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Assam Current Affairs – September 22 – 28, 2019

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Current Affairs Assam – September 22 - 28, 2019

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

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September 22, 2019

  World Rhino Day observed at Kaziranga
  • Kaziranga National Park in association with various environmental NGOs and people of Kaziranga observed World Rhino Day on September 22.
  • The day-long programme inaugurated by Director of Kaziranga National Park P Siva Kumar and SDO (Civil) of Kaliabor, Bitupan Neog started at 7 am at Koliabor from which two processions with tableaus of rhinos moved for two different destinations, one towards Bokakhat and another towards Biswanath Division of Kaziranga National Park, Biswanath.
  • Agriculture Minister Atul Bora said that the cooperation extended by local people of Kaziranga was a great contribution towards conservation of rhinos in Kaziranga National Park, adding that local people should help in the protection of rhinos and other wildlife in Kaziranga National Park as it has helped in increase the population of rhinos in Kaziranga.

FACTFILE – World Rhino Day

  • The World Wildlife Fund-South Africa in 2010, announced to celebrate World Rhino Day on 22 September every year since then. The annual event took off on a global scale both on online and offline platforms when Lisa Jane Campbell of Chishakwe Ranch in Zimbabwe and founder of Annamitici joined hands with creative director Rhishja Cota in 2011 to create a massive awareness to protect all 5 species of rhinos from extinction.
  • The activities on occasion of Rhino Day vary from one participant to another with activities such as peaceful demonstrations, classroom projects, fundraising dinners, auctions and poster displays are observed globally.
  • World’s Five Rhinoceros Species living in Africa and Asia–
    • Javan Rhinos (Rhinoceros sondaicus): Critically Endangered (IUCN)
    • Sumatran rhinos (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis): Critically Endangered (IUCN)
    • Black rhinos (Diceros bicornis): Critically Endangered (IUCN)
    • White rhinos (Ceratotherium simum): Near Threatened (IUCN)
    • Greater One-Horned Rhinos (Rhinoceros unicornis): Vulnerable (IUCN)
 Bihar inaugurates its first all-women employee Post Office
  • Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad inaugurated the all-women employee post office on the campus of Bihar Public Services Commission (BPSC). He said these post offices will be a step forward towards strengthening women empowerment.
  • He informed that postal accounts will be linked with Aadhaar for greater transparency. On an average, one thousand Aadhaar cards will be made at this center and other facilities will be also available. Minister Prasad said 114 such Kendra will soon be operational in 53 cities in the country.
 Delhi CM launches ‘champions campaign’ against dengue
  • Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal launched “champions campaign” in the fight against dengue and urged people to encourage their friends to inspect their homes on Sunday to clean stagnant water.
  • the campaign envisages that citizens should promptly reach out to 10 of their friends or peers and ask them to check their premises for signs of dengue.
  • Lakhs of Delhiites are joining the #10Hafte10Baje10Minute campaign against Dengue.
  • Such a community-driven campaign will ensure the citizens are encouraged to take initiative and responsibility for their fellow citizens.
 DSCI, MeitY and Google India join hands for ‘Digital Payment Abhiyan’
  • Nasscom’s Data Security Council of India (DSCI) collaborated with the electronics and IT ministry (MeitY) and Google India to launch a nationwide awareness campaign ‘Digital Payment Abhiyan’.
  • Communications and Electronics & IT Minister launched the campaign that will educate end-users on the benefits of making digital payments and urge them to adopt security and safety best practices.
  • The campaign was launched at the Google for India event.
  • To drive the campaign objectives and amplify outreach to users across all states, DSCI has onboarded various digital payments, ecosystem partners.
  • These partners include representation from banking, card networks as well as a fin-tech segment.

September 23, 2019

  Assam Tourism eyes 75 lakh domestic tourists
  • Assam, one of the ‘seven sisters’ of North East, is eying over 75 lakh domestic and 50,000 foreign tourists to visit the State following digital promotions and documentaries.
  • Assam received around 41,000 overseas and 60,27,002 domestic visitors in 2018-19.
  • Assam is doing promotional activities through digital medium and a series of documentaries in the National Geographic, thus expect this number to grow to over 50,000 foreign and over 75 lakh Indian travellers in this financial year, said Assam Tourism Development Corporation (ATDC) chairman Jayanta Malla Baruah
  • The top source market of the State is the UK followed by Germany, Israel, China and South Asian countries.
  • World Bank has given in-principal allocation of Rs 720 crore for infrastructure development of various destinations.
  • Prime Minister has declared 17 destinations as iconic and Kaziranga National Park is in the list, separate funds will be allocated by the Central government.
  • This year Assam expects to attract over 15 lakh tourists to its annual river festival – Dwijing festival, which is an annual river festival celebrated in the Bodoland Territorial Area Districts, he added.
  • Assam has a lot to offer apart from its very own Kaziranga National Park, Bihu and the mighty Brahmaputra. Assam has offerings from religious, spiritual and historical monuments, to tea estate experiences topped with adventure and authentic cuisine.
 Telangana, Andhra CMs agree to Link Rivers
  • Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao and his Andhra Pradesh counterpart Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy decided to interlink Godavari and Krishna rivers with less land acquisition.
  • Both the chief ministers had a lengthy discussion on diverting Godavari waters to Krishna River and other important issues pertaining to both the states at a meeting at PragathiBhavan.
  • Both the CMs discussed about from where Godavari waters can be linked to the Krishna and at what alignment. They agreed that the linkage and utilisation of water should be useful for the both the states.

FACTFILE – Godavari River

  • The Godavari is India’s second longest river after the Ganga. Its source is in Triambakeshwar, Maharashtra.
  • It flows east for 1,465 kilometres, draining the states of Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, ultimately emptying into the Bay of Bengal through its extensive network of tributaries.
  • Measuring up to 312,812 km2, it forms one of the largest river basins in the Indian subcontinent, with only the Ganga and Indus rivers having a larger drainage basin.
  • In terms of length, catchment area and discharge, the Godavari is the largest in peninsular India, and had been dubbed as the Vridha Ganga.

FACTFILE – Krishna River

  • The Krishna River is the third largest river in terms of water inflows and river basin area in India, after the Ganga, Godavari and Brahmaputra.
  • The 1,400 kilometres long river is one of the major sources of irrigation for Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
 PM Modi, Mongolian Prez unveil Buddha statue in Ulaanbaatar
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mongolian President Khaltmaagiin Battulga jointly unveiled a statue of the Buddha and his two disciples installed at the historic GandanTegchenling Monastery in Mongolia’s capital Ulaanbaatar through video conferencing. The statue symbolises the shared respect of our two countries for the universal message of Lord Buddha.
  • The statue depicts Buddha in a sitting posture along with his two disciples conveying the message of compassion along with peace and coexistence.
  • Prime Minister during his visit to Mongolia in 2015 and had announced to gift a statue of Buddha to the monastery, underlining the common Buddhist heritage and civilisational links between the two countries and peoples.
  • The statue was installed and consecrated at the Gandan Monastery earlier this month during the third edition of “SAMVAAD” dialogue held in Ulaanbaatar from September 6-7.

FACTFILE – Gandan Tegchenling Monastery

  • Gandan Tegchenling Monastery is a prominent centre of Mongolian Buddhists and a treasure house of valuable Buddhist heritage. It hosted the 11th General Assembly of Asian Buddhist Conference for Peace (ABCP) from 21-23 June 2019 marking the 50th anniversary of the Conference.
  • Over 150 guests from 14 countries including India, South Korea, Russia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, North Korea, LPDR, Thailand, Japan etc. had participated in the event.
 Coast Guard undertakes beach clean-up along coastline
  • The Indian Coast Guard conducted a massive beach clean-up drive along the coastline of the country on the occasion of International Coastal Cleanup Day.
  • The International Coastal Cleanup Day is observed on the third Saturday of every September as per the mandate of the United Nations Environment Programme.
  • In the region of South Asia the drive is coordinated by the South Asia Cooperative Environment Programme (SACEP).
  • India has a coastline of over 7,500 kilometers along nine states and two union territories of the country.
  • Beach cleaning activities were conducted in four states – Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and Kerala, that fall under its ambit. The western region also conducted the cleanup drive in two union territories of Daman and Lakshadweep.
  • Around 8,000 volunteers participated in the drive, they cleared approximately 30,000 kgs of trash and non-bio degradable waste apart from a huge quantity of non-degradable marine litter.

           

September 24, 2019

  National Health Mission Assam receives – IT Excellence Award
  • The National Health Mission, Assam recently received the ‘IT Excellence Award’ conferred by the Indian Express Group for the project ‘A Journey from Quantity to Quality’.
  • The quality journey is a multi-pronged strategy approach to create value in public healthcare in Assam as per national standards.
  • Based on the guidelines of Indian Public Health Standard (IPHS), comprehensive gap analysis format was prepared to carry out a gap analysis of each facility.
  • The journey on the quality started with a mobile-based application developed and implemented with support from UNICEF to carry out the gap analysis and get instant and reliable output.
  • Shifting the healthcare system from the quantity of services provided to the quality of services provided yield significant result within one year.
  • Altogether 236 government healthcare bodies have achieved quality benchmarks in 2019-20 after implementation of this strategy.
 NASSCOM signs MoU with Pearson to skill IT workforce
  • NASSCOM FutureSkills has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Pearson India, a leading digital learning company, in a bid to provide skill training to current and future working professionals and help improve the quality and quantity of the employable workforce in the IT-BPM industry.
  • With the spread of digitalisation, skilling would become indispensable for professionals across the IT spectrum. The MoU seeks to provide these skill sets to the workforce.
  • The ongoing digitisation of new-age technologies is creating a massive skill gap in the IT, ITES and BPM sectors.
  • Given the current growth trajectory, the demand for digitally skilled professionals will rise to 2.3-2.7 million in fiscal 2023.
  • According to an estimate, out of the 4.5 million professionals employed in the industry today, around 1.5 to 2 million professionals will require reskilling in the coming four to five years.
 CM Kejriwal launches new street light scheme in Delhi
  • In a move to enhance women’s safety in the capital, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced a new scheme for installing street lights at unlit dark spots across the city.
  • To be called ‘Mukhyamantri Street Light Yojana’, the scheme will ensure that 2.1 lakh street lights are installed across the city to light up dark spots from November 1 with a budget of Rs 100 crore.
  • The street lights will be installed at locations on the lines of CCTV installation, unlike the street lights installed by the local bodies.
  • Under the scheme, the people can contact the area MLA to designate the spots where they wish to have street lights installed.
  • These lights will be equipped with sensor technology so that they can sense the ambient light. Any resident of Delhi can give the permission to install street lights by signing a letter. They have to give electricity connections from their houses and a fixed amount will be reduced from their bills.
 China launches two new BeiDou satellites
  • China launched two new satellites of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) into space. The satellites that were launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre, Sichuan province, on a Long March-3B carrier rocket.
  • The new satellites and the carrier rocket were developed by the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) and the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.
  • The new satellites will work with the BDS satellites already in orbit to improve the positioning accuracy of the system. They are also equipped with new processors to improve navigation signals.

FACTFILE – The BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS)

  • The BeiDou Navigation Satellite System is a Chinese satellite navigation system. It consists of two separate satellite constellations.
  • The first BeiDou system, officially called the BeiDou Satellite Navigation Experimental System and also known as BeiDou-1, consists of three satellites which since 2000 has offered limited coverage and navigation services, mainly for users in China and neighboring regions. Beidou-1 was decommissioned at the end of 2012.
  • The second generation of the system, officially called the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) and also known as COMPASS or BeiDou-2, became operational in China in December 2011 with 10 satellites in orbit.
  • In 2015, China started the build-up of the third generation BeiDou system (BeiDou-3) for global coverage constellation. As of October 2018, fifteen BDS-3 satellites have been launched. BeiDou-3 will eventually consist of 35 satellites and is expected to provide global services upon completion in 2020.
  • When fully completed, BeiDou will provide an alternative global navigation satellite system to the United States owned Global Positioning System (GPS), the Russian GLONASS or European Galileo systems and is expected to be more accurate than these.
  • On 27 December 2018, BeiDou Navigation Satellite System started to provide global services.

September 25, 2019

  Assam launches housing, education loan subsidy scheme ‘Aponar Apon Ghar’
  • Assam Govt launched a housing loan subsidy scheme to provide financial relief on purchase or construction of the first house for a family.
  • Assam Finance minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma launched the scheme titled ‘Aponar Apon Ghar’ and said that subsidy up to Rs 2.5 lakh will be provided for loan amounts from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 40 lakh.
  • Up to loan amount from Rs 5 to Rs 10 lakh one lakh interest subsidy will be provided.
  • While between Rs 10 lakh to Rs 20 lakh the subsidy will be Rs 1.50 lakh, from Rs 20 lakh to Rs 30 lakh Rs 2 lakh subsidy will be given and from Rs 30 to Rs 40 Lakh Rs 2.50 lakh will be provided.
 PM Modi receives Global Goalkeeper Award
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi was conferred the Global Goalkeeper Award by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for the Swachh Bharat mission.
  • The PM said the honour bestowed on him was for the millions of Indians who participated in the mission. He said though the Swachh Bharat mission was begun by his government, the people took charge of it.
  • When he took over in 2014, less than 40 per cent homes had toilets in the country, and now it is close to 100 percent. He said the Clean India Mission has also helped save thousands of lives, and cited a WHO report that said building toilets in homes helped save 300,000 lives.
  • He cited a UNICEF study that said that every family with a toilet will be able to save Rs 50,000 a year, while a Bill and Melinda Gates report said that increase in sanitation has improved the BMI of women.
 PM Modi announces Coalition for Disaster Management at UN Climate Action Summit
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced a global Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) at the UN Climate Action Summit in New York.
  • The Prime Minister made the announcement of the coalition at the Climate Action Summit, which was witnessed by global leaders, government functionaries, international delegates and diplomats from across the world.
  • The partnership of national governments, UN agencies and programmes, multilateral development banks, financing mechanisms, private sector and knowledge institutions will promote the resilience of new and existing infrastructure systems to tackle climate and disaster risks, thereby ensuring sustainable development.
  • Developed through consultations with more than 35 countries, the CDRI envisions to enable measurable reduction in infrastructure losses from disasters, including extreme climate events.
  • Established as a platform for generating and exchanging knowledge, the CDRI will conduct country-specific and global activities.
  • CDRI will provide member countries technical support and capacity development, research and knowledge management, and advocacy and partnerships to facilitate and encourage investment in disaster resilient infrastructure systems.
  • CDRI will focus on developing resilience in ecological infrastructure, social infrastructure with a concerted emphasis on health and education, and economic infrastructure with special attention to transportation, telecommunication, energy and water.
 India’s growing Diplomatic significance at UN
  • The CDRI is the second major coalition launched by India outside of the UN, the first being the International Solar Alliance.
  • Both of them are seen as India’s attempts to obtain a global leadership role in climate change matters, and were termed as part of India’s stronger branding.
  • India and Japan, with their joint experience in disaster management, can use the CDRI to provide a safer alternative to China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

FACTFILE – Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI)

  • Formed on September 23, 2019
  • Headquarters – New Delhi, India
  • CDRI is an international coalition of countries, United Nations (UN) agencies, multilateral development banks, the private sector, and academic institutions, that aims to promote disaster-resiliant infrastructure.
  • CDRI will provide member countries technical support and capacity development, research and knowledge management, and advocacy and partnerships to facilitate and encourage investment in disaster resilient infrastructure systems.
  • CDRI will focus on developing resilience in ecological infrastructure, social infrastructure with a concerted emphasis on health and education, and economic infrastructure with special attention to transportation, telecommunication, energy and water.
 Delhi to implement Street Vendors Act
  • Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced that the city government will legalise the street vendors and hawkers and will provide them protection in the national capital.
  • Delhi will become the first state to implement the The Street Vendors Act, 2014. Under it, 28 town vending committees have been set up and a notification has been issued.
  • The committees, each having 30 members, have 12 vendors or hawkers as their team, while rest of the members are officials, town planners, police and traffic police, and RWAs and market association, and officials from the health department.
  • The MCDs and the civic bodies have been asked to conduct a survey of vendors through their respective town vending committees.
  • After the survey is completed, street vendors will be given certificates and thereafter, licences will be issued.
  • The licences will have the name of the owner, address and the place of vending, and this will ensure that they are not harassed by anyone.
  • The Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014 was passed in February, 2014 to regulate street vendors in public areas and protect their rights. It was introduced in the Lok Sabha in 2012 by then Union Minister of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, Kumari Selja.

