Tag: North East Current Affairs

Assam Current Affairs – April 15 – 21, 2020

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        Current Affairs Assam – April 15 - 21, 2020

( Covers all important Assam Current Affairs & GK topics for the week of April 15 – 21, 2020 )

April 2020 Current Affairs Monthly PDF   |  Assam 2020 Yearbook  | March 2020 Quiz Monthly PDF

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April 15, 2020

Manipuri New Year Cheiraoba celebrated in subdued manner, amid covid-19
  • Cheiraoba, the New Year of the Manipuri community, was celebrated in Manipur in a subdued manner amid the ongoing lockdown and subsequent curfew ordered by the State Government to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
  • Reminding that for the Hindu Meiteis, Cheiraoba symbolizes coming of a new year and is celebrated by every household with great enthusiasm and gaiety, the Governor Dr Najma Heptulla said this festival also represents change of guards where old give way to new and rekindles hope for a better life.
  • Exhorting the need to restrict the celebration to observance of ritual prayers in the safety of their homes, Chief Minister N Biren Singh said “let us once again pledge to protect our community and population through our individual and collective responsible action”.

FACTFILE – Sajibu Nongma Pānba or Sajibu Cheiraoba

  • Sajibu Cheiraoba is the lunar new year festival of the people who follow the religion of Sanamahism in the Indian state of Manipur.
  • The name Sajibu Nongma Pānba derives from the Manipuri words: Sajibu – the first month of the year which usually falls during the month of April according to Meitei lunar calendar, Nongma – first date of a Month, Pānba – to be.
  • Similarly, according to the Hindu lunar calendar, the lunar new year is celebrated on the same day as in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and many other Indian states.
  • However, according to the follower of the faith of Sanamahism, Meitei New Year/Sajibu Nongma Panba started during the reign of King Maliya Fambalcha (1359 BC-1329 BC) also known as Koi-Koi. Koikoi ascended the throne at the age of 25 years.
  • From this day, the dating of Meitei calendar (Cheiraoba) known as Mari-Fam was introduced. Hence, 1359 BC will be 25 MF, and 2000 AD will be 3364 MF in Meitei calendar taking the birthday of KOIKOI as 00 MF.
Indian Navy develops Pod for shifting corona patients
  • Indian Navy distributed Air Evacuation Pod, indigenously designed for transferring COVID patients from remote areas.
  • The Navy’s naval aircraft yard at Kochi designed and fabricated an Air Evacuation Stretcher for transfer of Covid patients from remote locations.
  • The manufacturing cost of the pod is Rs 50,000 against imported piece cost of Rs 59 lakhs.
  • The Pod uses aluminum, nitrile rubber and perspex with total weight of 32 kg. It eliminates infection risk to crew and the need of sanitization of aircraft post evacuation.
  • It was designed and developed by Naval Dockyard at Visakhapatnam. The entire setup uses an industrial 6-way radial header to enable one jumbo size oxygen bottle to supply oxygen to six patients concurrently.
DRDL develops kiosk for ‘hands-off’ collection of Covid-19 samples
  • Defence Research & Development Laboratory (DRDL), Hyderabad, developed a kiosk for healthcare workers to safely collect Covid-19 samples from suspected patients.
  • The COVSACK or COVID Sample Collection Kiosk is the latest addition to a portfolio of products developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to combat Covid-19.
  • The patient walks into the kiosk and a nasal or oral swab is taken by a healthcare professional from outside through the built-in gloves.
  • The unit has been developed by DRDL, in consultation with the doctors of ESIC Hospital, Hyderabad.The kiosk is automatically disinfected without the need for human involvement, making the process free of infection spread.
  • The shielding screen of the kiosk cabin protects the healthcare worker from the aerosols/droplet transmission while taking the sample. This reduces the requirements of PPE change by healthcare workers.
  • After the patient leaves the kiosk, four nozzle sprayers mounted in the kiosk cabin disinfects the empty chamber by spraying disinfectant mist for a period of 70 seconds.
Govt to announce Economic package focussing on SMEs
  • Another set of stimulus measures from the government will have a clear focus on concerns of SME segments that have been hit hard due to Covid-19 outbreak and resultant nationwide lockdown.
  • The Finance Ministry has suggested the PMO to set up a dedicated fund for micro, small and medium enterprises that could be used to provide both interest-free loans to identified industries as well as capital support required to bring enterprises back in business after the lockdown.
  • The MSME fund may also be used to provide interest subvention on loans taken by the sector to reduce their burden and allow some of these labour-intensive segments to operate smoothly.
  • One of the biggest challenge facing the MSMEs due to the lockdown is of eroding cash flow.
  • Other non-fiscal measures in the SME package may focus more on compliance related issues and easing some of the operational conditions including making norms for sourcing from the MSME segment stringent and increasing sourcing the limit of mandatory procurement from the sector. Also to ease the cash flow, the segments dues from state government and PSUs would be asked to be cleared within a specified period of time.
  • The next economic stimulus package that could be bigger than the Rs 1,70,000 crore worth of schemes announced by Finance Minister last month focusing on providing food security to the poor.
DekhoApnaDesh webinar to offer tourism virtually
  • The Union Tourism ministry launched ”DekhoApnaDesh” webinar series to cater for an in-depth information on several destinations and expanse of the culture and heritage of India.
  • The first webinar of a series touches upon the long history of Delhi as it has unfolded. The seminar was titled ” City of Cities – Delhi”s Personal Diary”.
  • The core of the session based itself on tourism awareness and social history. Laced with interesting anecdotes, the session which was conducted by the India City Walks and was attended by 5,546 people registering for it.
  • The series of webinars will be an on-going feature and the Ministry work towards showcasing the diverse and remarkable history and culture of India including its monuments, cuisine, arts, dance forms, natural landscapes, festivals and many other aspects of the rich Indian civilization.

