality, vulnerable people, deprivation and aid dependency;
Institutional: DRR, Governance; Infrastructure: Communication, Physical infrastructure, Access to health system.
North Korea ranks among the most dangerous places to live as its people are exposed to high risks of natural disaster, poverty and social injustice.
Black Panther spotted in Karnataka’s Nagarhole Tiger Reserve
A forest range officer (FRO) in Karnataka’s Nagarhole Tiger Reserve (NTR) spotted a black panther. About half a dozen black panthers in Karnataka forests and one in Nagarhole.
NTR stretches between Kodagu and Mysuru districts and was a protected reserve from the time of the Wodeyar dynasty, rulers of the erstwhile kingdom of Mysuru.
FACTFILE – Nagarhole National Park
Nagarhole, which served as an exclusive hunting reserve of the Wodeyars, was made a wildlife sanctuary in 1955, covering an area of 284 square km – later stretched up to 643 square km.
Nagarhole National Park is a national park located in Kodagu district and Mysore district in Karnataka, India. It is one of India’s premier Tiger Reserves along with the adjoining Bandipur Tiger Reserve and Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary.
This park was declared the thirty seventh Project Tiger, Tiger reserves of India in 1999. It is part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.
The park has a healthy predator-prey ratio, with many tigers, Gaur, elephants, Indian leopards, and deer.
Venkaiah Naidu launches social media app ‘Elyments’
Vice President, M Venkaiah Naidu launched India’s first indigenously developed social networking super app ‘Elyments’.
The Vice President urged every Indian to adopt the AtmaNirbhar Bharat campaign to transform “Local” India into a “Glocal” India.
The AtmaNirbhar Bharat Abhiyan was aimed at giving a new boost and a quantum jump to the economic potential of the country by strengthening infrastructure, using modern technologies, enriching human resource, and creating robust supply chains.
It was a launchpad for fostering entrepreneurship, nurturing innovation, and creation of an ecosystem for rural-urban symbiotic development.
Elyments is one of the first home-grown social media apps to emerge in the Indian market, developed by over 1,000 IT specialists, who are volunteers with spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s The Art of Living organization.
The makers of Elyments have designed the app keeping in mind the user’s privacy as one of the primary keys of concern. It has an end-to-end encryption feature to ensure user’s private conversations are not seen by any third party.
Odisha Launches ‘Balaram’ Yojana
Odisha government launched, ‘Balaram Yojana’ to provide crop loans to landless farmers. Under the new scheme the landless cultivators will get loans through joint liability groups (JLGs).
Under the scheme, the government has set a target to provide farm loans to 7 lakh landless farmers in next two years, with a kitty of Rs 1,040 crore.
IMAGE and Agricultural Technology Management Agencies (ATMA) will coordinate the implementation of the yojana at the State and the district levels, respectively.
7,000 branches of several banks and Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies will coordinate the implementation in rural and small towns.
CBSE tie-up with Facebook to introduce curriculum on digital safety
Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has partnered with Facebook to launch a curriculum to teach digital safety & online well-being and augmented reality (AR) to students and teachers.
The digital safety and online well-being curriculum will be rolled out in phases. In the first phase, from July to October, it will be implemented across national education boards such as CBSE. In the second phase, it will be made available to state education boards.
The curriculum will cover online safety, privacy, and mental health, and will use Instagram’s guide for building healthy digital habits.
The AR course will teach the fundamentals of AR and train students and teachers how to use Facebook’s Spark AR Studio platform to create augmented reality experiences.
Assam Govt forms panel to review Detention Centres
The Assam Government has formed a special review committee on the conditions prevailing in state detention centres.
The Committee headed by DIG (Border) would comprise Inspector General of Prisons, retired District and Sessions Judge Hardeep Singh, one representative to be nominated by Deputy Commissioner of the district concerned and any other member co-opted by the Chairman.
The Committee will visit all detention centres in the state and review the legal aid status and health status of each detainee and provide recommendation for improvement if needed and also review the quality of food, hygiene and living conditions in the detention centres.
The committee is also tasked to check the education system for the children staying in the centres and provide suggestion.
The panel will conduct the review urgently and submit its consolidated report within three months.
President signed a warrant paving Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde as next Chief Justice of India
Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde will be the next Chief Justice of India (CJI) as President Ram Nath Kovind signed a warrant paving the way for him to take over the top post.
Justice Bobde will be sworn in as Chief Justice on November 18 and will serve the post for around 18 months. He will retire on April 23, 2021.
His career as Justice began on March 29, 2000 when he was appointed as Additional Judge in the Bombay High Court, and was elevated as a Judge of the Supreme Court on April 12, 2013.
Justice Bobde was part of the five-judge constitution bench hearing longest running Ayodhya land dispute case in which the judgement is still awaited.
He was part of the in-house panel which has handled one of the most controversial cases related to allegations of sexual harassment against the incumbent Chief Justice.
Odisha govt approves Rs 17.5 crore under the ”Mo Sarkar” initiative for 587 police stations
The Odisha government approved Rs 17.5 crore additional annual contingency fund for 587 police stations for providing better services under the ”Mo Sarkar” initiative.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik sanctioned the additional contingency fund.
All the 44 police stations under the Cuttack-Bhubaneswar Commissionerate Police will each get Rs 40,000 a month, 142 police stations in urban areas Rs 30,000 each, and 351 police stations in rural areas Rs 20,000 each.
Four Mahila police stations, 5 traffic police stations, 15 railway police stations, four cyber police stations, one economic offences police station, one STF police station, one HRPC police station, and one crime branch police station will receive Rs 30,000 per month. Eighteen marine police stations would receive Rs 20,000 per month.
The objective of the ‘Mo Sarkar’ programme is to provide service with dignity to people who are coming to government offices for different purposes. The phone numbers of people who are coming to government offices will be collected randomly with the purpose to improve the governance system by collecting feedback on behaviour and professionalism of government officers.
CSCs to provide telemedicine services in rural areas
The Common Service Centres (CSCs) will provide telemedicine services in rural areas through video conferencing in collaboration with the Ministry of Ayush. The service will be launched in Tamil Nadu next month and in other states later.
The telemedicine service will be available round the clock via CSC’s video conferencing platform, which works on low bandwidth and doesn’t need broadband connection.
A pan-India network, it enables the government’s mandate of a socially, financially and digitally inclusive society.
The CSCs, which act as access points for delivery of digital services, will be provided some medicine kits to cater to prescription requirement and the patient or the VLE can either purchase the rest.
IIT Madras develops AI Platform to solve complex engineering problems
A team of experts from IIT-Madras have developed algorithms that enable novel applications using artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and deep learning models to solve engineering problems.
The research is led by Dr Vishal Nandigana, an assistant professor – fluid systems laboratory, department of mechanical engineering at IIT Madras.
Nandigana revealed that his team has developed the AI and deep learning algorithm which essentially solves a wide variety of problems in numerous engineering fields, including thermal management, semiconductors, automobile, aerospace and electronics cooling applications among others, thereby eliminating manual intervention.
The team is planning to start a company to deploy its AI software called ‘AISoft,’ which is said to help solve engineering problems across various disciplines, seamlessly.
October 30, 2019
IIIT Hyderabad MOU with TiE to promote Deep Tech Special Group
International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad (IIIT-H) and The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) have signed a MoU to promote a Deep Technology Special Interest Group.
The group will nurture the next generation products and companies in fintech, healthtech, medtech, agritech, technology for social good and other areas.
TiE Deep Tech Special Interest Group (SIG), aims to become the catalyst and vehicle to empower, enable and provide profiting visibility for enterprises and much needed exposure to global applications and markets.
IIIT Hyderabad will support this programme by bringing a good pool of talented engineers, deep tech knowledge base, technocrats, research and development capabilities.
SIG intends to identify, encourage and showcase the leading deep tech products and companies to the domestic and global community of customers and investors. The programme intends to identify six to nine most innovative deep tech products or companies per group.
FACTFILE– International Institute of Information Technology Hyderabad (IIIT Hyderabad)
IIIT Hyderabad is a Not-for-Profit Public Private Partnership institute deemed to be university, focused on information technology and other fields such as computer science, electronics and communication, and their interdisciplinary applications across other domains.
IIIT Hyderabad was set up in 1998 under the public private partnership model, with the state government supplying a grant of land and buildings.
As special officer for IIIT Hyderabad and Secretary IT for the state government, Ajay Prakash Sawhney was responsible for shaping the conceptual model and overseeing initial development of the institute.