September 26, 2019

  India, US, Japan begin trilateral maritime exercise ‘Malabar 2019’
  • India, the US and Japan began the ‘Malabar 2019’ trilateral maritime exercise in the Pacific Ocean. The exercise, in which the Indian Navy has deployed two ships.
  • Two frontline indigenously developed ships – INS Sahyadri, INS Kiltan – have been deployed for the exercise. Sahyadri is a multi-purpose guided missile frigate while the Kiltan is an anti-submarine warfare corvette. A P8I long-range maritime patrol aircraft was also sent to Japan for the exercise.
  • The US Navy is being represented by USS McCampbell, a Los Angeles-class attack submarine and a P8A long range maritime patrol aircraft.
  • The Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force has participated with the Izumo class helicopter destroyer JS Kaga, guided missile destroyers JS Samidare and Choukai and a P1 long-range maritime patrol aircraft.
  • The objective of Malabar 2019, which is being conducted for the 33rd time, is to further strengthen naval ties between the three countries.
  • The exercise also aims to enhance cooperation and inter-operability, based on shared values and principles, between the three Navies.
  • Complex maritime operations in the surface, sub-surface and air domains including anti-submarine warfare, anti-air and anti-surface firings, maritime interdiction operations will be conducted during the sea-phase of the exercise.

FACTFILE – Malabar Exercise

  • Exercise Malabar is a trilateral naval exercise involving the United States, Japan and India as permanent partners.
  • Originally begun in 1992 as a bilateral exercise between India and the United States, Japan became a permanent partner in 2015.
  • Past non-permanent participants are Australia and Singapore.
  • The annual Malabar series began in 1992 and includes diverse activities, ranging from fighter combat operations from aircraft carriers through Maritime Interdiction Operations Exercises
 Defence Minister Rajnath Singh commissions Coast Guard ship Varaha
  • Defence Minister Rajnath Singh commissioned the Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICGS) Varaha in Chennai. The Varaha is an offshore patrol vehicle developed by the private agency, Larsen & Toubro (L&T), in accordance with a contract signed with the Defence Ministry.
  • It is the fourth among a series of seven ships to be delivered by L&T with features like ultra-advanced navigation and communication sensors.
  • Varaha will operate from the port of New Mangalore on the West Coast covering the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) up to Kanyakumari.
  • The state-of-the-art ship can operate the indigenously developed Advanced Light Helicopter of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.
  • It is expected to add to the Coast Guard”s strength in responding to the threats of maritime terrorism, smuggling and challenges of maritime law enforcement.
  • The ship is also well-equipped with high speed boats, medical facilities and modern surveillance systems.
  • It can help provide search and rescue cover to mariners in distress at sea.
 Gandhi solar park, peace garden inaugurated at UN
  • Leaders from around the world joined hands in the spirit of Gandhian universality to inaugurate a solar facility and roof garden at the UN headquarters and a garden with trees from across the US dedicated to the Mahatma on his 150th birth year.
  • Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Prime Ministers Narendra Modi, Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh, Andre Holness of Jamaica, Jacinda Arden of New Zealand and Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore placed their hands on a glass globe to inaugurate them.
  • The Gandhi Solar Park costing $1 million and having an output of 50 kilowatts of electricity is located on the roof of the Conference Building at the headquarters and is a gift from India to the UN to provide it clean energy.
  • India also donated the Gandhi Peace Garden made up of 150 trees located at a university campus in Old Westbury as another environmental gift.
  • Marking the 150th birth anniversary of Gandhi, the two gifts symboliseIndia”s commitment to the environment by producing clean power and capturing carbon emissions in the trees.
  • Accepting the gifts, Guterres thanked India for supporting the elimination of single-use plastic at the UN by providing reusable bags and kits, and for installing solar panels and a green roof on top of the Conference Building.
 Bangladesh PM Hasina honoured with ‘Vaccine Hero Award’
  • Bangaldesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, was conferred with the Vaccine Hero Award at the UN headquarters. Hasina was applauded for the success in immunisation in Bangladesh, especially for her role in eliminating polio and curtailing diphtheria, hepatitis-B and rubella.
  • Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunizations (GAVI) Board Chairperson NgoziOkonjo-Iweala delivered a felicitation speech on the occasion.
  • GAVI, a Switzerland-based organisation, works to save the lives of millions of children globally by providing vaccines to them.
  • Dedicated vaccine centres and over 18,000 community clinics and Union Health Centres are providing vaccination services across Bangladesh.
  • The UNICEF will organise an event on honouring Hasina where she will also receive the Champion of skill development for youth” award.

 

September 27, 2019

  Centre to invest Rs 3,500 crore in NE aviation sector
  • The Civil Aviation Ministry will invest Rs 3,500 crore in the aviation sector of the North East region in the next couple of years, said Sanjiv Jindal, Regional Executive Director of the AAI, North East region.
  • An amount of Rs 1,250 crore would be spent on the facelift of the Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport in Guwahati, the region’s most busy airport.
  • The new terminal of the Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport airport will entail an expenditure of Rs 448 crore and an amount of Rs 650 crore will be spent on infrastructure development of the Imphal airport.
  • The works of the Imphal airport will be completed by the end of this year, while the new terminal of the Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport here will be ready for use by March next year.
  • Aviation sector is one of the fastest growing sectors in the country, Jindal said that three water aerodromes would come up in Assam.
  • Boosting air connectivity to some parts of the North East region was on the AAI’s radar. The potential sites include Silchar, Tezpur, Dimapur, Shillong and Tura. Besides, the Union Aviation Ministry has identified 20 locations in Arunachal Pradesh where helicopter services would be launched soon.
  • The External Affairs Ministry has already approached Dhaka for 52 acres of land to extend the existing runway at the Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport. “There is a possibility of the airport being used by the two countries, which is operational in Europe. The Asian Development Bank has already carried out a survey and suggested the new concept,” he said.
  • Out of the total 13 operational airports in the North East, only the airport in Guwahati is on the path of making profits.
 NTPC, SECI to set up dispute resolution in clean energy sector
  • The Central government has proposed to set up a dispute resolution mechanism in the renewable energy sector to cater to the growing cases of disputes between stakeholders in the solar and wind sectors.
  • The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has issued guidelines for establishing a dispute resolution mechanism (DRM) for projects being implemented by government agencies Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) and NTPC.
  • As per the guidelines, SECI and NTPC will provide a secretariat for the dispute resolution committee (DRC), with its head being designated as the secretary who will be from either of the two state run entities.
  • All disputes emanating from contracts or from decisions taken by SECI or NTPC will have to be addressed to the DRC secretary.
  • All the applications under the DRM, whether for appeal against the decisions given by SECI or NTPC based on the terms of contract or the requests not covered under the terms of contract, will be addressed to the DRC secretary.

FACTFILE – Solar Energy Corporation of India Ltd. (SECI)

  • SECI is a company of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India, established to facilitate the implementation of the National Solar Mission (NSM).
  • It is the only Central Public Sector Undertaking dedicated to the solar energy sector. The company’s mandate has been broadened to cover the entire renewable energy domain and the company will be renamed to Renewable Energy Corporation of India (RECI).
  • It is responsible for implementation of government schemes, major ones being the VGF schemes for large-scale grid-connected projects under NSM, solar park scheme and grid-connected solar rooftop scheme, and other specialised schemes such as defence scheme, canal-top scheme, and Indo-Pak border scheme.
  • SECI has also ventured into solar project development on turnkey basis for several PSUs. The company also has a power-trading licence and is active in this domain through trading of solar power from projects set up by it.
 DRDO inks pact to set up research centre in J&K
  • The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) entered an MoU with the Central University of Jammu to establish a new centre for science and technology in Jammu and Kashmir.
  • The MoU was signed here in the presence of Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, the new centre will be set up at the Central University of Jammu.
  • The centre will be named Kalam Centre for Science and Technology after former President late A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.
  • The primary objective behind signing the MoU is to undertake and facilitate basic and applied research and technology development in the identified research verticals, namely Computational System Security and Sensors.
  • The centre will be equipped with state-of-the-art facilities and equipment which will help increase the number of research scholars in the region.

September 28, 2019

  The Tea Board of India likely to fix a minimum price for green tea leaves in Assam
  • Assam industry and commerce minister Chandra Mohan Patowary said that the Tea Board of India is likely to fix a minimum price for green tea leaves in Assam soon. He said that to avail the minimum price the growers, however, also have to ensure the good quality of the tea leaves.
  • All the stakeholders of the tea industry met during a meeting in Guwahati to discuss ways and means to improve the quality of the Assam tea and increase the export of tea.
  • “While we have requested the Tea Board of India to fix a minimum support price for green tea leaves, the growers have also agreed to resort to good plucking involving the traditional two leafs and a bud to ensure quality of the Assam tea,” the minister said.
  • Assam government asks Tea board to come up with minimum price for green tea leaves. The board is also asked to give direction to the growers to improve the quality of the tea.
  • Assam was a global leader in tea production in 1961 when the export was 37percent. However, the export came down to only 12 percent in recent years, affecting the industry as a whole.
 Defence Minister Rajnath Singh commissions INS Khanderi
  • Defence Minister Rajnath Singh commissioned India’s second Scorpene-class attack submarine INS Khanderi into the Indian Navy in a ceremony held at the Mazagon Docks in Mumbai.
  • The commissioning was marked by the hoisting of the Indian National Flag on the flagpost of the submarine.
  • Navy chief Admiral Karambir Singh and a host of other dignitaries including senior naval officials were also present on the occasion.
  • The Defence Minister also commissioned the first of India’s P-17 Shivalik-class frigate Nilgiri and the aircraft carrier drydock into the Indian Navy during the ceremony.
  • The INS Khanderi is the second attack submarine that has been commissioned into the Indian Navy under the P-75 project. In 2017, another submarine INS Kalvari had already been inducted into the Navy.
  • Nilgiri, the Alpha Shivalik-class frigate, a stealth warship, has been built under a programme called P-17. The Nilgiri is a follow-up to the first ever frigate which was built by the Mazgaon Dock Limited way back in the 1970s and has now been decommissioned.
  • The aircraft carrier drydock which was commissioned is the largest drydock of the Indian Navy.

FACTFILE – INS Khanderi (2017)

  • INS Khanderi is the second of the Indian Navy’s six Kalvari-class submarines being built in India.
  • It is a diesel-electric attack submarine which was designed by French naval defence and energy company DCNS and manufactured at Mazagon Dock Limited in Mumbai.
  • The submarine began its sea trials on 1 June 2017.
 Rajasthan-based Payal Jangid receives Changemaker Award
  • Rajasthan-based activist PayalJangid, 17, has been honoured with prestigious ‘Changemaker Award’ by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation at the Goalkeepers Global Goals Awards held in New York.
  • In recognition of her work towards the abolition of child marriage in her village, Hinsla and other neighbouring areas.
  • Jangid, who is one of many torchbearers of Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi”s legacy and who lives in a Child-Friendly Village (Bal Mitra Gram) situated in the desert state of Rajasthan.
  • Jangid, as the President of her village’s Children’s Parliament (Bal Panchayat), has undertaken a slew of field activities in the past to empower women and children of her own village and villages nearby.
  • Jangid’s parents decided to marry her off when she was only 11 years old. She raised her voice against child marriage, as a result, her parents relented and the marriage was prevented.
  • As a child rights advocate, she has been encouraging children to unite and raise their voices against injustices done to them.
  • She has made a significant contribution to her village administration leading to the betterment of the lives of the children of her village.
  • Earlier in 2013, on the basis of Jangid’s extensive work towards protection of the rights of children, she was chosen as a member of the jury for the World’s Children’s Prize.
  • In 2017, she also received the ”Young Achiever Award” by the global sports and fitness brand Reebok.
 TN to buy 2,623 buses with financial assistance from KFW
  • As a part of its plan to modernise the bus fleet of its transport corporations, Tamil Nadu government has decided to buy 2,123 BS-VI emission compliant buses and 500 electric buses with the debt assistance provided by German development bank KFW.
  • The government said a Project Agreement was signed with KFW for financial assistance of Rs 1,580 crore.
  • The Tamil Nadu government had earlier announced that it would acquire 12,000 new buses and 2,000 electric buses with KFW’s debt of Rs 5,890 crore.
  • According to the state government, under the Project Agreement, setting up of charging stations for electric vehicles, acquisition of software and hardware for the upgradation of transport department, setting up of passenger information systems, cashless ticketing and others will be implemented.

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Assam Current Affairs – September 15 – 21, 2019

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Current Affairs Assam – September 15 - 21, 2019

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

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September 15, 2019

  Union IT Minister launches maritime communication services in India
  • Union Minister for Communications, Electronics and Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad launched maritime communication services.
  • He also launched a web portal for reporting stolen mobiles to help trace them.
  • Maritime connectivity will enable high-end support to those travelling on sailing vessels, cruise liners and ships in India by use of satellite technology and provide access to voice, data and video services.
  • Nelco India’s leading VSAT solutions provider, will now provide quality broadband services to the maritime sector.
  • Nelco, through global partnerships, infrastructure including transponder capacity on the satellite of ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) and a comprehensive service portfolio, will help energy, cargo and cruise vessels by enabling customer services.
  • A project called Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) system has been undertaken by the Department of Telecom for addressing security, theft and other concerns including reprogramming of mobile handsets.
  • The major objectives of the project include blocking of lost/stolen mobile phones across mobile networks, prevention of mobile devices with duplicate and fake IMEIs and curtail the use of counterfeit mobile devices.
 BEL signed a contract with the Ministry of Defence
  • Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) has signed a contract with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in New Delhi to deliver its surface-to-air Akash missile systems to seven more squadrons of the Indian Air Force at a cost of Rs 5,357 crore over the next three years.
  • The missiles are designed and developed by the state-run Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and produced by the Hyderabad-based Bharat Dynamics Ltd for BEL’s radars and control centres across the country.
  • The company supplied the medium-range missile defence system to six Air Force squadrons in 2015-16 against an earlier order by the MoD.
  • An Akash system comprises a 3D passive electronically scanned array radar and four launchers with three missiles each, interlinked.

FACTFILE – Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL)

  • BEL is an Indian state-owned aerospace and defence company with about nine factories, and several regional offices in India. It is owned by the Indian Government and primarily manufactures advanced electronic products for the Indian Armed Forces.
  • BEL is one of nine PSUs under the Ministry of Defence of India.
  • It has been granted Navratna status by the Government of India.
 India signs contract with Russia for enhancing Air Defence capability
  • The Defence Ministry signed contract with Russia for enhancing air defence capability of Delhi class warships of Indian Navy.
  • The contract for modernisation of “Air Defence Complex Kashmir and Radar Fregat MAE” on P-15 (Delhi Class) of ships was signed between the Ministry of Defence and JSC Rosoboronexport, Russian Federation.
  • The modernisation of Radar and Missile systems would enhance the air defence capability of the P-15 Ships.
  • As per the agreement reached between New Delhi and Moscow, modernisation, major overhaul and refurbishment of sub systems would be undertaken in India.
  • The manufacturing of critical hardware would also be undertaken in partnership with the Indian industry.
  • There are 3 Delhi class destroyers in Indian Navy – INS Delhi, INS Mysore, INS Mumbai.
  • The Delhi-class destroyers are guided-missile destroyers and three ships of this class are in active service.

September 16, 2019

 IAF receives Spice-2000 ‘building blaster’ buster bombs
  • The Indian Air Force (IAF) has started receiving the ‘building blaster’ version of the Balakot airstrike-fame Spice-2000 bombs at the Gwalior airbase.
  • The Israeli firm has started the delivery of the Spice-2000 bombs to India and the first batch of these bombs was received.
  • The weapons have been delivered to Gwalior as it is the home base of the Indian Air Force’s Mirage 2000 fighter aircraft fleet and they are the only fleet which can fire the Israeli bombs.
  • The Indian Air Force has signed an over Rs 250 crore contract with Israel for Mark 84 warhead and bombs, which can destroy buildings completely.
  • The IAF had signed a contract with Israel in June this year for acquiring more than 100 Spice-2000 bombs under the emergency procurement powers of the services.
  • The contract was signed as the Indian Air Force wanted to acquire the bombs after their successful usage in the Balakot airstrikes against a Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terrorist camp in Pakistan.
 India, Malaysia undertake joint naval exercise
  • India and Malaysia are conducting a joint naval military exercise to test inter-operability of their navies in South East Asia and Western Pacific regions.
  • Two warships, INS Sahyadri and INS Kiltan, have been despatched by the Indian Navy to Malaysia for the bilateral exercise.
  • The sea phase of the exercise, which is named ‘SamudraLaksamana’, is at present underway off the Malaysian port of Kota Kinabalu.
  • In the harbour phase of the exercise there were professional interactions between naval crew of the two countries.
  • INS Sahyadri and INS Kiltan are under command of Rear Admiral Suraj Berry, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command, based at Visakhapatnam.
  • The warships are equipped with a versatile array of weapons and sensors and have the capability to carry multi-role helicopters.
 IFC signs MOU with FIDC for training NBFCs
  • The International Finance Corporation (IFC), part of the World Bank Group, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Finance Industry Development Council (FIDC), a representative body of asset and loan Financing NBFCs, to collaborate on training of NBFCs in the country.
  • As per the agreed terms, training programs for NBFCs would be conducted on “Commercial Credit Reporting” aimed at building capacity of NBFCs to enhanced reporting and enquiring on Commercial Credit Information Data from the Credit Bureaus.
  • These training programs would be conducted at various centers across the country under the guidance of leading consultants from the World Bank Group.