April 16, 2020

Assam receives 50,000 imported PPE kits from China
  • The Assam government imported 50,000 personal protective equipment (PPE) kits from China for the frontline healthcare workers combating the Covid-19 pandemic in the state.
  • India has ordered 15 million PPE gears besides a few million testing kits from China. This includes orders placed by several state governments and both public and private health sector.
  • China sent a special aircraft carrying 50,000 PPE kits from Guangzhou city. The consignment was received in the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International (LGBI) Airport at Guwahati by Assam’s Health Minister Himanta BiswaSarma.
Union Health Minister holds high level meeting with WHO officials
  • Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Harsh Vardhan held a high-level meeting through video conferencing with the World Health Organisation (WHO) officials on the measures to combat the coronavirus disease.
  • The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and WHO decided to initiate a systematic engagement of WHO”s national polio surveillance network, and other field staff, for COVID-19 response.
  • The meeting was attended by over 1,000 WHO staff including Polio, Tuberculosis and Neglected tropical diseases (NTD) field staff and other state officials.
  • The strengths of the National Polio Surveillance Project (NPSP team) – surveillance, data management, monitoring and supervision, and responding to local situations and challenges – will be utilized to supplement efforts of National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Integrated Disease Surveillance program (IDSP) and The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to strengthen Covid-19 surveillance.
  • The NPSP team will also support in sharing information and best practices and help states and districts calibrate their response based on transmission scenarios and local capacities.
Kerala institute develops diagnostic kit for Covid-19
  • The Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST), has developed a diagnostic test kit (ChitraGeneLAMP-N) which is highly confirmatory for the diagnosis of COVID-19 and detects the N Gene of SARS-CoV-2 using reverse transcriptase loop-mediated amplification of viral nucleic acid (RT-LAMP).
  • Incidentally, this new kit is billed as one of the first few confirmatory diagnostic test for N gene of SARS-CoV-2 using the RT-LAMP technique.
  • According to the institute, this test kit which is highly specific for SARS-CoV-2 N-gene can detect two regions of the gene which will ensure that the test does not fail even if one region of the viral gene undergoes mutation during its current spread.
  • The institute has also developed the specific RNA extraction kits along with GeneLAMP-N test kits and the testing device.
  • The research and development of ChitraGeneLAMP-N was fully funded by Department of Science and Technology, Govt of India.