FACTFILE– The IndUS Entrepreneurs (TiE)
The IndUS Entrepreneurs (TiE) is a Silicon Valley non-profit supporting start-ups through networking and the raising of capital for new and experienced entrepreneurs. By 2000, it had helped create businesses worth more than $75 billion.
TiE was founded in 1992 by the trio of an Indian-American businessman and angel investor, Kanwal Rekhi; an MIT professor and founder of Cirrus Logic, Suhas Patil; and the founder of Gateway Design Automation, Prabhu Goel.
Odisha govt announces incentives for sportspersons
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik nnounced monthly allowance for sportspersons and inmates of state-run sports hostels.
As per the announcement, the monthly allowance of girl students at all the sports hostels is enhanced to Rs 500 while it has been enhanced to Rs 300 per month for boy students.
The Chief Minister announced the incentives after detailed interaction with sports hostel students with an objective to fulfill their needs and create enough opportunities for excellence.
For out of station participation in recognised sports competition organised by national sports federation or similar level, sportspersons will be given an allowance of Rs 300 per day.
Sportspersons achieving gold medal at national level competitions will get a monthly allowance of Rs 1,000 for one year while the amount will be Rs 500 and Rs 300 for silver and bronze medal winners.
Sports hostel students will get this amount in addition to their monthly allowances.
If the medal winners create a record at the national level and the record is not broken for one year, then the record holder will get an additional monthly allowance of Rs 5000 for one year. Sportspersons selected for national teams will get a monthly allowance of Rs 1000 for one year.
India, Saudi Arabia inks Strategic Partnership Council agreement
India and Saudi Arabia inked the Strategic Partnership Council Agreement to elevate their ties to the next level, even as both sides signed 11 other deals, including in energy and security cooperation and defence production. PM Narendramodi and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sign the Strategic Partnership Council Agreement.
The other agreements between the two sides, inked by their respective officials, were on cooperation in the field of renewable energy, on security cooperation, on combating illicit trafficking and smuggling of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and chemical precursors and in the field of defence – on collaboration in military acquisition, industries, research, development and technology.
Another MoU was on collaboration in civil aviation, in medical products regulations, a Letter of Intent between Small and Medium Enterprises General Authority (Monshaat) of the Saudi Arabia and Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog,A a cooperation Programme between the Foreign Service Institute, and Prince Saud Al Faisal Institute of Diplomatic Studies (IDS).
Another agreement was between Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Limited (ISPRL) and Saudi Aramco. Both sides inked an MoU for Cooperation between National Stock Exchange (NSE) and Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul), and another between National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and Saudi Payments.
Himachal Pradesh brings over 2,000 panchayats under natural farming
A total of 2,209 panchayats out of the total 3,226 have been brought under the ambit of natural farming in Himachal Pradesh.
This fact came to light at a meeting chaired by Chief Secretary Shrikant Baldi of the state-level Task Force for Promotion of Organic and Zero Budget Natural Farming under Prakritik Kheti Khushhal Kissan Yojana.
Natural farming is a technique of farming that requires no ploughing or tilting or use of chemical fertilizers.
A target of training 50,000 farmers has been fixed for this year. As many as 20,579 farmers have been trained out of which 15,391 have started practicing natural farming in their fields.
A list of practices for different crops under natural farming will be prepared for the farmers.
At the meeting, approval was given for a master trainer to hold a maximum of five training sessions per month till March 2020.
Approval was also given for an additional amount of Rs 2,500 per month for block technology manager and assistant technology manager recruited under Agricultural Technology Management Agency on performance basis till March 2020.
Microsoft developed a smartphone-based driving test system
Microsoft Research has developed a smartphone-based driving test system that leverages the power of Artificial Intelligence to make a fair analysis of a driver’s ability before issuing him or her a license.
The system has already been deployed at Dehradun Regional Transport Office (RTO) in Uttarakhand and is ready for wider adoption across the country.
The technology that Microsoft developed to automate driver’s license tests is called HAMS, which is short for Harnessing AutoMobiles for Safety.
Automation using HAMS technology can not only help relieve evaluators of the burden but also make the process objective and transparent for candidates.
Jammu and Kashmir officially bifurcated into two UTs
Jammu and Kashmir ceased to exist as a state and its official bifurcation into two Union Territories – of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.
The state has been officially divided into the two Union Territories pursuant to the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill, 2019, which the government passed in Parliament on August 5.
The Central government had also that day abrogated Article 370 that gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir.
Girish Chandra Murmu, a former bureaucrat from Gujarat, take oath as the first Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir UT.
Former IAS officer R.K. Mathur sworn in as the first Lt. Governor of the Union territory of Ladakh.
DRDO exhibits new fuel cell-based marine propulsion system
A fuel cell-based marine propulsion system, which can boost the combat lethality of India”s conventional submarines several fold by enhancing their submerged endurance, was demonstrated by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in Ambernath, Maharashtra.
The demonstration of the operational mechanism of a land-based prototype of the Air Independent Propulsion system, engineered to fit on a submarine, was carried out at the Naval Materials Research Laboratory in Ambernath in the presence of Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh.
The Air Independent Propulsion system has a force multiplier effect on the lethality of a diesel electric submarine as it enhances the submerged endurance of the boat, several folds. Fuel cell-based AIP has merits in performance compared to other technologies.
The DRDO is developing the system for the Indian Navy”s submarines that are powered by the conventional diesel-electric technology.
Mumbai, Hyderabad designated as UNESCO creative cities
Indian cities Mumbai and Hyderabad are among the 66 urban settlements designated as creative cities by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).
Mumbai has been selected for its contribution in the world of film, and Hyderabad for gastronomy.
The designation came on World Cities” Day, celebrated on October 31, making the two cities part of the 246-member Organisation”s Network of Creative Cities.
The Network brings together cities that base their development on creativity, whether in music, arts and folk crafts, design, cinema, literature, digital arts or gastronomy.
UNESCO creative cities commit to placing culture at the centre of their development strategies and to share their best practices.
Down Town Hospital successfully performed the first liver transplant in NE
Doctors from Down Town Hospital Guwahati teamed up with Yashoda Hospitals of Hyderabad for successfully performing the first ever liver transplant in the north-eastern region.
The transplant team was led by Dr P Balachandran Menon, chief liver transplant surgeon of Yashoda Hospitals, along with Dr Pranjal Deka, liver transplant surgeon of Down Town Hospital.
Indian Army carries out integrated fire power exercise
The Indian Army carried out a fire power exercise in the desert sector showcasing its capabilities, proficiency and operational preparedness.
The tactical exercise involved integrated employment and firing of all arms including artillery guns, rockets, tanks, helicopters and air resources.
The Army aptly demonstrated the ability to hit hard and swiftly with precision, with the accuracy of multiple rocket launch systems and K-9 Vajra 155 mm howitzer.
The effectiveness of combined arms and cohesion was of an exceptional order and all aims and objectives set for the exercise were fully achieved.
Southern Command chief, Lt Gen S.K. Saini, witnessed the exercise and complimented the troops for their high professional standards.
Marconi Society Annual Awards for Apps developed by Indian students
Two digital applications (apps) developed by Indian under-graduate students for women’s safety and to check air pollution in Delhi on smartphones won Marconi Society annual awards for the good of humanity.
The Android application named ”Rakshak” detects speech patterns through an audio microphone of any user’s smartphone.
When the app receives audio clip with speech commands seeking help or saying stop in distressed tones, it triggers an SOS alert, user location and sends an emergency contact.
The app generates the alert after analyzing emotion and distress speech patterns.
The winning team of Piyush Agrawal, Subham Banga, Aniket Sharma and Ujjwal Upadhyay tackled the issue of women’s safety in India, especially in cities and towns across the country, where incidents of women under attack have become common.
The Society’s Celestini programme is a flagship effort to inspire and connect individuals building new technologies in service of a digitally inclusive world.
The winners are awarded under the programme, run for the young scholars the world over.
Named after Nobel laureate (Physics) Guglielmo Marconi (1874-1937), who invented the radio in 1908, the Society was set up in 1975 by his daughter Gioia Marconi Baraga through an endowment, which annually gives awards for outstanding contribution in science and the principle of creativity in the service of humanity.
Union Minister for Culture & Tourism launches CCRT’s e-portal
Union Minister for Culture & Tourism Prahlad Singh Patel launched the e-portal of Centre for Cultural Resources and Training (CCRT) ”Digital Bharat Digital Sanskriti” and CCRT YouTube Channel.
The e-portal aims to explore and understand the unknown aspects of India”s lesser-known places and their rural and semi-urban culture.
The CCRT has also started to publish books from a series ”Untold Tales of India”s Cities.