FACTFILE – International Finance Corporation (IFC)

  • The International Finance Corporation (IFC) is an international financial institution that offers investment, advisory, and asset-management services to encourage private-sector development in less developed countries.
  • The IFC is a member of the World Bank Group and is headquartered in Washington, D.C. in the United States.
  • It was established in 1956, as the private-sector arm of the World Bank Group, to advance economic development by investing in for-profit and commercial projects for poverty reduction and promoting development.

 

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September 17, 2019

 Rs 52,000 crore investments post ‘Advantage Assam’
  • Assam has been able to draw investments to the tune of Rs 52,000 crore so far as part of the various MoUs signed with investors during the ‘Advantage Assam’ Global Investors Summit held last year, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal.
  • Addressing a press conference, Sonowal said the Centre’s recent decision to cut corporate tax will turn out to be a game changer resulting in major boost in investments, creation of industries and employment opportunities in the country, including the northeastern region.
  • The Chief Minister said 240 MoUs, worth over Rs 80,000 crore, were signed during the Advantage Assam summit. He said Rs 42,000 crore worth investments in the oil and gas sector and another Rs 10,000 crore worth of investments in the ‘private sector’ have been grounded so far.
  • Sonowal said that 117 new manufacturing units have come up in the State as per agreements entered into during the summit.
  • Sonowal said Assam and the Northeast, being located in close proximity to the ASEAN countries, will also benefit from the Central government’s decision to slash corporate tax rates. He said the northeastern region has gained a lot on the economic front since the Narendra Modi-led NDA regime took office.
  • He said that direct flights between Guwahati and Dhaka, and Guwahati and Singapore have already started and in coming days more destinations in Southeast Asia will be covered.
 R&D centre for clean coal unveiled in IISc Bengalore
  • Union Minister of Science and Technology Harsh Vardhan opened the national centre for clean coal research and development at the Indian Institute of Science’s (IISc) campus.
  • The minister also dedicated to the nation the inter-disciplinary centre for energy research in the sprawling campus to conduct wide spectrum of research in the field by a knowledge network of eminent researchers.
  • Assuring academia of the government’s help in providing knowhow and finances for the research centres, the minister said results in research, development and demonstration of tools products and processes are critical for the country’s energy security.
  • The clean coal research centre will extend its activities in energy-related areas with an emphasis on process and material development in collaboration with the manufacturing industry.
  • To achieve international targets on climate change by minimising anthropogenic emissions and address the country’s energy demand, development of clean coal technologies to reduce carbon emissions from coal-based power plants has become a necessity.
 DRDO hands over new war-gaming software to Indian Navy
  • A war-gaming software, developed by a laboratory of the Defence Research Development Organization (DRDO), was handed over to the Indian Navy.
  • The software has versatile and user-friendly features enabling globally playable war-gaming scenarios between multiple forces.
  • It further enables exercises to be conducted between geographically dispersed locations over a wide area network.
  • The software has been developed by the Institute for Systems Studies and Analysis of the DRDO in collaboration with the Maritime Warfare Centre at Vishakhapatnam.
  • The objective of designing the software is to meet contemporary operational and tactical-level war-gaming requirements of the Indian Navy.
  • DRDO Chairman Dr G Satheesh Reddy handed over the software to Navy Vice Chief, Vice Admiral G. Ashok Kumar.
  • The key focus of building the software is to create a war-gaming environment which enables Maritime Warfare Centres to train using the latest technological and computing tools.
  • The architecture is forward compatible and new functional and equipment modules can be developed and easily plugged into it.
 Kerala, Regional Cancer Centre (RCC) inks MoU with Maldives for cancer care
  • Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the state and the Regional Cancer Centre (RCC) with Maldives for better cancer care treatment.
  • The RCC, located in the state capital, is the premier cancer care facility in Kerela and already numerous Maldivian nationals have arrived for cancer treatment.
  • Through this new MoU, there will be close coordination between the RCC and the Maldivian health department, which will see new cancer care treatment centres being set up there.
  • Under the agreement, health professionals from the Maldives will be provided training at the RCC, besides top health professionals from centre will also visit the atoll nation regularly.

 Himachal Pradesh government to buy back single-use plastic

  • The Himachal Pradesh Cabinet gave its approval to the draft policy to buy-back non-recyclable plastic wastes and single-use plastics at a minimum support price of Rs 75 per kg.
  • The plastic wastes will be purchased from the ragpickers, individuals collecting waste from households and urban local bodies.
  • The Cabinet meeting, presided over by Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, also approved the draft of the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Policy 2019, aimed at holistic development of tourism with special focus on ecotourism, agro-organic, snow and adventure.
  • It approved a capital investment subsidy for tourism projects in underdeveloped areas and grant to tourism units for access to roads and water supply.

September 18, 2019

 India successfully test-fires Astra BVR Air-to-Air missile
  • Indian Air Force (IAF) Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter successfully test-fired the indigenous Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Astra missile with a range of over 70 kilometers off Odisha coast.
  • The Astra missile, which can fly towards its target at a speed of over 5,555 kilometres per housr (4.5 Mach) with a 15 kilogramme high-explosive pre-fragmented warhead.
  • The Missile was test-fired under the guidance of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) from the Su-30MKI combat aircraft that took off from an airbase in West Bengal.
  • The mission profile was executed in a text book manner. Various Radars, Electro-Optical Tracking System (EOTS) and Sensors tracked the missile and confirmed its engagement with target.
  • The indigenously-developed Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile (BVRAAM) Astra missile has been developed by DRDO and integrated on Su-30MKI and other air platforms.

FACTFILE – Astra missile

  • Astra is an all weather beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation.
  • It is the first air-to-air missile developed by India.
  • It features mid-course inertial guidance with terminal active radar homing.
  • Astra is designed to be capable of engaging targets at varying range and altitudes allowing for engagement of both short-range targets at a distance of 20 km and long-range targets up to a distance of 80–110 km.
  • Astra has been integrated with Indian Air Force’s Sukhoi Su-30MKI and will be integrated with Dassault Mirage 2000, HAL Tejas and Mikoyan MiG-29 in the future.
 Wipro engineering arm entered into a strategic partnership with BEML
  • Wipro’s Infrastructure Engineering arm entered into a strategic partnership with the state-run Bharat Earth Movers Ltd (BEML) to jointly bid for defence projects in areas, like aerospace, industrial automation, 3D printing, artificial intelligence and hydraulic system.
  • The first of its kind partnership between a state-run enterprise and a leading private firm will help them to contribute towards indigenisation and ”make in India” initiatives in the manufacturing sector.
  • The tie-up will enable the partners to work on projects, products, systems, services in defence, state-run Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) Labs, defence public sector undertaking and other state-run entities.
  • The focus area will be aerospace components and parts through the special economic zone (SEZ), metal additive manufacturing and design optimisation for critical aggregates, legacy components and spares and process automation.
 Microsoft to mentor Startups in Tier-2 cities in India
  • Microsoft launched a new initiative called “Highway to a Hundred Unicorns” to mentor and support startups in tier 2 cities in India.
  • Microsoft said it will engage with innovators and entrepreneurs through a series of outreach programs across tier 2 cities and work closely with state governments to strengthen the startup ecosystem.
  • Startups will receive guidance and mentorship through technology workshops on subjects like Azure, Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence.
  • The Microsoft “ScaleUp” programme supports Seed or Series A funded B2B and select B2C tech-enabled startups to co-sell with Microsoft sales teams, get access to top tech VCs globally and receive mentorship from the startup ecosystem.

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September 19, 2019

 Dadasaheb Phalke Award for Amitabh Bachchan
  • Distinguished actor Amitabh Bachchan will be honoured with the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award.
  • The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is India’s highest honour given in the field of cinematic art.

FACTFILE – The Dadasaheb Phalke Award

  • The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is India’s highest award in cinema. It is presented annually at the National Film Awards ceremony by the Directorate of Film Festivals, an organisation set up by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
  • The recipient is honoured for their “outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian cinema” and is selected by a committee consisting of eminent personalities from the Indian film industry.
  • The award comprises a Swarna Kamal medallion, a shawl, and a cash prize of ₹1,000,000.
  • Presented first in 1969, the award was introduced by the Government of India to commemorate Dadasaheb Phalke’s contribution to Indian cinema.
  • Phalke (1870–1944), who is popularly known as and often regarded as “the father of Indian cinema”, was an Indian filmmaker who directed India’s first full-length feature film, Raja Harishchandra.
  • The first recipient of the award was actress Devika Rani, who was honoured at the 17th National Film Awards. As of 2018, there have been 50 awardees. Among those, actor Prithviraj Kapoor (1971) and actor Vinod Khanna (2017) are the only posthumous recipients.
 Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Ministry & IBM join hands for Train-the-Trainer programme
  • To train the trainers in AI, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and IBM have joined hands with the aim to train 10,000 faculty members from ITIs across India.
  • The Directorate General of Training (DGT) division of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship has signed an agreement with Global IT major IBM where the latter will carry out a nationwide Train-the-Trainer programme in basic Artificial Intelligence skills.
  • The programme will involve 14 trainers across seven locations with over 200 workshops during a one-year period. ITI trainers will be trained in basic Artificial Intelligence (AI) skills to use the technology in their day-to-day training activities.
  • This programme aims at enabling the trainers with basic approach, workflow and application of Artificial Intelligence that they can apply in their training modules.
  • IBM will provide the necessary training at seven centres including six National Skills Training Institutes (NSTI) and one Industrial Training Institute (ITI) in Pune.
  • On completion of the programme, participants will go through a post assessment, to further gauge their skill set and the level they have achieved. Individuals that complete the course will be awarded certification of participation and will be badged by IBM.
 ISRO, DRDO ink MoUs to provide technologies for Human Space Mission
  • The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) joined hands with Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for development of human-centric systems for the Human Space Mission to demonstrate its human space flight capabilities.
  • A delegation of ISRO scientists, led by Human Space Flight Centre’s Director, S Unnikrishnan Nair, signed a set of MoUs with various DRDO labs in this regard
  • The purpose behind the development is to provide technologies for human-centric systems and technologies specific to the Human Space Mission.
  • The technological capabilities existing in DRDO laboratories for defence applications will be customised to meet the requirements of the human space mission of ISRO.
  • Some of the critical technologies to be provided by DRDO to ISRO include space food, space crew health monitoring and emergency survival kit, radiation measurement and protection, parachutes for the safe recovery of the crew module and others.
 IIT Kharagpur researchers generate power from wet Textiles
  • Researchers from IIT Kharagpur have developed a unique approach of generating electricity from clothes drying in natural ambience, which is otherwise a part and parcel of daily life.
  • The researchers have utilised tiny channels, so-called nanochannels, in the cellulose-based fabric network traditionally woven, to generate electrical power through guided movement of saline water amidst continuous evaporation.
  • The process is very much analogous to water transport across the parts of a living plant.
  • The regular cellulose-based wearable textile, in this case, acts as a medium for the motion of salt ions through the interlace fibrous nano-scale network by capillary action, inducing an electric potential in the process.

September 20, 2019

 Assam Govt ties up with Instagram to promote tourism in the State
  • The Assam Tourism Development Corporation has tied up with Instagram to promote tourism in the State with unveiling of the hashtag #AwesomeAssam by Instagram.
  • An exhibition was held showing photographs of Assam already posted in Instagram along with a workshop for stakeholders for making best use of Instagram’s power of visual storytelling.
  • Assam is one of the most beautiful states of India and government is investing significantly to attract tourists to the State. Assam Tourism has in the past few years launched a massive publicity and promotion campaign under the name and tag of ‘Awesome Assam’.
  • Tara Bedi, Public Policy and Community Outreach Manager, Instagram, said, “Instagram is an integral part of tourism in today’s digital age. When people travel, they post their adventures on Instagram and those stories inspire others. Instagram’s power of visual storytelling enables businesses to drive awareness with highly engaged communities and to reach the right audience. We are glad to partner with ATDC and help promote Assam as an incredible Indian travel destination.”
 India gifts Gandhi Solar Park to power UN
  • The UN headquarters will be powered with green electricity when the Gandhi Solar Park gifted by India comes online on September 24 symbolising New Delhi’s commitment to fighting climate change.
  • The installation costing about $1 million will generate 50 kilowatts of electricity from the 193 solar panels, each representing a UN member nation.
  • India is also donating a Gandhi Peace Garden made up of 150 trees, which will be located at a university campus in Old Westbury as another environmental gift.
  • The two gifts that come in the year of the 150th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s birth showcase two elements in the fight against climate change.
  • The UN will release a special stamp to commemorate Gandhi’s birth anniversary.
 IIT-Madras hosts Space Technology Cells meet
  • The Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-M) had hosted the first meeting of Space Technology Cells (STCs) established by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Department of Space in these premier institutions.
  • The objective was to share information about the research underway in various institutions, the salient findings, and to understand the utilisation of output by ISRO.
  • The ISRO and the Central government’s Department of Space have established and operated the Space Technology Cells for over three decades in IIT’s to carry out focused research in space-related technologies.
  • IIT-M Director Bhaskar Ramamurthi highlighted the importance of collaborative research and suggested mechanisms for the faculty to spend 3-4 weeks in ISRO centres to interact with the scientists and understand ways to make joint proposals.
 India, Mongolia sign MoUs in areas including space, disaster management & culture
  • India and Mongolia have exchanged documents in areas including space, disaster management and culture.
  • Two MoUs were signed in the fields of disaster management and space cooperation in the presence of President Ram NathKovind and visiting Mongolian President BattulgaKhaltma in New Delhi.
  • Other documents which were exchanged include Cultural Exchange Protocol and a Comprehensive Work Plan between Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, India and Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Light Industry of Mongolia.
  • Reciprocating India’s gesture of exploring the e-visa scheme for Mongolian short-term travellers, Mongolia announced a visa-on-arrival scheme for short-term travellers from India.
  • On Mongolian request, India announced an additional 236 million dollars Line of Credit for the ongoing Petrochemical Refinery Project in Mongolia.

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September 21, 2019

 IIT Guwahati and Cotton university inks MoU for academic, administrative collaboration
  • The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Cotton University for academic and administrative collaboration, in addition to the joint organisation of symposiums and workshops.
  • The MoU was signed between Prof TG Sitharam, Director of IIT Guwahati, and Prof BC Goswami, Vice Chancellor of Cotton University, recently. The announcement regarding the MoU was made today.
  • Besides academic and administrative collaboration and joint symposiums and workshops, the MoU will also facilitate the provision of joint guidance and academic counselling for undergraduate and postgraduate students of the University.
  • As per the MoU signed, IIT Guwahati will support Cotton University in achieving its objective of academic promotion by extending guidance to different departments and centres at Cotton University on various academic matters and identified courses of studies.
  • IIT Guwahati and Cotton University will jointly submit collaborative projects to different funding agencies for funding.
  • IIT Guwahati will also offer career counselling and opportunities for higher studies in India and abroad to students of Cotton University.
  • IIT Guwahati is the only academic institute in India that has occupied a place among the top 100 world universities of less than 50 years of age, in world ranking. It is one of the most dynamic institutions in India, with one of the most beautiful educational campuses in the country that provides an ideal setting for learning and research.
  • Cotton University is one of the oldest in the region “that was elevated to the status of a full-fledged university recently and their immediate focus is to enhance their research capabilities by interacting closely with faculty members of IIT Guwahati.”
 Union Home Ministry announces Sardar Patel Award for national integration
  • The Union Home Ministry announced the Sardar Patel National Unity Award, a new honour on the pattern of Padma awards for individuals or institutions for notable contributions towards the cause of national unity and integrity.
  • The ministry said the decoration shall be conferred by the President by a ”Sanad” (certificate) “under his hand and seal”.
  • The decoration shall be in the form of a lotus leaf — six centimetres in length, six and two centimetres at its breadth and four millimetres in thickness. It will be made of fine silver and gold.
  • On its obverse shall be embossed replica of the lotus and with petals of lotus spreading out from sixteen petals.
  • A portrait of Sardar Patel shall be embossed upon a circular shaped gold medal with diameter of two centimetres and on the reverse shall be embossed the state emblem and motto.
  • The decoration shall be awarded for notable and inspiring contributions to promote the cause of nationality and integrity and to reinforce the value of a strong and united India.
  • The names of the persons, upon whom the decoration is conferred, shall be published in the Gazette of India and a register of all such recipients shall be maintained under the direction of the President.
 Sony India partners with NSDC to provide employment
  • Sony India joined hands with National Skills Development Corporation (NSDC) and Kedman Skilling Private Ltd to provide job opportunities to candidates from their future talent pool.
  • The tech major will provide product training to the candidates and impart behavioural skills which will include specialised customer handling.
  • Sony also aims to hire resources from NSDC as associates across 150+ tier I, II and III cities across the country.