April 2020 Current Affairs Monthly PDF  |  Assam 2020 Yearbook  | March 2020 Quiz Monthly PDF

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April 17, 2020

Green Zone for Tripura if no new case till April 20
  • Tripura, which falls under the Orange Zone on account of its current low coronavirus infection and fatality rate, is likely to get lockdown relaxation in some sectors if there is no new case of COVID-19 till April 20.
  • The State would have been in the Green Zone after completion of the first round of lockdown if no COVID-19 cases were detected.
  • Earlier, two COVID-positive cases were confirmed in the early part of this month but they recovered. At present, Tripura has two containment zones – Gomati and North district – due to the twin cases.
  • There is no Red Zone or coronavirus hotspot in the State so far. The State Government has taken tough measures to implement the ongoing nationwide lockdown.
  • If no positive case is reported in the State by April 20, Tripura will be placed in the Green Zone and get relaxation in some sectors during the second phase of the lockdown, which is scheduled to end on May 3.
  • The State Government has already allowed farmers and tea garden workers to begin their activities with certain restrictions. Some more sectors, including government offices, are likely to be opened by maintaining social distancing and other guidelines.
IIT Guwahati team develops anti-microbial coating for PPE kits
  • A team of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati researchers has successfully developed an anti-microbial spray-based coating for personal protective equipment (PPE) as well as a 3D printed ear guard for use in face masks.
  • The research group has developed an affordable anti-microbial (both anti-viral and anti-bacterial) spray-based coating for PPE kits. It can kill and prevent the spread of microbes once they come in contact with the coated PPE surface.
  • The strategic association of metal nanoparticle cocktail, such as copper, silver and other active ingredients present in the spray acts as an anti-microbial agent. This ensures limited penetration and accumulation of microbial contaminants on PPEs. Thus, the coating has the potential to reduce the risk of secondary infection by limiting transmission of the microbes.
  • It can be sprayed or dip-coated onto any kind of surface, including textiles and other medical devices to get rid of microbial load. This will allow reusability of PPEs and easy containment of the microbes. Our team has developed the prototype of the technology.
  • The PPEs used presently are designed to protect the wearer from infectious microbes and aqueous virus droplets acting as a barrier, but they generally do not have the ability to prevent the spread of microbes as the surface of the fabric allows accumulation of microbes with passage of time.
HAL makes aerosol boxes to protect doctors from Covid-19
  • State-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) made aerosol boxes to protect doctors treating coronavirus patients in hospitals across six states.
  • Delivered about 300 aerosol boxes to state-run hospitals in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh to protect their doctors treating Covid patients.
  • The transparent boxes act as an insulator between a doctor and a patient infected with the deadly virus.
  • An aerosol is a suspension of fine solid particles or liquid droplets in air or another gas. It can be natural or anthropogenic.
Google India launches learning platform on YouTube
  • Google India launched ‘YouTube Learning Destination’ to help student, teachers and parents find useful and high-quality learning content created by education-focused creators on YouTube.
  • It features content in English and Hindi, with Tamil, Telugu, Bengali and Marathi and other Indian languages are coming soon.
  • In India, Google has collaborated with FICCI Arise and have so far trained over 250 schools across 23 states in the use of these tools.
  • Google India has also provided training and tips through the ‘Teach from Home’ hub, which is also available in Hindi.
  • Google India has released children’s books from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) and ChotaBheem on their reading app Bolo to help kids understand the safety measures to be taken during this COVID-19 outbreak.
WHO welcomes joint efforts with India to fight COVID-19
  • WHO Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has welcomed the world health body’s cooperation with India to leverage strategies that helped the country win its war against polio into the response to COVID-19 outbreak.
  • The World Health Organization (WHO) has said it will work with India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to leverage the strategies that helped the country eradicate polio to fight the pandemic.
  • The WHO’s national polio surveillance network will be engaged to strengthen COVID-19 surveillance and its field staff will continue to support immunization and elimination of tuberculosis and other diseases.