The CCRT has tied up with Routes 2 Roots, an NGO, for connecting all the CCRT Regional Centres — Guwahati, Udaipur and Hyderabad.
Patel and CCRT chairperson Dr. Hemlata also interacted with the participants of the ongoing training programmes at CCRT Regional Centres and some of the children studying in schools across the country.
FACTFILE– The Centre for Cultural Resources and Training (CCRT)
The Centre for Cultural Resources and Training (CCRT) is autonomous organisation under Ministry of Culture of Government of India.
Established in May 1979, to support cultural education, with its inception it took over the Scheme-Propagation of Culture among College and School students, which was being implemented by Delhi University since 1970, where a Research and Production Cell was functioning for this purpose.
The CCRT also organises activities such as school tours to museums, monuments and craft centres
It publishes materials to promote understanding of Indian art and culture
It also has a “Cultural Talent Search Scholarship Scheme” for children aged 10–14, to help them develop their abilities in cultural fields especially rarer forms of art.
October 23, 2019
Assam Cabinet decides no Govt jobs for persons having more than 2 children
The Assam Cabinet decided that no government jobs will be given to persons having more than two children after 1 January, 2021.
The important decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting that also adopted a New Land Policy, which will give three bighas of agricultural land to landless indigenous people and half a bigha for constructing a house.
Those having more than two children will not be considered for government jobs with effect from 1 January, 2021 as per the small family norm.
In September 2017, the Assam Assembly had passed the ‘Population and Women Empowerment Policy of Assam’ that specified that job candidates with two children only would be eligible for government employment and the existing government staff were to strictly follow the two children family norm.
NE Region’s contribution to India’s economy meager, says ADB
Despite being rich in natural resources, the contribution of Northeast towards India’s economy is minuscule, says country director of Asian Development Bank Kenichi Yokoyama.
The region has only 0.2 per cent share in India’s total exports and majority of the products exported from the region are low-value products and natural resources based like primary produces from agriculture.
Though India and Bangladesh are major trading partners, but the contribution of Northeast is marginal. India accounts for 16.4% of Bangladesh’s imports, but NER’s share is only 1.2%.
Given Bangladesh’s import basket, Northeast can be a major trading partner, with the 28% ($ 15 billion) of Bangladesh’s import demand being for products which can be manufactured using local resources of the region.
Potential export goods from NE could be industrial goods, like plastic and polymers, paper and paper goods, agro and food processing products, and rubber, and in the service sector in the fields of higher education, tourism and medical tourism.
Indian Air Force test fires Brahmos missiles
Two Brahmos Surface to Surface missiles were test fired by Indian Air Force at Trak Island in the Andaman Nicobar group of islands.
The twin firings were carried out as a part of the routine operational training.
The missile engaged the designated mock targets close to 300km away.
A direct hit on the target was achieved in both the cases.
Firing of the missile has enhanced the IAFs capability to engage the ground targets with pin point accuracy from a mobile platform.
Pankaj Kumar appointed as UIDAI CEO
The government appointed Pankaj Kumar as the new CEO of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI). Kumar is currently additional secretary in the Ministry Of Electronics And IT.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) said that Pankaj Kumar, IAS, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, has been appointed as CEO, Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), in the rank and pay of Secretary by temporarily upgrading the post.
The UIDAI is a statutory authority established under the provisions of the Aadhaar on July 12, 2016 by the government under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
The UIDAI has the mandate to issue Unique Identification numbers (UID), called Aadhaar, to all residents of India to eliminate duplicate and fake identities.
The first India-Bangladesh Stakeholders’ Meet was held in Guwahati, Assam. The meet focused to improve its connectivity with the neighboring country to get the best of the rest under Act East Policy for Assam.
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has called for restoration of the Brahmaputra-Barak-Padma-Meghna riverine waterways to take forward the outcome of the India-Bangladesh Stakeholders” Meet.
The Chief Minister conveyed this to a delegation led by Bangladesh Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi, which met him at his office in Dispur.
Leaders from both Assam and Bangladesh have vowed to explore relations in areas like garment industry, health tourism, IT and education sector, for the mutual benefit.
Sonowal stressed restoration of trade links between Assam and Bangladesh.
He reiterated modalities to decide the standard operating procedures (SOP) to ensure speedy implementation of agreements, which would ensure access to Chattogram and Mongla Ports of Bangladesh for the northeast, and execution of the BBIN motor vehicle agreement.
Assam Govt expands Atal Amrit Abhiyan health insurance scheme
Assam State Cabinet decided to expand the ambit of the Atal Amrit Abhiyan scheme by bringing six additional critical care disease groups under it.
More than 57,000 persons have availed cashless treatment under the state govt’s Atal Amrit Abhiyan healthcare scheme in the last year and half and the number of beneficiaries is expected to increase further in the coming days.
Minister for Health & Family Welfare Himanta Biswa Sarma said most of the beneficiaries of the scheme so far have availed its facility for treatment of cancer, kidney diseases and cardiology and cardiovascular surgeries during past 18 months.
Around 1.61 crore people have enrolled for the scheme and the government has borne an expenditure of Rs 136.99 crore so far under it.
The scheme covered six specialities – cardiology and cardiovascular surgeries, neurological conditions, burns, cancer, kidney and neo-natal diseases.
During the Budget of 2019-20, the State government announced the expansion of the AAA to cover specialities like ICU packages, trauma, critical care paediatrics and paediatric surgery, and bone marrow transplantation.
The State government provided all treatment facilities for Japanese Encephalitis (JE) and Acute Encephalitis Syndrom and aimed at bringing these ailments under AAA. Now the State Cabinet has approved the implementation of the Vistarita Atal Amrit Abhiyan (VAAA) with addition of six expensive critical care disease groups. These are ICU packages, trauma, critical care paediatrics and paediatric surgery, bone marrow transplantation, JE and Acute Encephalitis Syndrome.
The maximum amount of coverage per year would remain unchanged at Rs two lakh per member per year and the existing empanelled hospitals under AAA, including private, public and trust operated, both within and outside the State would automatically be eligible for treating the patients under the VAAA.
A total of 76 hospitals have been empanelled under the scheme. Out of these, 35 hospitals are empanelled outside the State and 41 hospitals are within Assam.
New Department of Registration in J&K
The Jammu and Kashmir State Administrative Council (SAC) approved creation of a new Department of Registration to provide hassle free and speedy service to people for registration of documents pertaining to property, mortgage etc.
The SAC also approved the creation of 464 new posts under various categories in order to make the department of registration functional.
The new Department of Registration is being created under the Registration Act, 1908.
The Department of Registration shall function under the overall administrative control of the Revenue Department.
SAC also approved appointment of Additional Deputy Commissioners and Sub-Divisional Magistrates/Assistant Commissioners Revenue to exercise the powers of Registrars and Sub-Registrars, respectively, within such jurisdiction to be notified by the Revenue Department for purposes of the Registration Act, 1908.
India jumps 14 positions in the World Bank’s ‘Doing Business’ list
India jumped 14 ranks to 63rd position in the World Bank’s ‘Doing Business’ list and was also among the top-10 progress-making countries according to the multilateral agency in terms of ease of doing business.
In Doing Business 2020, the 10 top improvers are Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Togo, Bahrain, Tajikistan, Pakistan, Kuwait, China, India, and Nigeria.
These economies implemented a total of 59 regulatory reforms in 2018-19 – accounting for one-fifth of all the reforms recorded worldwide.
Their efforts focused primarily on the areas of starting a business, dealing with construction permits, and trading across borders.
It noted that starting a business in India has been made easier by abolishing filing fees for the Simplified Proforma for Incorporating a Company Electronically (SPICE), electronic memorandum of association, and articles of association.
India made trading across borders easier by enabling post-clearance audits, integrating trade stakeholders in a single electronic platform, upgrading port infrastructure, and enhancing the electronic submission of documents.
India made resolving insolvency easier by promoting reorganization proceedings in practice. India also made resolving insolvency more difficult by not allowing dissenting creditors to receive as much under reorganization as they would receive in liquidation.
FACTFILE– Doing Business 2020
Doing Business 2020 measures regulations across 190 economies in 12 business regulatory areas to assess the business environment in each economy. Ten of these indicators were used to estimate an ease of doing business score this year, over the 12 months ending April 30, 2019.
This is the 17th edition of a study that has motivated governments worldwide to undertake business reforms with the goal of bolstering sustainable economic growth.
The study looks at rules affecting a business from inception through operation to wind-down: starting a business, dealing with construction permits, getting electricity, registering property, getting credit, protecting minority investors, paying taxes, trading across borders, enforcing contracts, and resolving insolvency.