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. NSDC was set up by Ministry of Finance as Public Private Partnership (PPP) model.
  • NSDC aims to promote skill development by catalyzing creation of large, quality and for-profit vocational institutions.
  • It 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.
 IAF received the first multi-role combat aircraft Rafale
  • The Indian Air Force (IAF) received the first multi-role combat aircraft Rafale from its manufacturer Dassault Aviation in France.
  • The jet will be formally handed over to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh for induction into the IAF when he visits France on the occasion of Dussehra on October 8.
  • The Rafale jet was accepted by a team of IAF officials at the aircraft’s manufacturing facility in Bordeaux after completion of certain testing formalities.
  • The first jet was test-flown by IAF’s Deputy Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal V.R. Chaudhary who is also leading the team that is in France.

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Assam Current Affairs – September 08 – 14, 2019

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Current Affairs Assam – September 08 - 14, 2019

( Covers all important Assam Current Affairs & GK topics for the week of September 08 – 14, 2019 )

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September 08, 2019

 Assam’s first IoT solution in mini piped water scheme launched at Amingaon
  • The Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) Assam and Piramal Water Pvt Ltd (PiramalSarvajal), launched a project on deployment of the first Internet of Things (IoT) solution in single village mini piped water supply scheme at Colony Pahar, Amingaon.
  • The Internet of Things, or IoT, is a system of interrelated computing devices, mechanical and digital machines, objects, animals or people that are provided with unique identifiers and the ability to transfer data over a network without requiring human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction.
  • The solution is a maiden pilot project not only in Assam but all over India.
  • This is derived using state-of-the art sensors for accurate measurement, micro-controller based control unit and remote monitoring dashboard.
  • The control unit converts signal from sensors to digital data and sends it to a centralised server.
  • A remotely managed dashboard helps Government and local administration in tracking the scheme’s geo-location with its functional status for monitoring various parameters graphically, such as volume of water extracted from the ground, volume of water distributed to the village, water quality and ground water level.
  • This integrated solution will help the PHED in taking necessary corrective or preventive action and thereby help in good governance.
 India’s first water-grid to come up in Maharashtra
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that The country’s first-ever ‘water-grid’ costing Rs 3,50,000 crore will come in the parched Marathwada region of Maharashtra in the next five years as part of the Jal Jeevan Mission (JMM)
  • The Marathwada region will benefit in a big way from this as it will increase water availability for the people. It will free women from the hassles of having to toil hard to fetch water.
  • To be implemented over the next five years the JJM involves saving water and delivering it to the people”s doorsteps to resolve their water problems.
  • The state government cleared a Rs 4,802 crore water-grid project for Beed district and is working on a Rs 15,000 crore water-grid project for the region, along with the ongoing Jal YuktShivarAbhiyan.
  • Modi also dedicated the nation the state-of-the-art Aurangabad Industrial City (AURIC) Shendra Project, India’s first ‘Walk-to-Work’ Smart City, which targets an investment of Rs 600-Rs 700 billion from global investors.
 India Business Summit in Singapore
  • The High Commission of India in Singapore is organising a two-day business summit in Singapore.
  • The objective of the business summit “India-Singapore: The Next Phase”, being organised at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre in Singapore is aimed at setting the agenda and momentum for the next five years.
  • The summit also aimed at expanding modernisation, access and inclusion.
  • It will be a platform to project the government”s strategic outlook and economic agenda; provide opportunities for investors, companies and startups in and operating out of Singapore to interact with policy makers as well as corporate and tech leaders from India.
  • Singapore is a key economic partner for India, the leading source of foreign investment, a major financial market for Indian companies, and a partner in areas of India”s development priorities like urban development, skills and infrastructure.
  • Singapore is also emerging as a major startup and innovation hub with growing links to India.
  • The summit will focus on core sectors, including financial, infrastructure, urban development, real estate, logistics, regional trade, water, agro-tech and food processing, and skills development.
 President Kovind inaugurates the First World Youth Conference on Kindness
  • President Ram Nath Kovind, inaugurated the first World Youth Conference on Kindness in New Delhi.
  • The President said that Mahatma Gandhi was not just a great leader and visionary, he was one who personified certain timeless ideals and values.
  • He said we could place Gandhiji in a time machine and transport him to any period of human existence and we would find him to be relevant and his is also true of the times we live in.
  • President said Gandhiji remains extremely relevant to our present day concerns such as need for peace and tolerance, terrorism and climate change.
  • The first World Youth Conference on Kindness is being organised by the UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development, Ministry of Human Resource Development with the aim to impart critical competencies (i.e. empathy, compassion, mindfulness and critical inquiry) in global youth to inspire, empower and enable them to transform themselves and build long-lasting peace in their communities.
  • Youth leaders, representing over 27 countries, are participating in this Conference.

September 09, 2019

 ISRO spots Chandrayaan 2 Lander on Lunar Surface
  • The Chandrayaan-2’s Vikram module has been located on the lunar surface and it must have been a hard-landing, ISRO Chairman K Sivan said, in an admission that the planned soft-landing wasn’t successful.
  • The image of the lander rover ‘Pragyan’ is housed inside it was captured by on-board camera of Chandrayaan-2 orbiter, which is healthy, safe and functioning normally in the intended orbit around the Moon.
  PM Modi launches first greenfield smart industrial city ‘AURIC’
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the country’s first greenfield industrial smart city, Auric City, at Shendra in Aurangabad, which is projected to attract around Rs 70,000 crore in investments on completion.
  • The mega project in the parched region of Marathawada region of Maharashtra is part of the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) and is expected to boost the overall development of this region.
  • Auric City is India’s first ‘walk-to-work’ smart industrial city which will encourage housing options, workplaces, and shopping centres, to be developed in the vicinity of each other.
  • Inaugurating the administrative headquarters of the smart city – Auric Hall -from where the entire industrial city and its facilities will be operated.
  • Auric City is expected to attract Rs 60,000-70,000 crore investments from global players, which will generate lakhs of jobs.
  • The city is expected to earn $11.6 billion in exports on an output of over USD 46 billion. Maharashtra has already approved a Rs 7,947- crore infrastructure package to help Auric offer high-value, sustainable infrastructure.
 ADB to provide $200 million to upgrade rural roads of Maharashtra
  • The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide $ 200 million (about Rs 1,400 crore) to upgrade rural roads to all-weather standards in 34 districts of Maharashtra with an aim to improve road safety and better connectivity with markets.
  • An agreement in this regard was signed between the government and the ADB.
  • The project will improve the condition of about 2,100 kilometer of rural roads to all-weather standards, with climate resilience and safety features, connecting rural communities with productive agricultural areas and socio-economic centers.
  • Provision of contractual maintenance for five years following construction has also been provided under the project.
 Tamilisai Soundararajan sworn-in as Governor of Telangana
  • Tamilisai Soundararajan sworn-in as the second Governor of Telangana. Chief Justice of Telangana High Court Raghavendra Singh Chouhan administered the oath of office and secrecy to Tamilisai during a ceremony held at the Raj Bhavan in Hyderabad.
  • With this, she has become the first lady Governor appointed from Tamil Nadu.
  • A physician-turned-politician, Soundararajan entered politics in the year 1999.
  • She started her political career as South Chennai District Medical Wing Secretary in the same year and held various positions in the BJP.

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September 10, 2019

 India Post Payments Bank unveils Aadhaar-linked service
  • India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) has announced launch of the Aadhaar-enabled payment services (AePS) for unbanked and under-banked people.
  • Said it has made 1 crore customers within one year of operations.
  • Around 34 crore bank accounts have been opened under the Pradhan Mantri Jan DhanYojana. Of this, 22 crore belong to the rural people.
  • With the IPPB”s AePS, now they have the ability to provide inter-operable doorstep banking services to account holders of ”any bank”.

FACTFILE – India Post Payments Bank (IPPB)

  • India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) is a 100% government owned payments bank operating under the Department of Posts, Ministry of Communications, which aims to utilize all of India’s 155,015 post offices as access points and 3 lakh postal postmen and Grameen Dak Sewaks to provide house to house banking services.
  • MD & CEO – Suresh Sethi
 India to host first SCO conference on military medicine
  • India will host the first conference on military medicine for member nations of the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation (SCO) in New Delhi.
  • It will be the first military co-operation event to be organised in India under the SCO after it joined the organisation in 2017.
  • The two-day conference on military medicine will be held on September 12 and 13 in accordance with the SCO Defence Co-operation Plan 2019-20.
  • The meeting will be conducted by the Indian armed forces under the aegis of the Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff.
  • The primary objectives of the conference are to share best practices in the field of military medicine, build capacities and overcome common challenges.
  • The delegations will also discuss issues including rendering of combat medical support, humanitarian assistance during disasters and measures to improve patient safety.
  • India”sneighbours Nepal and Sri Lanka will also participate in the conference as dialogue partners. The two nations will be sending their delegations of experts to the conference.

FACTFILE – The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)

  • The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is a Eurasianpolitical, economic, and security alliance, the creation of which was announced on 15 June 2001 in Shanghai, China by the leaders of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan; the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Charter, formally establishing the organisation, was signed in June 2002 and entered into force on 19 September 2003.
  • The original five nations, with the exclusion of Uzbekistan, were previously members of the Shanghai Five group, founded on 26 April 1996.
  • Since then, the organization has expanded its membership to eight countries when India and Pakistan joined SCO as full members on 9 June 2017 at a summit in Astana, Kazakhstan.
 UP Govt offers 3,000-acre land bank for defence firms
  • Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath offered a land bank of 3,000 acres for defence industries to set up manufacturing units in Uttar Pradesh, during a review meeting for the Defence Expo preparations.
  • Defence minister Rajnath Singh chaired the review meeting that was held in New Delhi with apex committee members for DefExpo 2020.
  • An MoU was signed between the Defence Ministry and the state government, outlining roles and responsibilities of various stakeholders responsible for organising the event next year.
  • The review meeting was attended by the three service chiefs. Senior Defence Ministry officials, including Secretary (Defence) Dr Ajay Kumar, also attended the meeting along with senior officials including those from Defence Research Development Organisation and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.

September 11, 2019

 Assam’s Sanjib Pol Deka among the 23 young Indian writers conferred the Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar
  • The Sahitya Akademi conferred the Yuva Puraskar on 23 youths for their outstanding literary works in one of the 24 major Indian languages.
  • The Yuva Puraskar containing an engraved copper plaque and a cheque of Rs 50,000 was given away to each of the recipients during a small but glittering function at LalchandKanoi Memorial Auditorium of DHSK College.
  • The awards were presented to the recipients by Chandrashekar Kambar, president of Sahitya Akademi.
  • As prelude all the awardees were garlanded and felicitated with Assamese traditional gamosas by Madhav Kaushik, vice president, Sahitya Akademi. Eminent English writer and author Professor Emeritus Amaresh Datta attended the function as the chief guest.
  • Sanjib Pol Deka is awarder the honour for his work ‘Ei Pine Ki Ase?’ in Assamese language and Moumita is conferred the award for ‘Kuntal Fire Ase’ in Bengali language.

FACTFILE – Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar

  • Yuva Puraskar is a literary honor in India which Sahitya Akademi, India’s National Academy of Letters, annually confers on young writers of outstanding works in one of the twenty-four major Indian languages.
  • Instituted in 2011, the Yuva Puraskar recognises young writers under the age of 35 years, with the aim to encourage and promote young writers.
  • The award comprises a cash prize of Rs. 50,000 and an engraved copper plaque.
 India, Sri Lanka begin joint naval military drill
  • India and Sri Lanka began joint naval military exercises in the Bay of Bengal off the Vizag port in Andhra Pradesh.
  • Four naval ships from both countries which are participating in the exercise began co-ordinated maritime operations in the ‘sea phase’ of the exercise.
  • Prior to the sea phase, the Navies had engaged in professional interactions, training activities, cultural events and sporting exchanges, in a ‘harbour phase’, for three days at the Vizag port.
  • The six-day joint exercise SLINEX 2019 had formally commenced on September 7 at the Vizag port.
  • The four ships and their crew will participate in drills including aircraft tracking, cross-deck flying, gun firing, visit board search and seizure procedures, underway replenishment and navigational manoeuvres in the sea.
  • Sri Lanka has sent SLNS Sindhurala, an advanced offshore patrol vessel which had been constructed by India’s state-run defence firm Goa Shipyards, and SLNS Suranimala.
  • The Indian Navy is being represented by the missile corvette INS Khukri and the Naval offshore patrol vessel INS Sumedha.
  • India has also deputed integral helicopters in addition to shore-based maritime patrol aircraft in the event.

FACTFILE – SLINEX (Sri Lanka India Naval Exercise)

  • The SLINEX Exercise enhance co-operation and to further strengthen mutual trust and interoperability between two navies.
  • The bilateral maritime exercise enables Indian Navy and Sri Lankan navies to rehearse and improve own capabilities and enhance operational effectiveness required to maintain maritime security in Indian Ocean region (IOR).
  • First edition of the SLINEX exercise took place in 2005.
 PM Modi inaugurates Indo-Nepal petro pipeline
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Motihari-Amlekhganj (Nepal) petroleum pipe line through video conferencing. It is the first ever cross border petroleum pipeline in South Asia.
  • PM Modi reiterated that it will help to enhance security of the region and “substantially cut down on transit costs”.
  • He also reaffirmed India’s commitment to help Nepal for developmental works according to its own priorities.

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September 12, 2019

  PM Modi launches National Animal Disease Control Programme (NADCP)
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the ambitious National Animal Disease Control Programme (NADCP) in Uttar Pradesh”s Mathura, among a slew of government schemes for farmers.
  • With 100 per cent funding from the Centre of Rs 12,652 crore for a period of five years till 2024, NADCP aims at vaccinating over 500 Million livestock including cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats and pigs against foot and mouth disease.
  • The programme also aims at vaccinating 36 million female bovine calves annually in its fight against Brucellosis disease.
  • The programme has two components – to control the diseases by 2025 and eradication by 2030.
  • This is part of the government’s effort to double farmers” income.
  • The Prime Minister also launched nationwide workshops in KrishiVigyanKendras in all 687 districts of the country with artificial insemination of livestock as one of the goals.

 FACTFILE – National Animal Disease Control Programme (NADCP)

  • The project will be fully funded by the Central Government.
  • The livestock that will be covered under the programme includes cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats, and pigs against the FMD.

NADCP program’s main aims are

  • To vaccinate over 600 million cattle in the country in an effort to mitigate the two diseases namely, the Foot & Mouth Disease, & brucellosis.
  • To vaccinate 36 million female bovine calves annually in its fight against the brucellosis disease.
  • To control the livestock diseases by 2025, and eradicate them by 2030.
 DRDO successfully test-fires indigenous Anti-Tank Missile for Army
  • In a major boost to the indigenous missile development programme, India successfully test-fired the Man Portable Anti Tank Guided Missile (MP-ATGM) from a firing range in Andhra Pradesh’s Kurnool.
  • This was the third successful test-firing of the 100 percent indigenous ATGM, which is being developed for the infantry battalions of the Indian Army, who would use them for taking out the enemy tank and other armoured vehicles during war times.
  • Currently, the Indian Army uses the imported Milan 2T and Konkurs Russian anti-tank missile in the infantry but they are vintage missiles and the force is looking for a third-generation ATGM.