April 18, 2020

Tea Estate in Assam must pay wages to workers for lockdown period
  • Allaying apprehensions among the tea garden workers that their wages and other entitlements accrued during the 19-day industry closure due to the lockdown would be deducted in the later working season, State Labour Welfare Minister Sanjay Kishan told that the plantation industry must pay wages and distribute the rations to all its workers notwithstanding the loss the industry has incurred during the 19 days.
  • There is a departmental order in which all employers and managements have been asked to pay wages on due dates and also give the labourers the rations they deserve without any deduction.
Tripura government announces cash assistance for street vendors
  • Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Deb announced to provide one-time financial assistance of Rs 1000 to 8666 registered street vendors of the state.
  • The decision was taken after the 21-day nationwide lockdown has caused a huge loss to their business.
  • The financial assistance to the vendors will be paid from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund and will be directly transferred to their bank accounts.
RBI eases bad-loan rules, cuts reverse repo rate
  • The RBI further eased bad-loan rules, froze dividend payment by lenders and pushed banks to lend more by cutting the reverse repo rate by 25 basis points, as it unveiled a second set of measures to support the economy hit hard by a coronavirus-led slowdown.
  • In a measure that effectively meant that bad loans or non-performing asset (NPA) classification will now happen after 180 days instead of the current policy of 90 days of payment default, the RBI announced an asset status freeze on loans that have been granted moratorium or deferment on interest/principal payment.
  • The moratorium period will not lead to a spurt in NPAs in the system and will allow the borrowers across retail, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and corporates availing the moratorium to access additional funding from banks or non-banking financial companies (NBFCs).
  • RBI cut reverse repurchase rate, a tool to control the money supply, to 3.75 per cent with immediate effect to encourage banks to deploy surplus funds within the system towards lending. This move will discourage banks from parking cash with the RBI and encourage them to lend to the economy.
  • It kept its benchmark repo rate unchanged at 4.40 per cent. The central bank also allowed states to borrow 60 per cent more via ways and means advance facility available and extended the increased limit until September 30.
  • RBI will inject Rs 50,000 crore in a new round of targeted long-term repo operations and asked banks to use the funds availed through this facility to benefit NBFCs and micro-finance institutions among others.
S&P cuts India growth forecast to 1.8 percent
  • S&P Global Ratings has slashed India growth forecast for the current fiscal to 1.8 per cent, from 3.5 per cent estimated earlier, on account of the lockdown to contain Covid-19 pandemic. But it also expects growth to significantly recover to 7.5 per cent in 2021-22 fiscal.
  • S&P has cut India growth forecast to 3.5 per cent for 2020-21 fiscal, from 5.2 per cent projected earlier.
  • It revised Asia-Pacific growth in 2020 to 0.3 per cent with China at 1.2 per cent, India at 1.8 per cent, and Japan at -3.6 per cent.

Other international agencies forecast of India’s growth

  • Other international agencies also reduced India’s growth forecast over the concerns about the fallout of COVID-19 pandemic. Fitch has projected India’s GDP to grow at 2 per cent this fiscal– the slowest since the economy was liberalised 30 years back. International Monetary Fund (IMF) has slashed India’s GDP growth projection to 1.9 per cent in 2020 from 5.8 per cent estimated in January.
  • Similarly, World Bank has estimated India’s economy to grow between 1.5 to 2.8 per cent in the 2020-21 – the worst growth performance since the 1991. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) sees India’s economic growth slipping to 4 per cent in the current fiscal (April 2020 to March 2021).
  • Moody’s Investors Service has also slashed its estimate of India’s GDP growth during the 2020 calendar year to 2.5 per cent.