Union Cabinet Approvals revival of BSNL and MTNL
The Cabinet approves the proposal for revival of BSNL and MTNL by administrative allotment of spectrum for 4G services, debt restructuring by raising of bonds with sovereign guarantee, reducing employee costs, monetisation of assets and in-principle approval of merger of BSNL and MTNL.
The Cabinet approved a Rs 70,000 crore relief package for the company and for Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL). While approving the package for the two financially stressed entities, the Cabinet also drew up a timeline to merge them.
The two firms would be allotted 4G spectrum worth Rs 20,140 crore, Rs 29,937 crore for VRS covering 50 per cent of their employees and Rs 3,674 crore for goods and services tax (GST) that will be levied on allocation of radiowaves.
October 25, 2019
IIT Guwahati bagged 10th position in the QS India University Rankings 2020
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Guwahati, has bagged the 10th position in the QS India University Rankings 2020. This is the second time in a row that IIT Guwahati has secured the 10th position in the rankings.
The list is the second edition of the standalone rankings for India’s higher education institutions. The announcement was made at the 2nd QS India Summit in Goa on October 21, which was attended by Union Minister for Human Resources Development Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’.
The QS India University Rankings are based on a number of parameters including academic reputation, citations per paper, international faculty, staff with PhD, employer reputation, etc.
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore and IIT Delhi secured the top three positions in the QS India University Rankings 2020.
IIT Madras and IIT Kharagpur finished fourth and fifth, respectively.
University of Delhi (DU) and University of Hyderabad placed seventh and eighth on the list. Calcutta University (CU) finished eleventh and was followed by Jadavpur University (JU) at number 12.
Chennai Corporation starts health awareness drive through students
In a novel initiative, about 20,000 students of Chennai Corporation-run schools have turned health ambassadors and appealed to the people to maintain cleanliness in their houses and streets.
The campaign is for preventing the spread of monsoon related diseases.
The Chennai Corporation has also released a video film featuring student ambassadors as part of its awareness campaign “Clean Chennai, Healthy Chennai.”
The student health ambassadors were selected from various educational institutions across the city.
Tamil Nadu Minister for Municipal Administration S.P.Velumani, had met the student ambassadors, congratulated them and gave them their identity cards.
He requested the student ambassadors to create awareness about cleanliness, sanitation and about dengue and other contagious diseases in their neighbourhood.
The Chennai Corporation also plans to run awareness campaigns via auto-rickshaws in fifteen zones during weekends on diseases that occur during the monsoon and the preventive steps that need to be taken.
Rallies are also planned in all the 15 zones, with the participation of 20,000 city school students, to spread awareness about prevention of mosquito-borne diseases during monsoon, stopping open defecation, stopping usage of plastic, preventing stagnation of sewage or clean water and rainwater harvesting.
Himachal Pradesh Cabinet approved a policy to provide cost effective Ayush services
The Himachal Pradesh Cabinet approved a policy to provide cost effective Ayush services by upgrading Ayush hospitals and dispensaries.
The government has come up with Himachal Pradesh State Ayush Policy that envisages attractive incentives to prospective investors in Ayush and wellness sector.
The Cabinet, presided over by Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, also gave its nod to make the state a most favoured investment destination for information technology (IT), and IT enabled service companies.
It also gave its nod to the Affordable Housing Policy, 2019 and to revised guidelines for the tourism department for issuance of essentiality certificates under the Himachal Pradesh Tenancy and Land Reforms Rules in cases where a non-agriculturist wishes to purchase land for setting up tourism units.
The Cabinet gave its consent to establish Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) to regulate and promote real estate sector in the state.
It also gave its consent to create 46 posts of different categories, including its chairman and members.
International meet on nutraceuticals, chronic diseases held at IIT Guwahati
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati, in collaboration with the Society for Nutraceuticals and Chronic Diseases, the Society for Translational Cancer Research, the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Guwahati, and the DBT-AIST International Centre for Translational and Environmental Research (DAICENTER), Japan, recently organised the fourth International Conference on Nutraceuticals & Chronic Diseases (INCD).
‘Nutraceutical’ is the combination of the words ‘nutrition’ and ‘pharmaceutical’. A nutraceutical product is a food/fortified food product that not only supplements the diet but also assists in treating or preventing chronic disease and also provides medical benefits.
Specific and targeted artificially created drugs have not been found much effective against multi-genic chronic diseases. Also, their extended uses tend to exhibit severe adverse side effects. Whereas, the nutraceuticals have been found to be multi-targeted, highly effective over long-term and exhibit minimal side effects.
India, Pakistan sign Kartarpur pact
India and Pakistan signed an agreement to operationalise the Kartarpur Corridor The signing ceremony took place at the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor Zero Point, International Border, Dera Baba Nanak.
The agreement paves the way for the inauguration of the Corridor next month ahead of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism, and will enable devotees to visit throughout the year the holy shrine located 4.5 km from the border in Narowal district of Pakistan”s Punjab province.
With the signing of this agreement, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs S.C.L. Das said a formal framework has been laid down for operationalisation of the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor.
The travel will be visa free and the pilgrims will have a choice to visit individually or in groups, and also to travel on foot.
Under the agreement, the Indian government will inform Pakistan authorities about the list of the pilgrims 10 days in advance and pilgrims will be notified through mail four days ahead of the travel.
Pilgrims need to carry only a valid passport and Persons of Indian Origin need to carry Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) card along with the passport of their country.
The Corridor will be open from dawn to dusk and the pilgrims travelling in the morning will have to return on the same day. The Corridor will be operational throughout the year, except on notified days, which will be informed in advance.
FACTFILE– The Kartarpur Corridor
The Kartarpur Corridor is a visa-free border crossing and secure corridor, connecting the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan to the border with India.
The crossing allows Sikh devotees from India to visit the gurdwara in Kartarpur, 4.7 kilometres (2.9 miles) from the India–Pakistan border without a visa, creating a link which allows pilgrims holding Indian passports to easily visit both the Kartarpur shrine and Gurdwara Dera Baba Nanak on the Indian side of the border.
The Kartarpur Corridor was first proposed in early 1999 by Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Nawaz Sharif, the prime ministers of India and Pakistan respectively, as part of the Delhi–Lahore Bus diplomacy.
On 26 November 2018, the foundation stone was laid down on the Indian side; two days later, on 28 November 2018, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan did the same for the Pakistani side.
IIT Madras team develops simple technique to produce Graphene platelets
The researchers have found that when graphite is suspended in an appropriate fluid and subjected to an intense shearing force of machining, the layers of graphite separate into graphene platelets.
Graphene is considered as one of the strongest materials known and in addition, it conducts electricity thirteen times better than copper.
Dr Sathyan Subbiah, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT Madras, who led the research team, said, superior quality graphene is commonly prepared using the peeling off method.
Subbiah pointed out that the graphite is a lubricant because it is made of layers of carbon that slide over one another.
Uttar PradeshCM launches scheme for girl child
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath launched ”Sumangla Kanya Yojna”, a scheme for the girl child, in the presence of Union Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani.
The scheme will provide an amount of Rs 15,000 in a phased manner to every family where a gril child is born.
The ”Sumangla Kanya” scheme has been designed in a way that parents will have to take care of girl child”s health and education to avail its benefits.
Funds will be released in six installments when a girl child completes various stages like vaccination, admission in class 1, 5 and 9 and graduation.
At birth Rs 2,000 will be transferred into account and if a girl has completed all her first-year vaccinations, she will be entitled to another Rs 1,000.
Similarly, if she has taken admission in class 1, she will get Rs 15,000 minus funds that would have been released at birth and completion of first-year vaccinations.
October 27, 2019
Tea Board looking for technology to ensure traceability of tea
The Tea Board is searching for an end-to-end technology to ensure traceability of the entire value chain of tea trade.
It is looking at a combination of latest technology-enabled solution like blockchain technology, for integrating the existing systems which will convert the standalone applications into a ring fenced electronic environment capturing the entire details of supply chain from procurement of raw materials by the manufacturers to the disposal of made teas to the primary buyers through auction.
This integration will help the end consumers in traceability of the Indian origin Tea – GI Teas as the starting point – by virtue of digitisation of the Indian tea marketing channel and bringing the Indian tea industry into the mainstream of digital economy.
The challenges the industry is facing now in terms of oversupply, quality concerns, low price realization, reducing global demand, non-remunerative prices for the small growers, etc.
Govt plans to run Ladakh completely on renewable energy
The Union government plans to make Ladakh the first Indian union territory (UT) to run completely on renewable energy.