FACTFILE – The MPATGM (Man Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile)

  • MPATGM is an Indian third-generation fire-and-forget anti-tank guided missile.
  • It is currently under development by the DRDO in partnership with Indian defence contractor VEM Technologies Private Limited. The missile is derived from India’s Nag ATGM.
  • The MPATGM will be manufactured by Bharat Dynamics Limited at a facility located in Bhanoor, Telengana.
 DRDO hands over second ‘Netra’ to IAF
  • The Defence Research Development Organization (DRDO) handed over the second airborne warning plane, Netra, to the Indian Air Force.
  • The indigenously-built aircraft was handed over to Western Air Command chief, Air Marshal RaghunathNambiar, at the Bathinda Air Base in Punjab.
  • The Netra, an Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEWC) aircraft, had played a stellar role during the Balakot air strikes that had been carried out by the IAF in February this year.
  • It provided surveillance and radar coverage to the five Mirage jets that bombed terror launch pads in Balakot in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan.
  • Designed and developed by scientists of the DRDO, with assistance from the Bengaluru-based Centre for Airborne Systems, the Netra is fitted with indigenously developed electronics and hardware.
  • It is useful for surveillance, tracking, identification and classification of airborne and sea surface targets and is useful in detecting incoming ballistic missile threats.
 2 Indians in UAE develop app to help visually impaired
  • Two UAE-based Indian nationals developed a smartphone app that can help visually impaired people.
  • The app developed by Nandujit Prathap and Visakh G.S is called Ioptyc.
  • It uses distance sensors and visual recognition technology to assist people with visual impairments.
  • The project which has two parts, the smartphone app and a special glove, was one of the winning projects in the Ma’an Social Incubator programme of Abu Dhabi, that aims to support people of determination.
  • Ioptyc utilises the power of Google Tensorflow Lite for visual recognition of objects in front of the user, who may be visually impaired.
  • Once the object in front of the person is detected, the app sends an alert and announces the name of the object over the user’s headphone, with the help of Google natural languages package.
  • The glove’s sensors are capable of detecting objects as far as two metres away, and the intensity of vibrations varies depending on how far the object is from the user.

September 13, 2019

 Mary Kom becomes the first female athlete to be recommended for Padma Vibhushan
  • Six-time World Champion and 2012 Olympic medalist MC Mary Kom has been recommended by the sports ministry for country’s second-highest civilian award – the Padma Vibushan.
  • The 36-year-old pugilist becomes the first woman athlete to have been recommended for the award. She has been already honoured with Padma Bhushan and Padma Shree in 2013 and 2006 respectively.
  • Only three sportspersons – Vishwanathan Anand (2007), Sachin Tendulkar (2008) and Sir Edmund Hillary (2008) have received the Padma Vibhushan, so far.
  • Badminton world champion PV Sindhu has been nominated for Padma Bhushan, which is the country’s third highest civilian award. Sindhu recently clinched the World badminton championships title, beating Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara 21-7, 21-7, becoming the only Indian to win the title. Vinesh Phogat (boxing), Harmanpreet Kaur (cricket), Rani Rampal (hockey), Suma Shirur (shooting), Manika Batra (table tennis), Tashi and Nungshi Malik (mountaineering) have been recommended for Padma Shri awards.
  • Archer Tarundeep Rai and hockey Olympian MP Ganesh were recommended for the Padma Shri alongside seven women sportspersons by the Sports Ministry.
  • The final list of the awardees will be released on 25 January 2020 by the Padma awards committee.
 PM launches ‘Pradhan Mantri Kisan Maan Dhan Yojana’ pension scheme for farmers & small traders
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Maan Dhan Yojana from Jharkhand. The Prime Minister also launched the National Pension Scheme for traders and self-employed people.
  • He inaugurated the new building of the state Assembly and also inaugurated the Multi-Modal Transport Terminal at Sahibganj and referred to plans to construct 462 Eklavya model residential schools in tribal areas.
  • He also laid the foundation stone of the new building of the state secretariat.
  • The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Maan Dhan Yojana shall secure the lives of 5 crore small and marginal farmers by providing a minimum pension of Rs 3000 per month to those who attain 60 years of age.
  • The National Pension Scheme for the traders and the self-employed aims at providing a minimum assured pension of Rs 3000 to small traders and self – employed after attaining age of 60 years.
 India joins global antimicrobial resistance research hub
  • India has joined the Global Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Research and Development (R & D) hub as a new member.
  • Department of Biotechnology said that this would expand the global partnership working to address challenges and improve coordination and collaboration in global AMR research and development to 16 countries, the European Commission, two philanthropic foundations and four international organisations as observers.
  • AMR is the ability of a microbe to resist the effects of medication that once could successfully treat the microbe.
  • India will be a member of the board of members of the hub from this year.
  • By partnering with the hub, India looks forward to working with all partners to leverage their existing capabilities, resources and collectively focus on new research to address drug-resistant infections.
  • The hub supports global priority setting and evidence-based decision-making on the allocation of resources for AMR research and development through identification of gaps, overlaps and potential for cross-sectoral collaboration and leveraging.

FACTFILE – Global Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Research and Development (R & D) hub

  • a collaboration of 16 countries, the European Commission, two philanthropic foundations and four international organizations (as observers).
  • It was launched in 2018 during the 71st session of the World Health Assembly, following a call from G20 Leaders in 2017.
  • It is supported through a Secretariat, established in Berlin, Germany.
  • It aims to further improve the coordination of international efforts and initiatives to tackle Antimicrobial Resistance while further increasing investments into R&D for AMR.
  • It’s works will be aligned to the priorities set by
    • Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
    • World Health Organization (WHO)
    • World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE).
 UAE confers honour on outgoing Indian Ambassador Navdeep Singh Suri
  • Navdeep Singh Suri, the outgoing Indian Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), was conferred with the First Class Order of Zayed II honour in recognition of his efforts and contribution to the development and strengthening of bilateral ties between the two countries.
  • UAE President Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan presented the highest civilian honour in the country to Suri. Sheikh Abdullah lauded the envoy’s role in bolstering the UAE-Indian ties.
  • Navdeep Singh Suri has been heading the Indian mission in the UAE since October 2016.

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September 14, 2019

 ONGC to invest Rs 13,000 crore in Assam in next five years
  • State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) will invest over Rs 13,000 crore in Assam over the next five years.
  • The oil and gas company has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Assam government for boosting its exploration and production activities in the state.
  • The company will make investment for drilling more than 220 oil and gas wells across the state.
  • ONGC is giving impetus to its activities in alignment with the reducing import by 10 per cent by 2022 and Northeast Hydrocarbon Vision 2030.
  • ONGC, in a new vision document for 2040, has set a target to double oil and gas output from its domestic and overseas fields and expand its refining capacity threefold apart from diversification into renewables. India’s top oil and gas producer plans to invest $15-16 billion to achieve this target.
  • The ONGC Board recently approved the business roadmap for the company and its other group entities. Titled ‘ONGC Energy Strategy 2040’, the blueprint envisioned ONGC as “a diversified energy company with a strong contribution from non E&P business; 3x revenues and about 5-6x market capitalisation”.
  • The firm produced 24.23 million tonnes of crude oil in the 2018-19 fiscal year and 25.81 billion cubic metres (bcm) of natural gas from its domestic fields. Another 10.1 million tonnes of oil and 4.736 bcm of gas were produced from its overseas assets.
 India, Thailand joint military exercise – MAITREE
  • MAITREE, the joint military exercise between India and Thailand, will be conducted at Foreign Training Node, Umroi, in Meghalaya.
  • Indian and Royal Thailand Army (RTA) contingents comprising 50 soldiers each will participate in the exercise with an aim to share experience gained during various counter-terrorism operations.
  • Joint military exercise will enhance the level of defence cooperation between Indian Army (IA) and Royal Thailand Army (RTA) which will further foster defence cooperation and bilateral relations between the two nations.
  • The scope of this exercise covers company-level joint training on counter-terrorism operations in jungle and urban scenario.

FACTFILE – MAITREE Exercise

  • MAITREE is an annual training event which is being conducted alternatively in Thailand and India since 2006.
  • Exercise MAITREE with Thailand is significant in terms of the security challenges faced by both the nations in the backdrop of changing facets of global terrorism.
  • It will improve the level of defence co-operation between the Indian Army (IA) and Royal Thailand Army (RTA) which in turn will further foster defence cooperation and bilateral relations between the two nations.
 BHEL commissions 1,320 MW Thermal Plant in Odisha
  • State-run engineering firm BHEL announced commissioning of 1,320 MW IB thermal power station in Jharsuguda district of Odisha.
  • The power project is owned by Odisha Power Generation Corporation Limited (OPGC), a joint venture company of the Odisha Government and US-based energy company AES.
  • A substantial portion of power generated from the project will be supplied to the Grid Corporation of Odisha (GRIDCO).

FACTFILE – Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL)

  • BHEL is owned and founded by the Government of India, is an engineering and manufacturing company based in New Delhi, India.
  • Established in 1964, BHEL is India’s largest power generation equipment manufacturer.
 CISF’s Delhi airport unit wins best aviation security award
  • The CISF’s Delhi airport unit has won the top award in an inter-unit competition of the Aviation Security Group (ASG) organised between the months of April and July.
  • For the competition, the CISF had divided 61 Indian airports into two categories.
  • The first category included seven joint venture airports – Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Cochin, Nagpur and Chandigarh, while the second category had 52 airports run by the Airports Authority of Indias and Shirdi Airport.
  • Among the airports run as joint ventures, Delhi airport”s CISF unit won the first prize, and Hyderabad airport unit was named runner-up. In the second category, the Kolkata airport unit won the first prize.

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Assam Current Affairs – January 8-14, 2019

Posted on by admin 
Current Affairs Assam – January 8-14, 2019

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

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January 8

India, Japan reiterate cooperation in Indo-Pacific

  • India and Japan reiterated that they would continue to work for peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region during a meeting between External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono.
  • The two leaders exchanged views on regional and global issues of common interest, they reaffirmed that based on shared values and interests, the India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership has acquired a broader significance in the current global context and has become a factor of prosperity and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
  • India, along with Japan, the US and Australia, in 2017 revived a quad that seeks to work for peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific, a region that stretches from the east coast of Japan to the east coast of Africa.
  • Sushma Swaraj and Kono held discussions on follow-up actions taken on decisions taken during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Japan for the 13th India-Japan Annual Summit in October last year.

Delhi government collaborates with Washington University to monitor air quality

  • Delhi government has signed a MoU with Washington University (St Louise) to undertake a real-time Source Apportionment Study in India’s national capital to evaluate the air quality issues.
  • The MoU is aimed at a joint study to be undertaken by the Washington University and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) for the real-time source apportionment with special reference to particulate matter (PM)2.5.
  • Analysis of elemental, organic carbon and 72 inorganic elements will also be undertaken under the study.
  • The work will be undertaken by the personnel of the Aerosol and Air Quality Research Laboratory (AAQRL). Under the study, two special monitors will be used to obtain the composition of PM2.5.
  • The data will help to understand the source profile which needs to be regulated for the effective improvement of air quality in the city.
  • Wireless sensors will also be deployed in the city to help monitor the real-time air quality and the source of pollution at select locations in the city.

Sheikh Hasina takes oath as Bangladesh PM for 4th term

  • Sheikh Hasina was sworn in as Bangladesh’s Prime Minister for a record fourth term following her party’s victory in the recent election.
  • PM Hasina was sworn in along with her new 47-member Cabinet before President Abdul Hamid at his official residence in Dhaka.

BIOGRAPHY – Sheikh Hasina

  • Sheikh Hasina Wazed is serving as the 10th Prime Minister of Bangladesh, having held the office since January 2009. She is the longest serving prime minister in the history of Bangladesh.
  • She is the daughter of Bangladesh’s first President Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
  • She previously served as opposition leader from 1986 to 1990 and from 1991 to 1995, as Prime Minister from 1996 to 2001, and has been leading the Bangladesh Awami League since 1981.
  • In 2008, she returned as Prime Minister with a landslide victory.
  • In January 2014, she became Prime Minister for a third term and also won a fourth term in December 2018.
  • Hasina is considered one of the most powerful women in the world, ranking 26th on Forbes’ list of The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women in 2018.
  • She is a member of the Council of Women World Leaders, an International network of current and former women presidents and prime ministers.

Cabinet approves Citizenship Amendment Bill

  • The Union Cabinet approved the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 that aims to give citizenship to illegal migrants of six minority groups from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
  • The Union Cabinet, cleared the bill soon after a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) presented its report in the Lok Sabha endorsing the move to legalize minority immigrants who entered Assam till December 31, 2014.

LS passes bills on right to education, personal laws

  • The Lok Sabha passed “Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Amendment) Bill, 2018” and “The Personal Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2018”.
  • Union Minister of Human Resource Development Prakash Javadekar introduced “Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Amendment) Bill, 2018” saying that the amendment made by the Rajya Sabha in the bill to further amend the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 be taken into consideration.
  • Union Minister P.P. Choudhary introduced “Personal Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2018” to amend the Divorce Act, 1869; Dissolution of Muslim Marriage Act, 1939; Special Marriage Act, 1954; Hindu Marriage Act, 1955; and the Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act, 1956. It strikes out leprosy as a ground for seeking divorce.

January 09, 2018

India, Norway to boost cooperation on SDGs, Ocean economy

  • India and Norway agreed to work in close cooperation on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the ocean economy following delegation-level talks headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Norwegian counterpart Erna Solberg.
  • The two sides signed the terms of reference for the establishment of a Dialogue on Trade and Investment, which would give impetus to business cooperation and encourage participation of Norwegian companies in the flagship programmes of India.
  • Conclusion of the free trade negotiations between EFTA (European Free Trade Association) and India is a priority for both governments.
  • The agreement on bilateral ocean dialogue signed between the two sides following the talks will give new direction to cooperation in all sectors in this area. A joint task force on Blue Economy was also established in order to promote multi-sectoral cooperation in various aspects of Blue Economy.
  • They also urged the international community to work towards early finalisation of the (India-initiated) Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism mooted by India at the UN.

Lok Sabha passes DNA technology bill

  • The Lok Sabha passed “The DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill, 2019,
  • The bill seeks to provide the regulation for use and application of Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) technology for the purpose of establishing the identity of certain categories of persons including victims, offenders, suspects, undertrials, missing persons and unknown deceased persons.
  • There are only 30-40 DNA profiling experts in the country and 15-18 labs, but no DNA data bank is available in the country so far.
  • Over 40,000 unidentified bodies were recovered and around 1 lakh children were found missing previous year, as per a government data. So there is a need for a bill to identify them. Despite that, there is need to apprehend repeated offenders through DNA profiling.
  • The Bill establishes a DNA Regulatory Board.  Every DNA laboratory that analyses a DNA sample to establish the identity of an individual, has to be accredited by the Board.
  • Written consent by individuals is required to collect DNA samples from them.  Consent is not required for offences with punishment of more than seven years of imprisonment or death. 
  • The Bill provides for the removal of DNA profiles of suspects on filing of a police report or court order, and of undertrials on the basis of a court order.  Profiles in the crime scene and missing persons’ index will be removed on a written request.  

Vikram Misri  assume office as Indian envoy to China

  • India’s new envoy to China Vikram Misri, discussed the bilateral ties with top Chinese officials.
  • The envoy, who succeeds Gautam Bambawale, met Hong Lei, Deputy Director General of Protocol at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing, and presented his credentials.
  • Misri also met Wu Jianghao, Director General of Asian Affairs of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
  • Misri, 54, was serving as Indian envoy in Myanmar before China assignment.
  • He was also stationed in various Indian Missions in Europe, Africa, Asia, and North America.

 

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Assam Current Affairs – January 1-7, 2019

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Current Affairs Assam – January 1-7, 2019

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January 1

Lok Sabha passes Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Bill, 2018
  • The Lok Sabha passed the Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Bill, 2018 that aims to run the scam-tainted Medical Council of India (MCI) through a panel of eminent professionals.
  • The government is looking at regulating the medical education in India in a qualitative and transparent manner.
  • This bill supersedes MCI and the powers of the council have been vested in a Board of Governors. This board will continue to perform till a Council is constituted.
  • This bill has been issued so that medical education can be regulated in best manner, as MCI turned out to be massive failure.
  • The related National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill 2017 that seeks to replace MCI with a National Medical Commission and overhaul the medical education system in India is still pending in the Parliament.
  • The NMC will consist of 25 members and it will determine fees for up to 40% seats in private medical institutions and deemed universities.
  • Medical Advisory Council will be constituted, which will be the primary platform through which the states/union territories can put forth their views and concerns before the NMC.
  • The Bill allows practitioners of Ayurveda and other traditional Indian systems of medicine the licence to prescribe allopathic drugs after they have passed a ‘bridge course.’
  • The government has been pushing the NMC Bill amid resistance from Indian Medical Association (IMA) and other sections.
Lok Sabha passes Supplementary Demands for Grants for 2018-19
  • The second batch of Supplementary Demands for Grants for 2018-19 for gross additional expenditure of Rs 85,948.86 crore, which includes Rs 41,000 crore for recap of the Public Sector Banks (psbs), was passed by voice vote in the Lok Sabha on 31st December.
  • The supplementary demand was tabled by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on December 20 seeking Parliament’s approval for additional expenditure of Rs 85,948.86 crore.
  • Responding to a debate over it, Jaitley said the government had enabled connecting villages by building roads and ensured that there wasn’t any villages left where there is no electricity.
Mamata Banerjee announces life insurance, financial aid for farmers in West Bengal
  • West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced a yearly financial aid worth Rs 5,000 per acre for all the peasant family in the state.
  • WB CM also announced a life insurance coverage worth Rs 2 lakh for each of the state’s farmers within the age group of 18-60 years under a state-sponsored scheme, Krishak Bondhu, from 2019.
  • All the farmers within the age group of 18 to 60 years will be provided life insurance coverage of Rs 2 lakh by the state government. In case of their death, be it natural or unnatural, the families would be provided the money.