April 2020 Current Affairs Monthly PDF  |  Assam 2020 Yearbook  | March 2020 Quiz Monthly PDF

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April 19, 2020

Central Govt hails Assam, Tripura & 17 other states over COVID-19 cases
  • The central government on Friday hailed Assam, Tripura and 17 other states for registering a higher doubling rate in terms of COVID-19 cases which reflects reduction in increase of this pandemic.
  • 19 States/UTs including Kerala, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Ladakh, Himachal, Chandigarh, Puducherry, Bihar, Odisha, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, UP, Karnataka, J&K, Punjab, Assam, Tripura are presently showing a higher doubling rate, which is better than the national average, which reflects that rate of increase of cases in these places has been reduced to some extent.
  • Till date Assam registered 35 COVID-19 positive cases, Arunachal Pradesh 1, Manipur 2, Meghalaya 9, Mizoram 1 and Tripura registered 2 Covid positive cases.
  • Scientific task forces are evaluating existing approved drugs and repurpose them for COVID-19. CSIR has progressed into an indigenous synthesis of multiple promising anti-viral molecules such as Umifenovir, Favipiravir.
IIT Delhi startup unveils indigenous N95 similar mask at lower price
  • An IIT-Delhi startup has developed an indigenous and cheaper solution ”Kawach” mask, which is similar to N95 masks.
  • It is at par with the N95 mask in effectiveness, but costs just Rs 45 a piece.
  • The ”Kawach” mask, developed by ETEX, is at par with N95 in terms of fitting and engineered filtration layer that could provide up to 98 per cent filtration efficiency.
  • The product efficiency is backed with the strong technical inputs from the core textile team in the Department of Textile and Fibre Engineering.
Hyundai Motor India develops automatic ambu bag actuator prototype
  • India’s second largest car maker Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL) will be submitting its third prototype of mechanical ”ambu bag actuator” or an automated ambu bag to the Tamil Nadu government for approval.
  • Ambu bag actuators or a ”bag valve mask” is a manual resuscitator used in medical emergencies, first aid where automatic ventilator is not available.
  • Ventilators are medical devices which take over the work of breathing from a patient who is unable to breathe by delivering air with high concentration of oxygen to their lungs.
  • For patients severely affected by COVID-19, ventilators are critical to ensure continuous oxygen is supplied to overcome respiratory insufficiency.
  • The ambu bag actuator is not a substitute for the automatic ventilators but will come in handy for those who are in need and also when automatic ventilators are not available.
Punjab to go for plasma therapy of Covid-positive police officer
  • The Punjab government is supporting the medical team of S.P.S. Hospital in Ludhiana that has decided to go for plasma therapy of Assistant Commissioner of Police Anil Kohli, who was diagnosed coronavirus positive.
  • The family of the police officer, who is admitted in Ludhiana’s Apollo hospital, has given permission for the therapy, for which the state is coordinating with potential plasma donors.
  • The latest technology will be used in the therapy, which is being arranged by the state’s health advisor and former PGI-Chandigarh Director K.K. Talwar.

April 20, 2020

Tripura government decides to pass students from Class I to Class IX
  • Tripura education minister Ratan Lal Nath said that every student from Class I to IX and XI have been promoted to the next class in view of the coronavirus pandemic
  • He also informed that online or virtual classes for the students of state government schools have also begun.
Assam CM hands over 50,000 masks for tea garden workers in Udalguri
  • Assam CM Sonowal handed over 50,000 masks meant for the tea garden workers of the district, who have already started plucking tea leaves while maintaining social distancing norms.
  • The Chief Minister was there to take stock of the situation arising out of COVID-19 spread, expressed his satisfaction after vising the Sonaigaon Quarantine Centre and said that the State government was taking all pains to end the pandemic in Assam.
  • He hoped that the positive response of people of Assam would surely yield a very positive result and Assam would be declared as a corona-free State very soon
CSIR develops protective suit for healthcare workers
  • The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) constituent lab in Bengaluru has developed and certified overall protective coverall suit for protection of healthcare workers against COVID-19.
  • The polyproplylene spun laminated multi-layered non-woven fabric based coverall has been developed by CSIR-National Aerospace Laboratories (CSIR-NAL), along with MAF Clothing Pvt. Ltd.
  • The overall protective coverall suit can be used to ensure the safety of Doctors, Nurses, Paramedical staff and Health Care workers working round the clock on COVID-19 mitigation.
  • The Coveralls have gone through stringent testing at SITRA, Coimbatore and have been qualified for use.
  • CSIR-NAL and MAF have plans to augment the production capacity to about 30,000 units per day within four weeks.
Online data of human resource to fight Covid-19 launched
  • The Centre has launched online data pool of human resource, comprising details of doctors, other healthcare professionals and auxiliary help, to fight Covid-19.
  • The government has created an online data pool of doctors, including AYUSH doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals, volunteers from Nehru YuvaKendras, NCC, NSS, PMGKVY and ex-servicemen, for use by the ground level administration at state, district or municipal levels
  • It contains data on state-wise and district-wise availability of human resources, along with contact details of the nodal officers.
  • This database can also be used for services of volunteers for enforcing social distancing at banks, ration shops, mandis and for providing help to elderly, Divyang and orphanages.
  • The courses include basics of Covid, infection prevention and control, use of PPE, quarantine and isolation, management of Covid-19 cases (SARI, ADRS, Septic Shock), laboratory sample collection and testing, ICU care and ventilation management.