The government wants to install solar generation units to meet all its power demand from renewable energy sources.
Aanand Kumar, secretary, ministry of new and renewable energy (MNRE), told that UT currently has a demand of around 53 MW.
New solar plants is planned to be added by the end of 2020 to make the area completely run on renewable energy.
While the daily solar power generation potential in most part of the country is in the range of 3-5 units per square metre, the same in Leh-Ladakh can be 6-8 units, due to high ‘irradiance’ factor.
P S Sreedharan Pillai appointed as Mizoram governor
Kerala State BJP president PS Sreedharan Pillai has been appointed as the new Mizoram Governor. The President of India announced the appointment of Pillai as the Governor of the North Eastern state.
After the resignation of former Governor Kummanam Rajasekharan to contest the Lok Sabha polls from Thiruvananthapuram, Assam Governor Jagdish Mukhi has been holding the additional charge as the Mizoram Governor.
Pillai is the third person from the South Indian State to be appointed as the Mizoram Governor after Vakkom Purushothaman (2011-2014) and Rajashekharan who held the charge from May 29, 2018 to March 8, 2019.
India and Ecuador ink protocol to start trade negotiations
India and South American nation Ecuador have inked the Protocol for Completion of the Joint Feasibility Study (JFS) between the two countries, in line with the government’s efforts to expand its trade presence in the region.
The Protocol was inked in New Delhi by Shyamal Misra, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Commerce and Industry and Héctor Cueva, ambassador of Ecuador in India.
This has now opened the doors for both the countries to initiate trade negotiations for a Partial Scope Agreement (Preferential Trade Agreement).
The two countries have great possibilities to contribute to the competitiveness of productive sectors in each Member country, and improving bilateral trade and enhancing the conditions for business cooperation.
Once the PTA is in place the two trading partners would be in a position to reduce or eliminate customs duties on only a certain number of products traded between them.
Poor infrastructure deterring flow of medical tourists, foreign students to Assam, says ADB report
Medical tourism and higher education are two potential service sector industries for Assam, but due to various gaps – mostly related to infrastructure and connectivity – the State has not been able to tap it so far.
According to an Asian Development Bank report, there is a relative shortage of colleges for professional education and local students travel to other states in pursuit of higher education, while lack of accredited hospitals in the region has lead to outflow of domestic demand and diversion of regional international demand.
Of the 47,427 foreign students enrolled in India in 2018-19, 2,077 (4.4 per cent) were from Bangladesh. The Northeast can capture a major share of this market and Assam has a huge opportunity to tap into India’s share of students enrolled from Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal.
18 per cent of the total outflow of students from South Asia enrolled in India in 2016-17. It was 1.3 per cent for Southeast Asia. However, Assam accounts for just 0.4 per cent of total foreign students enrolled India.
India is one of the preferred destination for medical value travel, ranking fifth in the World Medical Tourism Index. Bangladesh is the largest foreign user of India’s medical services, accounting for 50.54 per cent of the total medical tourists in 2016 and the Northeast, particularly Assam, has the opportunity of becoming the natural choice for medical tourism from the neighbouring country.
Uttar PradeshCM inaugurated projects and laid foundation stones of schemes for forest-dwelling Vantangiya community
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurated projects and laid foundation stones for schemes worth Rs 1.32 crore for the forest-dwelling Vantangiya community.
The Chief Minister celebrated Diwali with the Vantangiya community that has remained marginalised for years.
The community comprises people brought from Myanmar during the colonial rule to plant trees for afforestation.
Manohar Lal Khattar takes oath as Haryana CM
Manohar Lal Khattar and Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) chief Dushyant Chautala took oath as Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister, respectively.
The two leaders were administered the oath of office and secrecy by Haryana Governor Satyadeo Narain Arya at Raj Bhavan in Chandigarh.
This is the second term of Khattar as Haryana Chief Minister.
IIT Guwahati joins hands with Japan institute for international symposium
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Guwahati, in collaboration with the Kyoto Institute of Technology (KIT), will organise an international symposium on ‘Advances in Sustainable Polymers (ASP-19)’ from October 14 to October 18 at the KIT, Matsugasaki, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan.
ASP-19 is the fifth international symposium of the ASP series.
The aim of the symposium is to provide a platform to researchers to share recent state-of-the-art advances in the area of sustainable polymers.
The symposium will include plenary lectures and invited lectures on recent advances in several aspects of sustainable polymer-based technologies.
ASP-19 will also host three bilateral symposia as a part of the symposium.
They are on ‘Industrial Forum – Bio-based Materials Developed by Worldwide Industries’, the Second India-Nepal-Japan Trilateral Joint Symposium and the IITG-KIT Joint Symposium.
Apart from IIT-Guwahati and KIT, the symposium is supported by Kansai Branch, the Society of Fiber Science and Technology, Japan, Mille-Feuille Structure Materials, Unitika Shusei-kai, the Society of Polymer Science, Japan, and Research Committee on Fundamental Fiber Science, the Society of Fiber Science and Technology Japan.
Delhi cabinet nod for new skill, entrepreneurship university
The Delhi Cabinet gave its approval for a new skill and entrepreneurship development university with an initial capacity of 50,000 students.
The proposal will require clearance from the Lt Governor before its approval by the Assembly.
The new Delhi Skills and Entrepreneurship (DSE) University will focus on imparting the skills and knowhow to the youth that will equip them for employment.
Different courses, ranging between six months to two years, will be made available for students from Class 10 to the graduate and post graduate levels.
The courses will have also have high level of flexibility in terms of redesigning for the requirements.
The proposed varsity”s initial intake will be 50,000 students, who will be enrolled in regular and part-time courses in various streams.
Students who complete Class 10, Class 12, and graduation can join the University for courses ranging from durations like 6 months, one year, two years and so on.
Andhra Pradesh launches ”Rythu Bharosa” scheme
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy launched ”YSR Rythu Bharosa scheme-PM Kisan” scheme, under which each farmer will get Rs. 13,500 as input assistance every year.
The Chief Minister launched the flagship scheme at Kakutur in Nellore district by handing over cheques to beneficiaries.
The scheme is expected to benefit 54 lakh farmers including landless tenant farmers across the state. The amount will be deposited in the bank accounts of the beneficiaries.
The beneficiaries under PM Kisan Nidhi scheme of the Centre will get Rs. 6,000 while the remaining amount will be paid by the state government.
Those not covered under the Centre”s scheme will get the entire assistance from the state.
Beneficiary farmers were given Rs. 2,000 each in June and now they will get Rs. 9,500. Another Rs. 2,000 will be paid during ”Sankranthi”.
From next year, every beneficiary will get Rs. 7,500 in May at the beginning of Kharif sowing season, Rs. 4,000 in October for harvesting Kharif crop or for Rabi needs.
The remaining Rs. 2,000 will be paid on the occasion of ”Sankranthi”.
Margaret Atwood,Bernardine Evaristo won 2019 Booker Prize
Margaret Atwood and Bernardine Evaristo jointly won the 2019 Booker Prize after judges “flout” the rules by declaring a tie.
British Indian novelist Salman Rushdie’s tragicomic ‘Quichotte’ was among the six books shortlisted for the prize.
The Booker rules say the prize must not be divided, but the judges insisted they “couldn’t separate” Atwood’s ‘The Testament’ and ‘Girl, Woman, Other’ by Evaristo, who is the first black woman to win the prestigious award since its creation in 1969.
The rules were changed after the last tie in 1992, and organisers told this year’s judges that they were not allowed to pick two winners.
The judges said they strongly wanted both the authors to split the GBP 50,000 award at a gala ceremony at Guildhall
The others shortlisted included Lucy Ellmann for ‘Ducks, Newburyport’, Chigozie Obioma for ‘An Orchestra of Minorities’, and Elif Shafak for ’10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World’.
The 2019 shortlist had been selected from 151 submitted books published in the UK or Ireland between October 2018 and September 2019.
October 16, 2019
3rd Shirui Lily Festival begins in Ukhrul, Manipur
The 3rd Shirui Lily Festival got under way at Shirui village in Ukhrul in the presence of ministers, dignitaries and a large gathering of people. The festival will end on October 19.
Union Minister of State for Culture and Tourism (in-charge) Prahlad Singh Patel said that there would be no tourism without culture. A collective effort is needed from all stakeholders to explore ways to attract tourists to the State. The North East region is gifted with scenic beauty and a rich cultural heritage.
The Manipur Government has been urging the Centre for a “topographical need-based budget” to bring inclusive development to the State.
The performance by Scottish band Nazareth will be the highlight of this year’s festival.