January 2

India may have welcomed maximum new borns on New Year: UNICEF
  • India is estimated to have welcomed 18 per cent of the total babies born globally on January 1, 2019,
  •  According to the UNICEF, 69,944 babies were expected to be born on the New Year Day out of 3,95,072 babies likely to be born across the world.
  • Globally over half of these births are estimated to taken place in seven countries, along with India like China (44,940), Nigeria (25,685), Pakistan (15,112), Indonesia (13,256), the US (11,086), Democratic Republic of Congo (10,053), and Bangladesh (8,428).Sydney was set to greet an estimated 168 babies, followed by Tokyo (310), Beijing (605), Madrid (166) and finally, New York (317).
  • Fiji in the Pacific was likely to deliver 2019’s first baby and the US its last.
First Chief Justice of Telangana High Court sworn-in
  • Justice Thottathil Bhaskaran Nair Radhakrishnan was sworn in as the first Chief justice of Telangana High Court. Telangana and Andhra Pradesh Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan administered oath to him at a ceremony held at Raj Bhavan.
  • Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao, judges, lawyers and senior officials attended the ceremony.
  • Justice Radhakrishnan had been serving as the Chief Justice of the High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad for both the states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh since July last year.
  • The gazette notification said January 1 would be the appointed day for the Andhra Pradesh High Court which will start functioning from Amaravati while the High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad will become the High Court for Telangana.
Assam Minister flags off export of mandarin fruit to Dubai, Hong Kong
  • Assam Industries and Commerce Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary flagged off the export of mandarin fruits produced in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam to Dubai and Hong Kong.
  • Assam as well as the North Eastern Region is considered an organic hub.
  • With a view to creating a sustainable market for the producers of the region, Industries and Commerce Department has initiated efforts to encourage and provide logistic and infrastructural support for export of agri-horti produces of the state.

 

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Assam Current Affairs – December 8-14, 2018

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Current Affairs Assam – December 8 - 14, 2018

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December 8

Manju Baruah, the first woman manager in Assam’s tea garden history
  • For the first time in the nealy-200-year-old history of commercial tea cultivation in Assam, the industry has got a woman garden manager.
  • Manju Baruah, who is currently serving as garden manager for Apeejay Tea’s Hilika Tea Estate at Doomdooma in Tinsukia district.
  • Terming managerial responsibilities in tea gardens as a big challenge that also involves a lot of tedious outdoor duties, Manju said that her love for the outdoors and adventure since childhood served her in good stead in discharging her responsibilities.
Myanmar‘s Sittwe Port in ready for operations
  • Sittwe Port in Myanmar, being administered by the Ministry of External Affairs under the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project to facilitate connectivity between the mainland and the north eastern States of the country is “ready” for operations.
  • The project was jointly identified by India and Myanmar to create a multi-modal mode of transport for shipment of cargo from mainland India to Myanmar as well as to the northeastern part of India through Myanmar.
  • The Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project will connect Sittwe Port in Myanmar to the India-Myanmar border, is expected to contribute to the economic development of the northeastern States by opening up the sea route for goods.
  • It will reduce pressure on the Siliguri Corridor, and since the project is of political and strategic significance, it was decided to execute it through India’s grant assistance to Myanmar.
K Subramanian appointed as Chief Economic Adviser (CEA)
  • Union Government appointed ISB Hyderabad professor Krishnamurthy Subramanian as Chief Economic Adviser for a period of three years. The post of CEA had been lying vacant since Arvind Subramanaian left the post.
  • An IIT-IIM alumnus, Subramanian holds PhD (Financial Economics) from Booth School of Business, University of Chicago, the US. He has served on the expert committees on Corporate Governance and on Governance of Banks. He was a member of SEBI’s standing committees on Alternative Investment Policy, Primary Markets, Secondary Markets and Research. He is also on the boards of Bandhan Bank, the National Institute of Bank Management, and the RBI Academy.
  • The key responsibilities of the CEA include providing policy inputs on industrial development and foreign trade, conducting analysis of trends in industrial production and releasing statistical information on key economic indicators.
Google announces ‘Journalism AI’ project
  • To help news industry use Artificial Intelligence (AI) in more innovative ways, Google has announced a partnership with Polis, the international journalism think-tank at London School of Economics and Political Science, to create “Journalism AI”.
  • Part of the Google News Initiative (GNI), the “Journalism AI” project will focus on research and training for newsrooms on the intersection of AI and journalism.
  • The Asia-Pacific Google News Initiative (GNI) Innovation Challenge will fund selected projects up to $300,000 and finance up to 70 per cent of the total project cost, that inject new ideas into the news industry.
Germany offers support to rebuild Kerala
  • The German government has offered help in the form of grants, loans at low rates of interest and by participating in specific projects to rebuild Kerala which was devastated after the worst ever floods in August.
  • Martin Ney, the German Ambassador to India, said Germany was ready to support the state by contributing to the “Rebuild Kerala” initiative.
  • Had talks with the Centre and have offered to provide up to Rs 720 crore under low interest loans to promote climate-resilient reconstruction of bridges and roads in Kerala.
  • Along with this aRs 24 crore grant for technical support that will provide international expertise in the field of infrastructure planning.
  • The support for infrastructure development will be through the German Development Bank KfW, who will ink an agreement with the Kerala government.
  • The talks with the Centre took place in Delhi last week when they decided to include Kerala in discussions about 190 different projects that Germany was supporting in various states.
  • The German government is also working on a study on floating solar sites at two dams in the state.
  • The other programme is aRs 40 crore grant funded project that will be done at selected 43 places which will help reduce vulnerability to climate change of small farmers through watershed development projects.
FAO approves 2023 as International Year of Millets
  • The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has approved India’s proposal to observe an International Year of Millets in 2023.
  • Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh had made the demand in August this year, which has been accepted by the ongoing FAO Council in Rome.
  • Millets consist of Jowar, Bajra, Ragi and minor millets, together termed as nutri-cereals.
  • The development will enhance global awareness to bring back these nutri-cereals to the plate, for food and nutrition security and for increasing production to face the challenges posed by climate change, globally.
  • In addition, the Council also approved India’s membership to the Executive Board of the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) for 2020 and 2021.

FACTFILE – The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

  • It is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger.
  • FAO is also a source of knowledge and information, and helps developing countries in transition modernize and improve agriculture, forestry and fisheries practices, ensuring good nutrition and food security for all.
  • As of August 2018, The FAO has 197 member states.
  • Headquarters – Rome, Italy
  • Head – José Graziano da Silva
India expected to receive total remittance of $80 billion in 2018
  • India is expected to receive a total remittance of $80 billion in 2018, said the latest edition of the World Bank’s Migration and Development Brief, released on 8th
  • Among major remittance recipients, India retains its top spot, with remittances expected to total $80 billion this year, followed by China ($67 billion), Mexico and the Philippines ($34 billion each), and Egypt ($26 billion).
  • As global growth is projected to moderate, future remittances to low and middle-income countries are expected to grow moderately by 4 per cent to reach $549 billion in 2019. Global remittances are expected to grow 3.7 per cent to $715 billion in 2019.
  • According to the brief, remittance flows rose in all regions and was driven by a stronger economy and employment situation in the US and a rebound in outward flows from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and the Russian Federation.

December 9

CM Prema Khandu launches Arunachal Pradesh’s ‘Shi Yomi ‘ as 23rd district
  • Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu inaugurated the newly created Shi Yomi district, the 23rd district in the State, bordering China.
  • Headquartered at Tato, the new district, comprising of four administrative Circles viz. Mechuka, Tato, Pidi and Manigong, was bifurcated from West Siang district.
  • The State Assembly had passed the Arunachal Pradesh (Reorganisation of Districts) (Amendment) Bill, 2018 in the last House session paving the way for creation of Shi Yomi district, along with two other districts.
  • Thanking the people for donating land for government establishments for free, the Chief Minister urged to set priorities right as the government can’t afford lavish spending. He also promised that in the coming Budget session, provision for funds for the development of infrastructure will be kept.
India’s first artificial heart valve technology launched
  • In line with the Make in India initiative, global medical device maker Meril Life Sciences on 8th December launched its first indigenously designed and manufactured artificial aortic valve for patients who are at a high risk or unwilling to undergo open heart valve replacement surgery.
  • The Transcatheter Aortic Heart Valve Replacement (TAVR), which will be sold under the brand name “Myval”, is a minimally invasive procedure in which the doctor places a artificial valve into the patient’s diseased valve via a catheter inserted through the femoral artery.
  • It is an alternative way to replace diseased valves without undergoing traditional open heart procedure, which some patients may not receive well.
  • Meril is the first Indian company to commercially make this therapy available in the country.
  • The company has also received an approval from the Indian drug regulator Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) for commercialisation of TAVR.
  • TAVR is increasingly becoming a preferred alternative for surgical valve replacement because it is associated with faster recovery time.
India, Iceland discuss geothermal energy cooperation
  • India and Iceland discussed cooperation in geothermal energy among other areas during a bilateral meeting between External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Icelandic Foreign Minister Gudlaugur Thor Thordarson.
  • The two Ministers noted that in the areas such as geothermal energy, fisheries, IT, pharmaceuticals and tourism, both countries could establish strong partnership.
  • The Icelandic Minister appreciated growing opportunities for Icelandic companies in the fast-growing Indian economy.
  • The two Ministers expressed satisfaction at the ongoing cooperation at multilateral and international forums.
  • Sushma Swaraj and Thordarson also discussed the possibility of enhanced cooperation in the Arctic Council, an inter-governmental forum of Arctic states where India has an observer status.

FACTFILE – Geothermal energy

  • Geothermal energy is thermal energy generated and stored in the earth.
  • The geothermal energy of the Earth’s crust originates from the original formation of the planet and from radioactive decay of materials.
  • The geothermal gradient, which is the difference in temperature between the core of the planet and its surface, drives a continuous conduction of thermal energy in the form of heat from the core to the surface.
  • Earth’s internal heat is thermal energy generated from radioactive decay and continual heat loss from Earth’s formation. Temperatures at the core–mantle boundary may reach over 4000 °C (7,200 °F).
  • The high temperature and pressure in Earth’s interior cause some rock to melt and solid mantle to behave plastically, resulting in portions of the mantle convecting upward since it is lighter than the surrounding rock.
  • With water from hot springs, geothermal energy has been used for bathing since Paleolithic times and for space heating since ancient Roman times, but it is now better known for electricity generation.
  • Worldwide, 11,700 megawatts (MW) of geothermal power was available in 2013.
  • Geothermal power is cost-effective, reliable, sustainable, and environmentally friendly, but has historically been limited to areas near tectonic plate boundaries.
Kerala CM commissions Kannur airport
  • Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Union Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu commissioned the Kannur International Airport Ltd (KIAL).
  • The first flight from the airport was flagged off, with 180 passengers to Abu Dhabi.
  • This is the fourth international airport in the state, the rest are in Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode.
  • The KIAL is slated to serve more than 1.5 million international passengers annually and authorities estimate the number will increase five-fold by 2025.
  • It is expected to boost tourism in Kannur, Kasargode, Wayanad and increase trade and commerce in the handloom and spices sectors.

 

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Assam Current Affairs – December 1-7, 2018

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Current Affairs Assam – December 1-7, 2018

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December 1

North East Skill Centre (NESC) to be launched in January
  • The ambitious North East Skill Centre (NESC) project, a joint collaboration of the Assam Skill Development Mission (ASDM) and Institute of Technical Educational Services, Singapore (ITEES), will be launched in January.
  • The centre will offer a one-year certificate course to achieve the twin goal of generating employment and meet the demand of the industry for skilled manpower.
  • Specialised and industry-driven training would be imparted in four sectors – beauty and wellness, retail services, hospitality –food and beverage service and hospitality – housekeeping.
  • The NESC will have state-of-the-art infrastructure located on a sprawling campus in Guwahati with a fully equipped laboratory.
G20 summit: India presents 9-point agenda on fugitive economic offenders
  • India on Friday presented a nine-point agenda to G20 member nations calling for strong and active cooperation among them to comprehensively deal with fugitive economic offenders.
  • The agenda was presented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the second session of the G20 Summit on international trade, international financial and tax systems.
  • Cooperation in legal processes such as effective freezing of the proceeds of crime, early return of the offenders and efficient repatriation of the proceeds of crime should be enhanced and streamlined.
  • India also called for joint efforts by G-20 countries to form a mechanism that denies entry and safe havens to fugitive economic offenders.
  • India suggested the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) should be called upon to assign priority and focus to establishing international cooperation that leads to timely and comprehensive exchange of information between the competent authorities and financial intelligence units.
  • India also advocated setting up of a common platform for sharing experiences and best practices including successful cases of extradition, gaps in existing systems of extradition and legal assistance, etc.
Double Taxation Pact between India & Hong Kong came into effect
  • The double taxation avoidance pact between India and Hong Kong came into effect on 30th November after both sides completed the due procedures.
  • The agreement between India and Hong Kong for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income was signed on March 19.
  • India completed all the relevant procedures required by its laws for the entry into force of the agreement on May 11 and the government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region completed all the relevant procedures required by its laws for the entry into force of the agreement on November 30.
  • The pact will stimulate flow of investment, technology and personnel from India to Hong Kong and vice versa.
  • It will prevent double taxation and provide for exchange of information between the two sides.
  • The agreement will also improve transparency in tax matters and will help curb tax evasion and tax avoidance.
BRICS leaders declare common stand on WTO reform
  • Leaders of the emerging economies’ bloc BRICS declared their common stand on the reform of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on 30th
  • A communique was issued after Brazilian President Michel Temer, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa held an informal meeting on the sidelines of G-20 Summit.
  • BRICS countries agreed that full support should be given to the rules-based multilateral trading system represented by the WTO and to ensure transparent, non-discriminatory, open and inclusive international trade.
  • BRICS countries pledged to support the improvement of the WTO, increase its relevance and validity and safeguard the core values and basic principles of the WTO, and agreed that the WTO should embody the interests of all members, developing economies in particular.

December 2

Siu-Ka-Pha Divas observed on December 2
  • Asom Divas, a day to remember the contributions of the first Ahom king Chaolung Siu-Ka-Pha, was observed in various places in Assam.
  • Since 1996 December 2 has been celebrated in Assam as the Sukaphaa Divawkh, or Axom Divawkh (Assam Day), to commemorate the advent of the first king of the Ahom kingdom in Assam after his journey over the Patkai Hills.

FACTFILE – Chaolung Sukaphaa (r. 1228–1268)

  • Siu-Ka-Pha was the first Ahom king in medieval Assam, was the founder of the Ahom kingdom.
  • A Tai prince originally from Mong Mao, the kingdom he established in 1228 existed for nearly six hundred years and in the process unified the various indigenous ethnic groups of the region that left a deep impact on the region.
Rajnath Singh to inaugurate Hornbill Festival
  • Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh will inaugurate the 19th edition of the Hornbill Festival at Kisama village.
  • Nagaland Governor PB Acharya will be the chief host on the occasion, while US Ambassador to India, Kenneth I Juster, has been invited as the guest of honour.
  • The Nagaland Government has earmarked Rs 5 crore for the festival, which will culminate on December 10. The celebrations and programmes have been scheduled in five districts of the State including Kohima, Dimapur, Mokokchung, Phek and Wokha, she said.
  • The annual festival unites one and all, while promoting the tourism prospects of the State. The festival aims to display the rich traditions and the vibrant culture of Nagaland through colourful performances, crafts, sports, food fairs, games and ceremonies.
  • The heritage village of Kisama has been made a plastic-free zone. The visitor turnout to Kisama stood at 2.43 lakh last year and the number might swell this year.
Kaziranga National Park home to 907 Eastern Swamp Deer
  • During a Census of Eastern Swamp Deer in Kaziranga National Park, physical counting of the species in Kaziranga National Park had put the total population of Eastern Swamp Deer at 907, which is less than the last census figure carried out in 2016, where the total population was 1,148.
  • Last year’s heavy flood in Kaziranga had killed many wild animals, including Eastern Swamp Deer.