April 2020 Current Affairs Monthly PDF  |  Assam 2020 Yearbook  | March 2020 Quiz Monthly PDF

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April 21, 2020

Centre releases Rs 46,000 crore from tax pool
  • In an attempt to assist states effectively address situation arising out of Covid-19, the Centre released the April month instalment of states’ share in central taxes amounting to over Rs 46,000 crore. The inter-se share is as per the recommendations of the XV Finance Commission.
  • The money has been released ahead of schedule and as a special dispensation to meet immediate funding needs of the state governments looking to restore economic activity and minimise losses to its citizens due to disruptions caused by lockdowns.
  • While releasing funds to the states, the calculation of net proceeds of shareable taxes has been kept unchanged as per Budget 2020-21.
  • The highest share of central taxes for April has gone to Uttar Pradesh with a net transfer of Rs 8,255.19 crore. This is followed by Bihar at Rs 4,631.96 crore, West Bengal has got Rs 3,461.65 crore while Madhaya Pradesh has got Rs 3,630.60.
  • Goa and Sikkim have got the least from central pool of taxes at Rs 177.72 crore and Rs 178.64 crore respectively.
  • In its interim report for FY21, the 15th Finance Commission has reduced the share of states in the divisible pool of central taxes by one percentage point to 41 per cent, factoring in the conversion of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union territories.
Odisha approves six projects worth Rs 9,100 crore
  • The Odisha government approved six investment proposals worth Rs 9,100.29 crore.
  • The 22nd High Level Clearance Authority (HLCA) meeting cleared two investment proposals worth Rs 8,850.19 crore with an employment potential of 5,250
  • The HLCA approved the proposal of Dhunseri Ventures for setting up Maleic Anhydride manufacturing unit with annual capacity of 60,000 million tonnes at Paradeep in the Jagatsinghpur district with Rs 1,013.29 crore investment.
  • The proposal of Rungta Mines for expansion of Integrated Steel Plant project from 0.9 million tonnes per annum to 2.85 MTPA, with captive power plant of 385 MW and 1.69 MTPA cement plant (in two phases) at Jharbandh in the Dhenkanal district also got HLCA nod.
  • The proposal of Kashvi International to set up an 1.2 MTPA iron ore beneficiation plant along the 0.6 MTPA iron ore pelletisation plant with an investment of Rs 55.23 crore.
  • The proposal of Purosteel India to set up a unit for tubes and pipes PVD coating, furniture fabrication, finished sheets and profiles, trimes plant for Rs 53.42 crore was also approved.
Telangana’s T-Works develops affordable ventilator
  • T-Works, Telangana government’s hardware incubator and prototyping lab, has developed an affordable mechanical ventilator for emergency use, in collaboration with different start-ups and corporations.
  • The open-source Bag-Valve-Mask (BVM) ventilator, which costs Rs 65,000 to Rs 1 lakh, is expected to come handy if Covid-19 pandemic spreads and can be deployed for worldwide use.
  • It can gauge the tidal volume, breaths per minute, oxygen concentration, minimum residual pressure and other health parameters. The low-cost ventilators can be used by primary health care centres in rural areas and in ambulances.
  • The developers believe such ventilators will be useful at a time when there is world-wide shortage of conventional ventilators, which costs anywhere between Rs 5 lakh to Rs 15 lakh each.
  • The project involved over 20 members of various startups and corporate, including talent deployed by Honeywell and Qualcomm. Apollo Hospitals, Sunshine Hospitals and Prathima Hospitals, IIT Hyderabad, Mouser and GE Healthcare, Specteochem Instruments and others were also part of the project.