FACTFILE – Shirui Lily Festival
The annual festival is hosted by state Department of Tourism in Ukhrul district. The event features demonstrations of age-old traditions and culture of inhabitants of district of Ukhrul. The festival is organized during this time keeping in mind the peak blooming season of flower.
Festival seeks to spread the awareness about the endangered Shirui Lily and promote the district of Ukhrul as a tourist destination in Manipur.
The lilies of Shirui: The lilies play a significant role in festival. The rare, pink-white flower is only found in this area. The lilies are also known as Siroy Lily, or Lilium Macklinae, named after Jean Macklin, who supposedly spotted these flowers in 1946.
Manipur Tourism recognizes importance of Shirui Lily as State Flower of Manipur and event is a part of its efforts to develop and implement sustainable and responsible tourism State.
India, US Special Forces hold joint military drill
A 45-member Special Forces team from the Indian Army has begun a 15-day joint military drill with US Special Forces in Seattle. The exercise ”Vajra Prahar” commenced at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
This is the 10th edition of the exercise, which is conducted alternately between India and the US to share the best practices and experiences in areas such as joint mission planning capabilities and operational tactics.
Bilateral military exercises and defence exchanges are an important aspect of deepening bilateral defence cooperation between India and USA.
In 2018, the exercise was held in Jaipur, Rajasthan.
India hands over 2- Mi 24V choppers to Afghanistan
India handed over two Mi 24V gunship helicopters to Afghanistan at a ceremony held in Kabul.
The attack chopper, which is also capable of low-capacity troop transport, was handed over to Afghanistan”s Defence Minister Asadullah Khalid by India”s Ambassador Vinay Kumar.
These helicopters are meant as replacement for four helicopters that had earlier been gifted by India to Afghanistan in the year 2015-16.
The handover took place at a military airport in Afghanistan.
Government Announced 14 new Institutes for Media and Entertainment Sector
The government announced that 14 new institutes will be set up across nine cities for advanced skill training in the media and entertainment sector.
The 14 Authorised World Skills India Training Centers (AWSITC) would be set up in nine cities – Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Indore, Mumbai, Pune, Shillong and Thiruvanthapuram.
The state-of-the-art AWSITCs, set up in partnership with the Media and Entertainment Skill Council (MESC), will help the candidates to enhance their skill as per the global standards.
The new institutes are being set up for advanced skill training of candidates in the media and entertainment sector, not just to compete in the WorldSkills and IndiaSkills competitions but also to further develop the skilling eco-system for training candidates for the international market.
In the biennial WorldSkills competition the 48-member Indian team won one gold, one silver, two bronze medals besides 15 medallions of excellence at the competition.
These world class state of the art centres will help in preparing the candidates to be ready in making our country proud at various competitions and also equip them with enhanced skills in order to become industry ready.
Assam set to have India’s first International Multi-Modal Hub
Assam Industry Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary said that the state is all set to have India’s first International Multi-Modal Hub.
He said that the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has agreed to fund the project at an estimated cost of around Rs 600 crore.
The Government of Assam is planning to develop Jogighopa, a small township near Brahmaputra river, as a logistics hub or trans-shipment point for cargo moving from Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland to Bangladesh.
The Munshiganj River Terminal in Bangladesh will be used as a customs station to handle third-party export and import cargo via Kolkata Port.
The Bangladesh government agreed to hold stakeholder consultations and revert on the matter.
Standard operating procedure for the use of Chattagram and Mongla ports for movement of goods to and from India, particularly to and from the Northeast of India has recently been concluded.
Half of India’s children suffer from malnutrition, says UNICEF Report
UNICEF’s State of the World’s Children report for 2019, the first UNICEF report in 20 years on child nutrition, shows one in three children under the age of five years – around 200 million children worldwide – are either undernourished or overweight. And in India, every second child is affected by some form of malnutrition.
35% of Indian children suffer from stunting due to lack of nutrition, 17% suffer from wasting, 33% are underweight and 2% are overweight.
According to govt figures, stunting and wasting among children in the country has reduced by 3.7 per cent and the number of underweight children have reduced by 2.3 per cent from 2016 to 2018.
Among countries in South Asia, India fares the worst (54%) on prevalence of children under five who are either stunted, wasted or overweight. Afghanistan and Bangladesh follow at 49% and 46%, respectively. Sri Lanka and the Maldives are the better performing countries in the region, at 28% and 32%, respectively.
India conducts bilateral air exercise ‘Eastern Bridge V’ with Oman
India’s bilateral air exercise with Oman Exercise Eastern Bridge V, is being held at the Air Force Base Masirah in Oman from October 17-26.
The MiG 29 fighter aircraft of Indian Air Force (IAF) will be flying alongside the Eurofighter Typhoon and F-16 in India”s bilateral air exercise with Oman.
This is the first occasion that the MiG 29 will participate in an international air exercise outside India.
The Royal Air Force Oman will fly its UK-made advanced trainer aircraft Hawk too during the 10-day air exercise.
India”s military transport aircraft C-17 Globemaster will also participate in the air exercise.
The exercise will enhance inter-operability during mutual operations between the two air forces and will provide an opportunity to learn from each other”s best practices.
The participation of IAF in the exercise will also promote professional interaction, exchange of experience and operational knowledge.
Besides strengthening bilateral relations, it will also provide a good opportunity to the air-warriors to operate in an international environment.
Union Environment Ministry directed Assam Govt to take steps to declare Poba reserve forest a wildlife sanctuary
The Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Ministry has directed the Assam government to take necessary steps to declare the Poba reserve forest in the state’s Dhemaji district a wildlife sanctuary.
Assm’s prominent wildlife and nature conservation organization Nature’s Beckon wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking his immediate intervention in declaring the Poba reserve forest as a wildlife sanctuary.
The PMO forwarded the letter to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change directing for actions and steps as necessary by the Assam Forest Department to declare Poba as a wildlife sanctuary.
FACTFILE– Poba Reserved Forest
Poba Reserved Forest is situated in Jonai Subdivision of Dhemaji District of Assam.
The Reserved Forest (RF) was created in the year 1924 and covers an area of 10,221 hectares.
Poba is one of the richest rain forests of North-East India in terms of the flora and fauna found in it and can be very well termed a biodiversity hotspot.
The forest receives annual rainfall of 3600 mm to 4000 mm; highest temperature so far recorded is 35°C in summer and lowest 7.0°C in winter.
RF is an important elephant corridor linking the foot hills of Arunachal Pradesh and Dibru Saikhowa National Park via the proposed Kobu Chapori Reserve Forest. Peripheral area of the RF is inhabited by a few ethnic groups such as Mising, Bodo, Sonowal Kachari and Hajong (Rabha).
Poba forest is under serious threats from anthropogenic activities and natural calamities particularly erosion by the Siang river.
October 18, 2019
Hailakandi first district in Assam to introduce online leave application
The government employees working under the Hailakandi district administration need to file their applications online and can proceed on leave only after getting a digital approval, as henceforth no leave applications will be accepted on paper.
Deputy Commissioner, Keerthi Jalli inaugurated the new online leave module at her office conference hall.
Hailakandi becomes the first district in Assam to introduce such a system.
The Circle Offices in the district, too, have come under the new system. Additional Deputy Commissioner Omar Sheriff will look after leave related matters of the DC establishment while the Circle Officers will man their respective offices.
The employee needs to apply online which will then go to the reporting officer for approval. Each employee has been allotted a login ID and password.
After the leave is applied by the employee either through the mobile phone or personal computer on the Manav Sampada website, the reporting officer will either approve or reject the leave and the employee can see the leave status whether it has been approved or cancelled by the reporting officer. Users can also check the status of leave balance.
Karnataka tops India Innovation Index 2019
Karnataka has been ranked as the most innovative state in the country. These rankings were released by the NITI Aayog under the India Innovation Index 2019.
Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Telangana, Haryana, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Gujarat, and Andhra Pradesh form the remaining top ten major states respectively.
Sikkim and Delhi take the top spots among the north – eastern & hill states, and union territories.
Delhi, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh are the most efficient states in translating inputs into output.
The study is an outcome of extensive research and analysis, which looks holistically at the innovation landscape of India by examining the innovation capabilities and performance of Indian states and union territories.
The aim is to create a holistic tool which can be used by policymakers across the country to identify the challenges to be addressed and strengths to build on when designing the economic growth policies for their regions
Karnataka is the leader in the overall rankings in the category of major states. Karnataka”s number one position in the overall ranking is partly attributed to its top rank in the performance dimension.
It is also among the top performers in infrastructure, knowledge workers, knowledge output and business environment.