FACTFILE – The barasingha or swamp deer

  • The barasingha deer species distributed in the Indian subcontinent.
  • Populations in northern and central India are fragmented, and two isolated populations occur in southwestern Nepal. It is extinct in Pakistan and Bangladesh.
  • The swamp deer differs from all the Indian deer species in that the antlers carry more than three tines.
  • Because of this distinctive character it is designated barasingha, meaning “twelve-tined.”
  • Mature stags have 10 to 14 tines, and some have been known to have up to 20.
  • It is listed on CITES Appendix I. In India, it is included under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.
  • It is put under Vulnerable category in IUCN conservation status.
G-20 Summit endorses multilateral trade system and WTO reforms
  • The G-20 Summit concluded on 1st December, with members endorsing the multilateral trading system, and calling for reforms to the World Trade Organization (WTO).
  • International trade and investment are important engines of growth, productivity, innovation, job creation and development.
  • The system is currently falling short of its objectives and there is room for improvement. Therefore support the necessary reform of the WTO to improve its functioning.
  • Signatories to the Paris Agreement, reaffirm that the Paris Agreement is irreversible and commit to its full implementation, reflecting common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities.
  • The two-day summit discussed issues such as the future of work, infrastructure for development, financial stability, climate sustainability and international trade, among others.
  • India to host G-20 summit in 2022, coinciding with the country’s 75th anniversary of Independence. PM Modi thanked Italy for allowing India to play the host. Italy was to host the international forum in 2022.

FACTFILE – G-20

  • The G-20 is a grouping of the world’s 20 major economies.
  • G-20 members comprise Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, the European Union, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the UK and the US. Spain is a permanent guest invitee.
  • Collectively, the G-20 economies account for nearly 90 per cent of the gross world product, 80 per cent of world trade, two-thirds of the world population, and approximately half of the world land area.
DAC approves purchase of BrahMos, armoured vehicles
  • The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) approved the procurement of equipment worth Rs 3,000 crore which included the BrahMos missile for Navy ships and Armoured Recovery Vehicles (ARVs) for the Army’s main battle tank Arjun.
  • The DAC, chaired by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, approved the procurement of the indigenous BrahMos missile for two Indian Navy ships to be built in Russia.
  • The indigenously designed BrahMos missile is a tested and proven supersonic cruise missile and will form the primary weapon on-board these ships.
  • The ARVs to be procured are designed and developed by the Defence Research Development Organisation and would be manufactured by M/S BEML.
  • ARVs ensure efficient and speedy repair and recovery operations during combat.
ASEAN experts to meet on military medicine in Lucknow
  • A four-day meeting of experts in military medicine from ASEAN countries, being co-chaired by India and Myanmar, will be held here from 2nd The objective is to establish better cooperation in medical operations amongst the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) countries.
  • For civil support by military operations other than war, especially humanitarian assistance and disaster response missions.
  • There will be expert working group on military medicine, 4th bilateral talks between India and Myanmar, a table-top exercise and planning for field training exercises encompassing broad themes.
  • Around 50 delegates from various countries and officers from India’s Army Medical Corps are likely to participate in the event.
  • The event aims to establish preparedness and response mechanisms to manage mass casualties and outbreak of infectious diseases resulting from large-scale disasters as also to facilitate synergy, better understanding, increase capability of the combined operations amongst the Armed Forces of Asean member states and Asean Plus countries.

FACTFILE – ASEAN nations and thier Capital

  1. Nation of Brunei – Bandar Seri Begawan
  2. Cambodia – Phnom Penh
  3. Indonesia – Jakarta
  4. Lao People’s Democratic Republic – Vientiane
  5. Malaysia – Kuala Lumpur
  6. Republic of the Union of Myanmar – Naypyidaw
  7. Republic of the Philippines – Manila     
  8. Republic of Singapore – Singapore
  9. Kingdom of Thailand – Bangkok
  10. Socialist Republic of Vietnam – Hanoi
Govt launches ‘Digital Sky Platform’ online platform for registration of drones
  • The Union Civil Aviation Ministry launched the ‘Digital Sky Platform’ for the registration of drones and their operators. Nano drones in India can start flying legally with immediate effect from 1st December as the Civil Aviation regulations come into force.
  • For drones, operators and pilots are required to register on the Digital Sky Portal. Payments for Unmanned Aerial Operator’s Permit (UAOP) and Unique Identification Numbers (UIN) will be accepted through the Bharat Kosh (bharatkosh.gov.in) portal.
  • To get permissions to fly Remotely Piloted Aerial Systems (RPAS), operators or remote pilots will have to file a flight plan.
  • Flying in the ‘green zones’ will require only intimation of the time and location of the flights via the portal or the app.
  • Permissions will be required for flying in ‘yellow zones’ and flights will not be allowed in the ‘red zones’.
  • The government in August had announced a policy and guidelines for drones designed to open up an array of opportunities in the Indian civil aviation sector.
  • The regulations are intended to enable visual line-of-sight, daytime only and a maximum of 400 feet altitude operations.
  • The regulations list various categories of drones, and all of these except the “nano” type weighing less than 250 gram and those owned by government and intelligence agencies, are to be registered and issued with a Unique Identification Number (UIN).

 

December 2018 – Monthly PDF | Monthly Quiz eBook

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Assam Current Affairs – November 29-30, 2018

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Current Affairs Assam - November 29-30, 2018

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November 29

IIT-G scientists publish breakthrough research work on metastatic cancer
  • A research conducted by Gautam Biswas, IIT-G Director, alongwith his colleagues Siddhartha Sankar Ghosh of biosciences & bioengineering and Amaresh Dalal from mechanical engineering departments, have demonstrated the movement of metastatic cancer cells, a breakthrough in cancer research.
  • The research showed how cancer cells can deform, survive and pass through micro capillaries in the human body. Multi-cellular aggregates of cancer cells are the initiators of distant organ metastasis and cause spread of cancer in the body.
  • The findings been endorsed in the prestigious Scientific Journal, that publishes scientifically valid primary research from all areas of the natural and clinical sciences. Earlier it was assumed that cancer cells are too large to pass through narrow vessels such as pulmonary capillaries to reach other organs.
  • The research work is expected to be helpful for oncologists in devising new methods of cancer treatment.

FACTFILE – Cancer cells

  • Cancer cells are cells that divide relentlessly, forming solid tumors or flooding the blood with abnormal cells.
  • Healthy cells stop dividing when there is no longer a need for more daughter cells, but cancer cells continue to produce copies.
  • They are also able to spread from one part of the body to another in a process known as metastasis.
  • The enzyme telomerase is used to extend the cancer cell’s life span. While the telomeres of most cells shorten after each division, eventually causing the cell to die, telomerase extends the cell’s telomeres. This is a major reason that cancer cells can accumulate over time, creating tumors.
Nagaland launches Supply Chain Management for timely delivery of foodgrains
  • To ensure timely delivery of goods and services to the people of Nagaland, Supply Chain Management (SCM) was launched by DK Gupta, Director of Public Distribution, Ministry of Public distribution and Consumer Affairs.
  • SCM is a powerful monitoring tool for tracking stock inventory starting from the godown to the fair price shops. The application would make the beneficiaries aware about the availability of food grains.
  • Under the National Food Security Act, Nagaland has completed all the activities required for beneficiaries except FPS Automation. As per a Supreme Court order, all beneficiaries availing subsidized food grains in Nagaland and across the country have to seed their ration cards with Aadhaar on or before March 31, 2019.
  • The SCM will help in accquring accurate information on all storage facilities in the state and would help the department in making effective decision making.
Nagaland Govt. restricts use of plastics
  • The Nagaland government notified its policy for restricting the use of plastics in the state to eradicate the serious environmental and ecological challenges posed by rampant use of plastics with immediate effect.
  • As per the notification, all single-use plastics less than 50 microns especially plastic bags and plastic cutlery including styrofoam and thermocol disposable plates will be banned from December 1, 2018.
  • It said the government offices will stop using packaged drinking water bottles, below 20 litres capacity, by April 1, 2019. Alternatives like filtered water dispensers and reverse osmosis plants will be introduced while the government servants will be encouraged to carry reusable drinking water bottles.
  • Alternatives to plastic bags such as cloth, jute, paper bags, bamboo and leaf plates and cutlery will be promoted and popularized.
  • State Gvto will set up a taskforce in each district that will include government officials, NGOs and church leaders to devise local strategies and build awareness for plastic-free environment.
  • The village councils and municipal bodies will be sensitised to take proactive action for discouraging use of plastics in their jurisdiction and they can decide on the issue of levying penalties for continued use of single-use plastics in their jurisdiction.
  • The government will provide incentives to entrepreneurs investing in production of paper bags and cloth bag making units, disposable biodegradable cutlery from areca nut leaves, setting up of water ATMs in public places, plastic shredding units for recycling of plastics among others.
India’s PSLV rocket successfully puts HysIS satellite into orbit
  • India put into orbit its own Hyper Spectral Imaging Satellite (HysIS) an earth observation satellite.
  • The Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle Core Alone (PSLV CA) rocket variant lifted off with 31 satellites, the HysIS and 30 foreign satellites (including 23 satellites are from the US, the rest are from Australia, Canada, Columbia, Finland, Malaysia, the Netherlands and Spain).
  • The notable aspect of the rocket mission is the placing of the satellites in two different orbits of different altitude.
  • While the HysIS has been placed in its intended orbit, the remaining 30 foreign satellites will be later ejected at a lower orbit, all the foreign satellites were placed in a 504 km orbit.

FACTFILE – HySIS (Hyperspectral Imaging Satellite)

  • HySIS is an Earth observation satellite which will provide hyperspectral imaging services to India for a range of applications in agriculture, forestry, defence and in the assessment of geography such as coastal zones and inland waterways.
  • Payloads
  • HySIS carries two payloads, the first in the Visible Near Infrared (VNIR) spectral range of 0.4 to 0.95 micrometers with 60 contiguous spectral bands and the second in the Shortwave Infrared Range (SWIR) spectral range of 0.85 to 2.4 micrometres with a 10 nanometre bandwidth and 256 contiguous spectral bands.
Indo-Russian joint military drill INDRA concludes
  • The 10th edition of Indo-Russian joint military exercise INDRA culminated at Babina Military Station here on Wednesday after a joint tactical exercise and a grand closing ceremony.
  • The 11-day long joint training that commenced on November 18 included developing “common understanding of transnational terrorism, interoperability and conduct of joint tactical operations” controlled by a Joint Command Post working under the aegis of United Nations.
  • Classes were organised on cordon and search operations, raid on terrorist hideout, intelligence gathering and sharing, perception management, humanitarian laws and hostage rescue.
  • The participating contingents also carried out specialised joint training on hostage rescue by slithering from MI-17 helicopters.
  • Major General P.S. Minhas, General Officer Commanding of White Tiger Division of the Indian Army and Major General Tsekov Oleg Moosovich, Commander, Fifth Army of the Russian Army witnessed the validation exercise conducted at the field firing ranges.

November 30

Silapathar Science College creates rice bank to preserve indigenous varieties
  • The Silapathar Science College, located in Dhemaji district of Assam has not only set up a rice bank to preserve seeds of indigenous varieties that are losing out to new high-yielding varieties but also encouraging farmers to grow them so that they do not become extinct.
  • The College has so far documented and preserved 251 indigenous varieties through its rice bank.
  • Set up in 1996, the college started to work closely with farmers in the district since 2015 and organised a “Rice Mela” to showcase the indigenous varieties grown in the district.
  • Assam produced over 70 lakh tonnes of rice in 2017, compared to 52 lakh tonnes the previous year.
  • Besides the normal rice, Assam also produces different varieties of aromatic rice, locally known as “Joha”; some varieties of soft rice, locally known as “Komal Saul” that needs no cooking; and a huge variety of sticky rice, commonly known as “Bora”.
New health project ‘PLUS’ launched in five Arunachal districts
  • A health project named ‘Precious Lives under Safety (PLUS)’ is recently launched by Arunachal Government.
  • The project is initially launched in five district of Papumpare, Lower Subansiri, West Siang, East Siang and Lohit.
  • It was a modified form of Prime Minister Surakshit Matritwa Yojana, which ensures zero mortality of pregnant mother and neo natal babies besides 100 percent coverage of child birth in government run hospitals.
  • He said that about 50 percent registered pregnant women in the state gives birth out of government hospital under various reason, but the new project would facilitate them to come to government hospitals for at least four times ante-natal check up and hospital delivery.
Nagaland signed MoU with Estonia for setting up e-governance academy
  • The Nagaland government signed an MoU with Estonian to setup as academy in Kohima to enlighten the state people on the e-governance models prevailing in the world.
  • The main objective of the five-year agreement with the e-Governance Academy of Estonia is to work together to develop and expand scientific collaboration on setting up e-Governance Academy in Nagaland.
  • The agreement was signed during the e-Naga Summit, held with a vision to embark on a process to instill the spirit of innovation and use of technology for impacting positive change in the society.
Manipur emerges overall champion in National School Games
  • Host Manipur emerged overall team champion at the end of 5-day 64th National School Games, 2018 in Taekwondo for U-14 Boys & Girls held at the Taekwondo Training Hall of Khuman Lampak Sports Complex in Imphal.
  • Manipur won a total of five gold, three silver and one bronze medals and tops the medal tally while Haryana took three gold, four silver and one bronze medals to clinch the overall runner’s up title. The third position in the tally was bagged by Maharashtra with two gold, five silver and two bronze medals.
  • With two gold medals and one bronze medal, Nagaland ranked 7th the in medal tally after Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Delhi.
  • The Youth Affairs and Sports Department organised the games under the aegis of School Games Federation of India.
India-UK joint naval exercise Konkan-2018 begins at Goa
  • India-UK joint naval exercise “Konkan-2018” has started at Goa and would go on till December 6, The Royal Navy of UK will be represented by HMS Dragon, a Type 45 Class Destroyer equipped with an integral Wildcat helicopter.
  • The Indian Navy will field INS Kolkata, the first ship of latest Kolkata class destroyers, equipped with integral Seaking and an IN submarine.
  • In addition, Indian Navy’s maritime patrol aircraft Dornier will also participate in the exercise.
  • The thrust of the exercise this year would be on anti-submarine warfare, visit board search and seizure (VBSS), anti-air warfare, anti-surface warfare and seamanship evolutions.
  • The bilateral Konkan exercise provides a platform for the two navies to periodically exercise at sea and in harbour, so as to build interoperability and share best practices.

 

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Assam Current Affairs – November 22-28, 2018

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Current Affairs Assam – November  22-28, 2018

( Covers all important Assam Current Affairs & GK topics for the week of November 22 – 28, 2018 )

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November 22

Assam honoured with India Today’s most improved large State award
  • In recognition to the State Government’s initiatives to ensure development and quality of life for its citizens, Assam has been awarded the most improved large state in the categories of Overall performance, Economy and Health by India Today at the ‘State of the States Conclave’ held in New Delhi.
  • Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal received the award from Vice President of India M Venkaiah Naidu.
  • He also said that corruption-free Assam has been Govt’s top most agenda and govt has cracked down against corrupt practices in the state.
  • In the tenure of this govt, the state government has detected and cancelled four lakh bogus job cards under MGNREGA, over 36,000 bogus ration cards and over 70 thousand bogus beneficiaries registered under National Old age pension scheme apart from officials held for APSC ‘cash for job scam’.
  • The North East region is fast emerging as a centre of growth. PM Narendra Modi has called the North East as ‘New Engine of New India’ and ‘Ashtalakshmi’. And has laid special emphasis on improving connectivity within the region and with the rest of India, via railways, waterways, roads, air or telecommunication.
  • By plugging leakages, revenue collection of the State increased from Rs. 7011 crore in 2015-16 to 8457 crore in 2017-18, an increase of 21%.
  • Capital expenditure has increased from Rs. 4919 crore in 2015-16 to 12,817 crore in 2017-18, showing our commitment to improve quality of expenditure.
  • Government’s sustained efforts to focus on boosting rural economy through leveraging growth of agriculture and other allied sectors, as a result of which annual production of rice has increased by 2.27 lakh tons, horticulture production has increased by 6.19 lakh tons and fish production by 33 thousand tons in 2017-18 as compared to 2015-16.
  • For the first time direct export of fruits and vegetables from Guwahati to Dubai and other international destinations has started..
  • State Government organized North East India’s first ever Global Investors’ Summit to realise agri-business potential being thrown open by the ‘Act East Policy’. The state has recorded Rs 12,000 crore worth of investments and this has generated direct employment of around 40 thousand and even more indirect employment.
  • Recently many initiatives being implemented in the health sector including schemes like Atal Amrit Yojana, CM’s Free Diagnostic Scheme, wage compensation scheme for tea garden pregnant women and cancer care grid, etc.
  • Chief Minister Sonowal thanked the Prime Minister and the Union Government for their un-stinted support and the cooperation of the government employees and people of the state in scripting a new growth narrative in the state, while highlighting the achievements of the State Government and various innovative measures adopted in economy, health, education and different other sectors.
7th International Tourism Mart started in Agartala
  • The seventh edition of The International Tourism Mart is organized by the Union Ministry of Tourism in association with the Department of Tourism of Tripura and other north-eastern states in Agartala.
  • The event facilitate interaction between buyers, sellers, media, government agencies and other stakeholders.
  • Engagement of business-to-business meetings with sellers from the north-eastern region which will enable the tourism product suppliers from the region to reach out to international and domestic buyers.
  • A total of 41 foreign delegates from 18 countries and 23 tour operators and travel agents along with 18 media representatives, journalists, travel writers and bloggers are participating in the event.