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Assam Current Affairs – March 29 – 31, 2020

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Current Affairs Assam – March 29 - 31, 2020

( Covers all important Assam Current Affairs & GK topics for the week of March 29 – 31, 2020 )

March 2020 Current Affairs Monthly PDF   |  Assam 2020 Yearbook  |  March 2020 Quiz Monthly PDF

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MARCH 29, 2020

Meghalaya forms medical expert team for COVID-19 handling
  • The Meghalaya government constituted a state-level medical expert committee for providing advice and guidance to deal with the coronavirus outbrea.
  • The committee which will be headed by Health and Family Welfare Department Commissioner and Secretary, Sampath Kumar.
  • The members of the committee include doctors of state-run hospitals and specialists in rehabilitation and community empowerment.
  • The committee shall provide advice and guidance to the government and other medical practitioners working in various hospitals to handle and treat COVID-19 patients and to assess and examine various lines of treatment used and recommended by affected states and countries.
  • The committee will recommend key insights to the state government and also advice on any matter related to COVID-19
Odisha govt to train MBBS students for treatment of COVID-19
  • The Odisha government has decided to give training to MBBS students so that they can be deployed in hospitals meant for the treatment of COVID-19 patients.
  • In the first phase, MBBS students of government establishments would be trained. Private medical colleges will also be required to train doctors and students simultaneously.
  • Considering the dearth of doctors, it has been decided that seventh, eighth and ninth semester MBBS students of all medical colleges will be trained who could be deployed in case a need arises, an order issued by state Chief Secretary Asit Tripathy.
  • It is also necessary to train the medical community, doctors, paramedics and others who will be involved in the direct management of patients in COVID-19 hospitals and isolation wards of various health facilities.
  • Considering the nature of the disease, extreme care and caution, as well as a professional approach, need to be adopted. Therefore, it is decided that intensive training of the personnel with available protocols will be conducted.
ISRO to design ventilators, oxygen canisters, make hand sanitisers
  • ISRO is doing to meet the emergency needs of the people and owing to lockdown, Designing simple to operate ventilators, manufacturing of sanitisers, oxygen canisters and masks while putting on hold manufacture of rockets.
  • The VSSC part of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) makes the rockets that launches the Indian and foreign satellites
  • Designing ventilators that are different from what is already there. And designing ventilators that can be operated in a simple manner and when power supply is not there.
Centre sets up PM-CARES fund to deal with COVID-19 pandemic
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the constitution of the PM’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PM-CARES) fund.
  • This will be a dedicated national fund with the primary objective of dealing with any kind of emergency or distress situation, like posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Prime Minister is the Chairman of this trust and its Members include Defence Minister, Home Minister and Finance Minister.
  • Citizens and organisations can go to the website pmindia.gov.in and donate to PM CARES Fund.
  • This fund will enable micro-donations allowing a large number of people will be able to contribute with smallest of denominations.
  • Donations to this fund will be exempted from income tax under section 80(G).

  • People can also donate to the fund on pmindia.gov.in using UPI, Net Banking, RTGS, NEFT and debit and credit cards.