FACTFILE– The India Innovation Index 2019
The India Innovation Index 2019 is calculated as the average of the scores of its two dimensions – Enablers and Performance.
The Enablers are the factors that underpin innovative capacities, grouped in five pillars: (1) Human Capital, (2) Investment, (3) Knowledge Workers, (4) Business Environment, and (5) Safety and Legal Environment. The Performance dimension captures benefits that a nation derives from the inputs, divided in two pillars: (6) Knowledge Output and (7) Knowledge Diffusion.
Ranking of NE and Hill states
SIKKIM
HIMACHAL PRADESH
UTTARAKHAND
MANIPUR
JAMMU & KASHMIR
TRIPURA
ARUNACHAL PRADESH
ASSAM
NAGALAND
MIZORAM
MEGHALAYA
NASSCOM to train Army veterans for IT jobs
The Indian Army and the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) will come together in Bengaluru to orient veterans to the modern industrial needs in the IT sector in order to tap their expertise and potential by offering them jobs.
The initiative has been planned as several multi-national firms, which have in the past, failed to hire Army veterans, despite their keenness, because of technological and cultural differences with the corporate world.
The initiative has been taken jointly by the Indian Army, the NASSCOM and US-based multinational financial services firm Wells Fargo which is also being supported by the multi-national e-commerce firm Amazon India.
NASSCOM is looking for a single-point contact where it can get all details of Army veterans in the IT sector.
Army will assess industrial needs during the two-day event, NASSCOM will help Army in orienting to the modern industrial needs in the IT sector.
Goa signs an MoU with STPI for start-up centre
The Goa government’s Information Technology Corporation signed an MoU with the Software Technology Park of India to set up a start-up centre in the coastal state.
Chief Minister Pramad Sawant said that 14,000 square metres of land would be handed over to the STPI, a society set up by the Union Ministry for Electronics and Information Technology.
Sawant also said, that Goa was trying to position itself as a hub for the start-ups industry and the co-operation with the STPI would help attract more start-ups to the state.
2 persons from Assam selected for National award in Agriculture promotion
Mahan Chandra Borah and Dr Prabin Saikia of Assam are among those selected for the Plant Genome Saviour Award by the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority of the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar will hand over the awards, which will consist of Rs 10 lakh, a citation and a memento each.
Mahan Chandra Borah hails from Teok in Jorhat district, Dr Prabin Saikia is from Bhogpur Chariali in Lakhimpur.
Anup Kumar Singh appointed as Chief of National Security Guard
IPS officer Anup Kumar Singh was appointed as the new Director General of the elite National Security Guard (NSG) force.
The Appointment Committee of the Cabinet approved the Home Ministry’s proposal to appoint the 1985-batch Gujarat cadre Indian Police Service officer to the post.
Singh would take charge from Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) Director General S.S. Deswal, who is holding additional charge of the post since the superannuation of Sudeep Lakhtakia.
Singh will hold the post till September 30, 2020 from the date of joining or till further orders, whichever is earlier.
NSG is a federal contingency “zero error” force to deal with anti-terrorist activities in all its manifestations.Specially equippped and trained to deal with specific situations, it is, therefore, to be used only in exeptional circumstances to thwart serious acts of terrorism.
FACTFILE– The National Security Guard (NSG)
The National Security Guard (NSG) is a counter terrorism unit under the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
It was raised in 15th October 1984, following Operation Blue Star, Akshardham Temple attack and the assassination of Indira Gandhi, “for combating terrorist activities with a view to protect states against internal disturbances”.
It is not categorised under the uniform nomenclature of Central Armed Police Forces. It has a special forces mandate, and its core operational capability is provided by the Special Action Group (SAG) which is drawn from the Indian Army.
The Special Rangers Group (SRG), the police component of NSG, which also handles VIP security, is composed of personnel on deputation from other Central Armed Police Forces and State Police Forces.
The NSG personnel are often referred to in the media as Black Cats because of the black outfit and black cat insignia worn on their uniform
NASA astronauts conduct first all-women space walk
NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Jessica Meir ventured out of the International Space Station for the first all-women spacewalk to replace a failed power controller.
It is the first time that all space walkers are women and the 43rd space walk to include women.
An all-women space walk, involving Koch and NASA astronaut Anne McClain, was originally scheduled for March.
But that was scuttled because properly fitted spacesuits could not be readied in time for both astronauts.
The first all-women space walk is a milestone worth noting as NASA looks forward to putting the first woman and next man on the Moon by 2024 with the agency`s Artemis lunar exploration programme.
October 20, 2019
Assam Cabinet adopts new land policy
Assam state Cabinet adopted the new land policy, under which three bighas of agricultural land will be allotted to landless indigenous families.
Landless families will also be allotted half bigha plots for house construction, and the plot cannot be sold for 15 years.
Under the small family policy, persons having more than two children will not be eligible for government jobs with effect from January 1, 2021.
DNA Technology Regulation Bill referred to Parliamentary panel
The DNA Technology Regulation Bill that provides for the establishment of a national DNA data bank and regional DNA data banks and was passed by Lok Sabha has been referred to a parliamentary standing committee for examination and come back with a report.
The bill seeks to provide the regulation for use and application of Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) technology for the purpose of establishing the identity of certain categories of persons including victims, offenders, suspects, undertrials, missing persons and unknown deceased persons.
Members are informed that the Chairman, Rajya Sabha in consultation with the Speaker, Lok Sabha has referred the DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill, 2019, as introduced in Lok Sabha, to the Standing Committee on Science and Technology, Environment and Forests for examination and report within three months.
FACTFILE– The DNA Based Technology (Use and Regulation) Bill, 2017
The DNA Based Technology (Use and Regulation) Bill, 2017 or the Human DNA Profiling Bill is a proposed legislation in India.
The bill will allow the government to establish a National DNA Data Bank and a DNA Profiling Board, and use the data for various specified forensic purposes.
The bill has raised concerns of privacy among citizen rights groups. The bill was expected to be presented in the parliament in the monsoon session of 2015.
Use of DNA Data: Under the Bill, DNA testing is allowed only in respect of matters listed in the Schedule to the Bill. These include offences under the Indian Penal Code, 1860, and for civil matters such as paternity suits. Further, the Schedule includes DNA testing for matters related to establishment of individual identity.
Arvind Kejriwal inaugurates 100 Mohalla Clinics in Delhi
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal inaugurated 100 more Mohalla Clinics in the national capital.
Kejriwal said that with these new health clinics, a total of 302 Mohalla Clinics are now functional in the city.
These clinics are part of the city government’s push to set up 1,000 neighbourhood clinics in the national capital.
Kejriwal said that 100 more such clinics were ready and would become operational next month.
In such clinics, facilities of diagnostic tests such as lipid profile, kidney and liver function test are available free of cost.
India, Thailand joint naval exercise
India and Thailand began a joint naval exercise in the Bay of Bengal that will involve air exercises with integral helicopters from ships of both nations.
The five-day exercise commenced off the port of Vishakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh.
Two naval ships of Thailand – UMS Sin Phyu Shin (F-14), a frigate and UMS Tabinshweti (773), a corvette – have been deployed for the exercise.
India has deployed its ships INS Ranvijay, a guided-missile destroyer and INS Kuthar, a missile corvette, for the exercise.
The opening ceremony of the exercise was held on board INS Ranvijay at Visakhapatnam.
The harbor phase of the exercise will involve professional interaction for sharing of expertise on various maritime issues between both the navies.
The sea phase will involve a variety of drills including anti-air and surface firing exercises, flying exercises using integral helicopters and seamanship evolutions at sea.
Infrastructure projects worth Rs 2,500 crore approved in Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh’s Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure, chaired by Chief Minister Pema Khandu, approved infrastructure projects worth Rs 2,500 crore.
Of the approved projects, Rs 1,100 crore has been earmarked for upgradation of road infrastructure in the State capital and all administrative headquarters over a period of next three years.
The CCI also Okayed project proposals worth Rs 75 crore for the Department of Tirap, Changlang and Longding Affairs, besides giving its seal of approval for upgradation of Police Training Center at Banderdewa, upgradation of power infrastructure, water supply projects in all newly-created districts headquarters, and comprehensive scheme for providing public amenities in all major townships.
The CCI has doubled the allocation for horticulture projects pertaining to Kiwi, orange, large cardamom, etc from existing Rs 30 crore to Rs 60 crore.
The Committee also directed for revival of all defunct cold processing units at Namasai, Pasighat and Bhalukpong.