FACTFILE – International Tourism Mart

  • The International Tourism Mart, an annual event organized in the north-eastern region with the objective of highlighting the tourism potential of the region in the domestic and international markets.
  • It provides platform to tourism business fraternity and entrepreneurs from eight North Eastern States.
  • It organized annually in North Eastern States on rotation basis.
  • The earlier editions of this event were held in Guwahati, Tawang, Shillong, Gangtok and Imphal.
Sela Pass tunnel construction started in Arunachal Pradesh
  • Director General Border Roads (DGBR) Lt Gen Harpal Singh informed that the bhoomi puja for starting the construction work of a tunnel through the Sela Pass in Arunachal Pradesh would be held in January next year.
  • The tunnel located on the vicinity of the border between the Tawang and West Kameng districts at an elevation of 13,700 ft will ensure faster movement of troops in the strategically located parts of the state bordering China.
  • Significant achievement has been made on improving the 317-km-long Balipara-Charduar-Tawang (BCT) road to two-lane road, which is the lifeline of West Kameng and Tawang districts.
  • The DGBR informed that stretch from 0-50 km road has been completed and stretch from 70-88 km is being carried out on EPC mode.

FACTFILE – The Sela Pass

  • The Sela Pass (Se La) is a high-altitude mountain pass located on the border between the Tawang and West Kameng Districts of Arunachal Pradesh state in India.
  • It has an elevation of 4170 m (13,700 ft) and connects the Tibetan Buddhist town of Tawang to Dirang and Guwahati.
  • The pass carries the main road connecting Tawang with the rest of India.
  • The pass supports scarce amounts of vegetation and is usually snow-covered to some extent throughout the year.
  • Sela Lake, near the summit of the pass, is one of approximately 101 lakes in the area that are sacred in Tibetan Buddhism.
  • While Sela Pass does get heavy snowfall in winters, it is usually open throughout the year.
Union HRD Minister launched Innovation Cell for research
  • Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar launched the Institution’s Innovation Cell (IIC) at the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) to foster an attitude of research among students.
  • So far, more than 1,000 higher education institutes have already established IICs on their campuses to “promote innovation”.
  • After Independence we established research centres separately from the universities. This was a historical mismatch. In all developed countries universities act as research centres. And it can happen only there, he said.
CCEA approved continuation of “Atmosphere & Climate Research-Modelling Observing Systems & Services (ACROSS)” scheme
  • The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved the continuation of its scheme “Atmosphere & Climate Research-Modelling Observing Systems & Services (ACROSS)” which will provide improved weather, climate and ocean forecasts and services.
  • The Cabinet has approved the continuation of the nine sub-schemes of the umbrella scheme ‘ACROSS’ during 2017-2020 at an estimated cost of Rs 1,450 crore.
  • It will be implemented by the Ministry of Earth Sciences through its institutes namely India Meteorological Department (IMD), Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF), and Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Service (INCOIS).

November 23

Assam singer Nahid Afrin appointed UNICEF ‘Youth Advocate’
  • Assam singer Nahid Afrin was appointed the first ever ‘Youth Advocate’ of UNICEF, which
  • aims to inspire and gather the support of India’s 253 million adolescents towards the cause of children and young people.
  • UNICEF’s association with Nahid Afrin is part of an initiative to advocate child rights in the northeast. As a youth advocate, she would act as a role model to inspire children and young people to act in making the world a better place and ensuring that their rights are respected.
  • Youth advocates support initiatives of positive change that include access to quality education, basic healthcare, ending violence against children, and addressing the issues of equity and inclusion.

BIOGRAPHY – Nahid Afrin

  • Nahid made her playback debut in the 2016 Bollywood film Akira.
  • She won the best female singer award in 2017 for the song Dhuniya Joon.
  • She also won an award in 2018 at the Assam State Film Awards.
Awards for Nagaland, Tripura at India Today State of State’s Survey
  • Nagaland awarded ‘Best Performing Small State’ in ‘Law & Order’ by the India Today State of State’s Survey 2018. Nagaland Minister for Forest, Environment, Climate Change and Parliamentary Affairs, C M Chang received the award from Vice President of India, M Venkaiah Naidu.
  • Tripura bagged three prizes in inclusive development, infrastructure and overall most improved small state. Somya Gupta, Special Resident Commissioner of Tripura Bhavan at New Delhi, received the award.
Meghalaya gets India Today award for ‘most improved small State’ in agriculture
  • Meghalaya has been adjudged the ‘most improved small State’ in the category of agriculture in the India Today ‘The State of the States’ 2018 Survey.
  • The Chief Advisor to the Chief Minister Thomas A. Sangma received the India Today ‘The State of the States’ award on behalf of the State Government.
  • Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma said, the govt have laid adequate thrust on improving agriculture in Meghalaya and such award will further motivate our officials and the farmers to take a quantum leap to ensure innovative and sustainable farming practices.
India and Laos review bilateral ties
  • India and Laos reviewed the entire gamut of their bilateral ties during the Ninth Joint Commission meeting co-chaired by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Lao counterpart Saleumxay Kommasith.
  • The meeting reviewed the India-Lao PDR relations comprehensively and took note of all that has been achieved and current state of the various cooperation programmes.
  • The meeting also laid out the road map for future cooperation and enhancement in bilateral relations.
  • Laos is member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) regional bloc with which New Delhi has been actively engaging under its Act East Policy.

FACTFILE – Laos

  • Laos, officially the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, is a socialist state and the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia at the heart of the Indochinese peninsula, bordered by Myanmar (Burma) and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southwest, and Thailand to the west and southwest.
  • Laos is a member of the Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement (APTA), Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), East Asia Summit and La Francophonie.
  • The capital and largest city is Vientiane.
  • Laos has been referred to as one of East Asia and Pacific’s Fastest Growing Economies by the World Bank, with annual GDP growth averaging 7.8% for the past decade.
India and China to hold border talks
  • India and China will discuss their vexed boundary dispute and try to sort out major issues at the 21st round of two-day border in the Chinese city of Chengdu.
  • The two countries, which fought a war in 1962 and have had several skirmishes since then along their largely undefined 3,488-km border, were locked in a 73-day military stand-off at Doklam, a contested region between China and Bhutan close to India’s arterial highway where the Chinese were building a road.
  • The two Asian giants are in a recovery mode and have seemingly made progress in their relationship, especially after the informal summit between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in April this year.
  • India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval will hold the talks with China’s top diplomat and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Beijing’s new Special Representative on the boundary dispute.

FACTFILE – Sino-Indian border dispute

  • The Line of Actual Control (LAC) is the effective border between India and the People’s Republic of China.
  • It traverses 4,057 km along the Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.
  • The McMahon Line was part of the 1914 Simla Convention between British India and Tibet, an agreement rejected by China.
  • Areas of Aksai Chin and Arunachal Pradesh are disputedly claimed by China also.
  • The 1962 Sino-Indian War was fought in both of these areas. An agreement to resolve the dispute was concluded in 1996, including “confidence-building measures” and a mutually agreed Line of Actual Control.
  • The 2017 China India border standoff or Doklam standoff refers to the military border standoff between the Indian Armed Forces and the People’s Liberation Army of China over Chinese construction of a road in Doklam near a trijunction border area, known as Donglang.
  • On 16 June 2017 Chinese troops with construction vehicles and road-building equipment began extending an existing road southward in Doklam, a territory which is claimed by both China as well as India’s ally Bhutan. On 18 June 2017, around 270 Indian troops, with weapons and two bulldozers, entered Doklam to stop the Chinese troops from constructing the road. On 28 August, both India and China announced that they had withdrawn all their troops from the face-off site in Doklam.

 

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Assam Current Affairs – November 15-21, 2018

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Current Affairs Assam – November  15-21, 2018

( Covers all important Assam Current Affairs & GK topics for the week of November 15-21, 2018 )

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November 15

Assam’s scientist Mantu Bhuyan elected as Fellow of Royal Entomological Society of London
  • Senior Scientist of the Jorhat based institute CSIR-North East Institute of Science and Technology Dr Mantu Bhuyan has been elected as the Fellow of Royal Entomological Society of London recently for his significant contribution in Entomology.
  • Dr Bhuyan, a post graduate from Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat and post-doctorate from Rutgers University, USA has been working on insect-plant interaction and exploiting plant secondary metabolites for pest management including butterfly ecology, insect behaviour and vector control.
  • He has published in reputed journals and co-author of a paper published in the Annual Review of Entomology.

FACTFILE – The Royal Entomological Society

  • The Royal Entomological Society is devoted to the study of insects. Its aims are to disseminate information about insects and improving communication between entomologists.
  • The Royal Entomological Society was established during 1833 in London and is known as one of the oldest and prestigious societies in the field of Entomology.
  • Many pioneering scientists including Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace were also the alumni Fellow of the society.
Arunachal Pradesh government signs MoU worth Rs 1,200 crore
  • The Arunachal Pradesh government on 14th November signed and exchanged MoUs with 17 private investors for projects worth Rs 1,200 crore during the 5th edition of North East Connectivity Scheme.
  • The MoUs with private investors across sectors like tourism and hospitality, oil and gas, retail, power, equipment manufacturing and sports has the potential to create over 8,000 gainful employment opportunities in the state.
Modi meets PMs of Singapore, Australia, Thailand in East Asia Summit
  • India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 14th November held bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Singapore, Australia and Thailand on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit.
  • Modi started the day with a meeting with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Subjects pertaining to India-Singapore relations, particularly trade and people-to-people ties were discussed during the meeting.
  • Following this, Modi had a meeting with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Both leaders had a good discussion on deepening ties in trade and investment, defence and security and other areas of bilateral cooperation.
  • Later, the Indian Prime Minister met up with his Thai counterpart Prayut Chan-o-cha. Issues relating to trade, commerce and connectivity were among the various subjects discussed by the leaders.

FACTFILE – EAST ASIAN SUMMIT

  • The East Asia Summit (EAS) is a regional forum held annually by leaders of, initially, 16 countries in the East Asian, Southeast Asian, and South Asian regions, based on the ASEAN Plus Six mechanism.
  • Russia and the United States were made members in 2011.
  • ASEAN country holds the central role and leadership in the forum.
  • EAS meetings plays an important role in the regional architecture of Asia-Pacific.
  • The first summit was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 14 December 2005.
  • The Thirteenth East Asia Summit was held in Singapore on November 14–15, 2018.
Andhra Pradesh launches AWS Cloud-based initiative to skill 60,000 students
  • The Andhra Pradesh government on 14th November launched a Cloud-based skill initiative with Amazon Web Services (AWS), Amazon’s Cloud arm, where it will skill 60,000 students across the state’s over 300 engineering and non-engineering colleges by 2020.
  • An MoU to build skills and literacy under the mission titled “Cloud For All-Knowledge and Skills Mission,” was exchanged between Sambasiva Rao, CEO, Andhra Pradesh State Skill Development Corporation (APSSDC) and Sunil PP, India Education Lead, Public Sector, Amazon Internet Services Private Limited .
  • APSSDC will build Cloud computing technology skills across Andhra Pradesh leveraging the AWS Educate programme, Amazon’s global initiative to provide students and educators with the resources needed to accelerate cloud-related learning.
  • APSSDC has collaborated with AWS Educate Programme to provide a skilled workforce across high-priority and emerging sectors.
  • The Cloud Career Pathway framework enables students to put their cloud knowledge to use across 12 self-paced pathways aligned to labour market trends and workforce needs.
  • By September, more than 13,000 students were enrolled in the AWS Educate programme from nearly 130 non-engineering colleges.
NITI Aayog launches 72-hour hackathon to solve problems at school
  • On the Children’s Day, the NITI Aayog launched a 72-hour ‘Tinkering Hackathon’ for children to come up with innovative solutions for challenges faced by them in schools, especially on quality of education and safety.
  • The winners of the hackathon, being held jointly with the Unicef, would be announced on November 20, which is celebrated as the World Children’s Day.
  • During the event, NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar also presented the Unicef-Atal Tinkering Labs Young Champions Awards to the winners of the nationwide Atal Tinkering Marathon challenge launched last year on October 2.
  • The marathon was aimed at encouraging students to observe community problems and develop innovative solutions.

November 16

ADTU signs pact with IITG for academic collaboration
  • Assam Down Town University (ADTU) signed an agreement with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati for academic collaboration.
  • The agreement was signed by Dr NN Dutta, Chancellor of Assam Down Town University, and Prof Gautam Biswas, Director of IIT Guwahati.
  • The agreement will be in effect for five years. The two institutions agreed to enhance the agreement through the exchange of information on research and educational programmes, information on teaching, learning materials and other literature relevant to their educational and research programmes, joint short-term continuing education programmes, training on topics of mutual interest, etc.

FACTFILE – Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati

  • IIT Guwahati is the sixth Indian Institute of Technology established in India and is officially recognised as an Institute of National Importance by the government of India.
  • The history of IIT Guwahati traces its roots to the 1985 Assam Accord signed between the All Assam Students Union and the Government of India, which mentions the general improvement in education facilities in Assam and specifically the setting up of an IIT.
  • IIT Guwahati was established in 1994 by an act of parliament and its first batch of students into its Bachelor of Technology programme admitted in 1995.
  • Internationally, IIT Guwahati was ranked 501-550 in the QS World University Rankings of 2018. The same rankings ranked it 98 in Asia and 52 among BRICS nations.
  • In India, among engineering colleges, it ranked 7th by India Today in 2017 and 8th by The Week.
  • It was ranked 7th among engineering colleges in India by the National Institutional Ranking Framework in 2018 and 12 overall.
1st India Cup Open International Taekwondo Championship begins at Silchar
  • The First India Cup Open International Taekwondo Championship began at Silchar, wherein more than 400 participants would lock horns.
  • Teams from various states of India, namely, Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram, Goa, Orissa, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Maharashtra would take part, and participants from Bhutan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Afghanistan, would also fight it out for the coveted prizes.
  • The events, Kyorugi (full contact fighting) and Poomsae (non contact) of Taekwondo, a Korean martial art form, would be on display between age groups Under 5 to Under 60 in this ongoing championship.
  • Organized by Cachar district Taekwondo association along with Kreeda Bharati Cachar district, this championship is being held in India Club Silchar’s Indoor stadium with a budget of Rs 22 lakh.
  • Silchar also hosted the FIDE rating International Chess Tournament just two months before.
India-Japan joint military drill ‘Dharma Guardian’ concludes
  • The joint Indo-Japanese counter-insurgency military drill ‘Dharma Guardian’ concluded on 14th November at Vairengte in Mizoram.
  • The primary focus of the exercise was to train and equip the contingents to undertake joint counter-insurgency and counter-terrorist operations in urban and semi-urban terrain
  • It is a significant step towards fostering military and diplomatic ties between the two countries.
  • The participants were initially familiarised with each other’s organisational structure, tactical drills and planning process before graduating to joint tactical exercises.
  • Commanders at various levels from both sides were exercised to work in close coordination to receive and collate information jointly, plan operations and issue suitable orders to respective integrated groups.
China, India pledge to step up military exchanges
  • At the 9th India-China Annual Defence and Security Dialogue on 14th November, both sides agreed to enhance exchanges and interactions through reciprocal high-level visits between the two ministries of Defence as well as between military commands.
  • Joint training exercises, mutual visits by defence personnel including mid-level and cadet officers were also agreed upon.
  • Both sides reiterated the importance of maintaining peace and tranquillity in the India-China border areas, implementing the consensus of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping and specific additional confidence building measures at the operational level.
  • The two sides also had an exchange of views on regional and global issues.
  • The dialogue was attended by India’s Defence Secretary Sanjay Mitra and Lt. General Shao Yuanming, Deputy Chief of Joint Staff Department of Central Military Commission of China.

 

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