UN endorses India’s steps to address hunger, malnutrition
The UN World Food Programme (UNWFP) has endorsed India’s policy measures for addressing hunger and malnutrition to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
Bishow Parajuli, Representative and Country Director to India, UNWFP, told that India has all the ingredients in place to achieve SDG 2, which is to end hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture prior to the 2030 targets.
In 2015, India, along with other countries, signed the declaration on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, comprising 17 SDGs.
Within this agenda, ending hunger, achieving food security and improved nutrition, and promoting sustainable agriculture was set as SDG 2.
While India has made progress in the last couple of decades on key indicators including economic growth, poverty reduction, food grains self-sufficiency and adoption of technological solutions and though there has been a drop in the malnutrition rates, the progress however, needs to be accelerated to achieve the SDGs.
UNWFP has been working in partnership with the Government of India for more than 50 years to contribute to its efforts to achieve food and nutrition security.
India seeks UN action to combat anti-microbial resistance
India has expressed its concern on the global emergence of anti-microbial resistance (AMR) and called upon the relevant United Nations agencies to contain this threat to public health, at G20 Health Ministers meeting.
Health Minister Harsh Vardhan participating in the deliberations on health risk and health security, made an intervention on AMR, seen as a serious emerging threat to global public health.
He called upon all relevant UN agencies to align themselves in their endeavour to combat antimicrobial resistance.
He conveyed to G20 countries the efforts done so far under National Programme for Health Care of Elderly to provide accessible, affordable, and high-quality long-term, comprehensive health care services to an ageing population and also mentioned public health measures to tackle dementia.
The deliberations of the G20 Health Ministers focused on four major global health issues, namely achievement of Universal Health Coverage, response to population aging, management of health risks and health security management including AMR and its containment.
Vice President presents Most Eminent Senior Citizen Award
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu presented Most Eminent Senior Citizen Award to legal luminary and former Attorney General K. Parasaran.
Mr Parasaran was honoured with the award on the occasion of the Elder’s Day celebration of Age Care India, an organization working for the welfare of the elderly.
Vice President said that the Award is a fitting recognition of Mr Parasaran’s exceptional contribution to the field of law and justice as well as his extraordinary personality.
He said that throughout his distinguished career, Mr Parasaran had handled a wide array of cases.
BIOGRAPHY – K. Parasaran
Parasaran is a lawyer, who was Advocate-General of Tamil Nadu during President’s rule in 1976 and then, Attorney General of India under Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi between 1983 and 1989.
Parasaran was awarded the Padma Bhushan in the year 2003 and Padma Vibhushan in the year 2011.
In June 2012, he received a presidential nomination to the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of India’s parliament, for a period of six years.
Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal formally declared open the dwelling units constructed under the first phase of the ambitious ‘Amar Alohi’ scheme at a function held at the SrimantaSankaradevaKalakshetra to mark observance of World Tourism Day.
Altogether 28 such dwelling units in different parts of the State were declared open to make tourists enjoy comfortable homestay and Assamese hospitality.
At the same programme, Chief Minister Sonowal unveiled a logo to globally promote the Raas festival held at Nalbari and Majuli along with other places of the State.
FACTFILE – ‘Aamaar Aalohi’
Rural Homestay Scheme is framed by the Tourism Department, Govt. of Assam, with the objectives of giving a new dimension and thrust to the Rural Homestay Facilities in the State of Assam and creation of self-employment opportunities for educated youths in rural and semi-urban areas of tourism potential and importance.
Under this Scheme, Assam Tourism Development Corporation invites two types of application:
New Homestays (subsidised projects)
Existing Homestays
Selection process of units / beneficiaries & criteria: Suitability criteria for selection of the houses and their premises, their locations would be one of the most important criteria. The houses should not only be from a rural/non-urban area, these should be close to important tourists spots and may also be in such locations where some important tourism events like fairs and festivals etc. are held which draw large number of visitors from different places.
President Kovind presents President’s Colours Awardto Corps of Army Air Defence
President Ram NathKovind handed over the prestigious President’s Colours Award to the Corps of Army Air Defence at Gopalpur in Odisha’s Ganjam district.
The President’s Colours Award is the highest military honour for an armed forces organisation.
This award is given in recognition of exceptional service rendered by to the nation, both during peace and hostile.
The President was presented the Rashtriya salute at the commencement of an impressive parade led by the contingent.
The occasion was attended by senior officers and civil dignitaries. Prominent amongst those present on the occasion included Odisha Governor Professor Ganeshi Lal.
The Air Defence has been in existence since 1940 as a part of Corps of Artillery however, as an independent arm, it got recognition in 1994.
The Corps of Army Air Defence has been awarded with two Ashok Chakras, two Kirti Chakras, 20 Vir Chakras, nine Shauryas Chakras, 113 Sena Medals and 55 Mention-in-Despatches in addition to four Honour Titles awarded during 1971 Indo-Pak war.
MSME, AYUSH signs to jointly promote nutraceuticals industry
The Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) and the Ministry of AYUSH have signed an agreement to jointly promote the nutraceuticals industry in India.
MSME Minister Pratap Chandra Sarangi who was at an Assocham event in New Delhi announced the joint venture.
Nutraceutical is the hybrid of ”nutrition” and ”pharmaceutical”, are food or part of food playing a significant role in modifying and maintaining normal physiological function that maintains healthy human beings.
September 30, 2019
North East festival to be held in Varanasi in November month
A four-day ‘Destination North East’ festival will be held in Varanasi in November to familiarise the people with the rich, unexplored potential and opportunities available in the region, Union Minister Jitendra Singh.
The festival in Varanasi will be a sequel to the ‘Destination North East’ series begun about three years ago, as part of which, such festivals have already been held in places like Chandigarh and Delhi.
The four-day festival on the North East will be held at Varanasi from November 23, Singh, Union Minister for Development of the North Eastern Region (DoNER).
The concept behind holding such events is to familiarise the people in other parts of India with the rich, unexplored potential, avenues and opportunities that the North East has to offer for the rest of the world, he said.
Ancient temple town Varanasi is the Lok Sabha constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
India among 20 most improved countries in Ease of doing business, now at 77th position
India continues to be on 77th position in terms of ease of doing business. The Doing Business Report 2019, commissioned by the World Bank, also highlights that India is among the top 10 improvers on the list once again.
India, along with eastern Africa’s Djibouti, made it the top 10 improvers list last year as well. Other countries on the list with the “most notable improvement” in performance on the Doing Business indicators are China, Azerbaijan, and along with the African nation of Togo, Kenya, Côte d’Ivoire and Rwanda. Afghanistan had the biggest improvement in the latest rankings.
These economies have implemented total 62 business regulatory reforms across all sectors. China and India alone have implemented 13 reforms to improve the EODB standing, which goes a long way towards influencing investors to pour in funds into the country.
The Doing Business report points out that India has implemented norms to simplify the process of starting a business, getting construction permits, electricity supply, credit flow, paying taxes are trading across borders.
World Bank report also highlighted the implementation of the goods and services tax (GST), making the regulation process “faster” in the country. Replacing multiple taxes with one uniform tax has made tax-paying simpler.
Moreover, the country has also made tax payment “less costly” by reducing the corporate income tax rate to 22% for existing domestic companies and 15% for new domestic manufacturing companies.
New Zealand has topped the Ease of Doing Business rankings in 2017, 2018 and 2019.
FACTFILE – Ease of Doing Business Index
The ease of doing business index is an index created jointly by Simeon Djankov and Gerhard Pohl, two leading economists at the Central and Eastern Europe sector of the World Bank Group.
The academic research for the report was done jointly with professors Oliver Hart and Andrei Shleifer.
Higher rankings (a low numerical value) indicate better, usually simpler, regulations for businesses and stronger protections of property rights.
Empirical research funded by the World Bank to justify their work show that the economic growth impact of improving these regulations is strong.
India hands over Rs. 2.41 Crore worth school building to Nepal
India has handed over a new school building costing Rs. 2.41 crores to the Nepal government that would boost the learning environment of students from the marginalised sections in the Himalayan nation.
The new building of KuleshworAwas Secondary School in Kathmandu city was jointly inaugurated by Ajay Kumar, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of India in Kathmandu, in the presence of several senior officials from the Nepal government.
The new school infrastructure is a three-storey structure comprising 20 class rooms, separate sanitation facilities for boys and girls on each floor, underground water tank and furniture.
India recently provided Rs. 233 crores to the Nepal Government for various infrastructure projects, including roads and reconstruction of houses destroyed in the massive earthquake in 2015 which saw the death of over 9,000 people.
The decision was taken during the 5th meeting of the Nepal-India Joint Commission attended by the External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