MARCH 30, 2020
Rs 25 crore to northeastern states from DoNER Ministry
  • The Ministry of DoNER has decided to sanction Rs 25 crore to the northeastern states for gap funding to fight the COVID-19 outbreak in the region effectively.
  • In the nature of untied fund, it can be utilised on any activity relating to COVID-19 pandemic, and not covered under existing Central packages.
  • The flexibility of untied funds will enable the states to respond quickly. This fund would be in addition to the funds otherwise allocated by the Ministry of DoNER to the northeastern states under existing schemes.
China develops nanomaterial to combat coronavirus
  • A team of Chinese scientists has reportedly developed a novel way to combat the new coronavirus that causes the Covid-19 disease which has killed over 32,000 people globally.
  • The new weapon is not a drug or a compound but some nanomaterial that can absorb and deactivate the virus with 96.5-99.9 per cent efficiency.
  • Nanomaterials are used in a variety of manufacturing processes, products and healthcare including paints, filters, insulation and lubricant additives.
  • Nanotechnology can be used to design pharmaceuticals that can target specific organs or cells in the body such as cancer cells, and enhance the effectiveness of therapy.
  • However, while engineered nanomaterials provide great benefits, very little about the potential effects on human health and the environment is known.
DRDO body suit to protect doctors from Covid-19
  • A body suit developed by India’s premier research and development organisation DRDO can protect doctors and other health workers attending on Covid-19 patients.
  • The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) said the body suit can shield doctors, medical staff, sanitation workers and others.
  • The body suit developed earlier for medical and paramedical staff to manage and evacuate the causalities in the event of radiological emergencies has now been converted into a full body suit to stop contamination.
  • The suit is washable and has passed the ASTM International standards. The suit is widely tested by DRDO and other agencies and found suitable for the cause.

  • Each suit costs Rs 7,000. Frontier Protective Wear Pvt Ltd, Kolkata and Medikit Pvt Ltd, Mumbai are producing 10,000 suits per day.

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MARCH 31, 2020
Tokyo Olympics rescheduled for July 23-August 8 in 2021
  • The Games were scheduled for July 24-August 9, but a historic joint decision was taken for the first postponement of an Olympics in peacetime.
  • Tokyo organisers said the opening ceremony will take place on July 23, 2021 almost exactly one year after the games were due to start this year. Last week, the IOC and Japanese organisers postponed the Olympics until 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
  • After holding out for weeks, local organisers and the IOC last week postponed the Tokyo Games under pressure from athletes, national Olympic bodies and sports federations.
  • It’s the first postponement in Olympic history, though there were several cancellations during wartime.
  • Both Tokyo organising committee president Yoshiro Mori and CEO Toshiro Muto have said the cost of rescheduling will be massive. Billions of dollars with most of the expenses borne by Japanese taxpayers.
  • Miyamoto, an emeritus professor of sports economics at Kansai University, puts the costs as high as $4 billion. That would cover the price of maintaining stadiums, refitting them, paying rentals, penalties and other expenses.
  • Japan is officially spending $12.6 billion to organise the Olympics. However, an audit bureau of the Japanese government says the costs are twice that much.
  • The Switzerland-based International Olympic Committee is contributing $1.3 billion, according to organising committee documents. The IOC’s contribution goes into the operating budget.
  • The Olympics planned for 1940 in Tokyo were cancelled because of World War II.
G20 countries to inject $5 trillion into global economy
  • The Group of 20 global leaders decided to inject $5 trillion into the global economy to counter the adverse impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
  • All the members at the G20 virtual summit were cooperative and focused on the resolution of the crisis, the goal that had been set by this year”s chair King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia.
  • The leaders of the 20 most powerful countries in the world unanimously agreed to collectively protect lives, provide help to all countries in need of assistance, coordinate on public health and financial measures, safeguard people”s jobs and incomes, restore confidence, preserve financial stability, revive growth and recover stronger.
  • All the members also extended full support to the WHO mandate even as the organisation has drawn enormous flak for not alerting the world in time about the nature of the pandemic.
  • It was for the first time that the G20 members came together to address a humanitarian crisis that erupted due to the coronavirus pandemic, which has affected over 490,000 people around the globe besides claiming more than 22,000 lives.
New India Assurance initiates risk coverage for health workers
  • Public sector insurance company New India Assurance announced the commencement of the risk coverage of Rs 50 lakh per healthcare personnel in treating coronavirus positive patients
  • It is a tailor-made comprehensive personal accident which includes accidental loss of life due to novel coronavirus infection.
  • The premium payment process has been initiated and the risk coverage therein has commenced with immediate effect.
Anna University team develops washable, reusable mask
  • A team of researchers from Anna University said that it has developed a reusable and hence cost-effective mask made of polyester pile fabric.
  • The mask can be washed up to 20 times and reused. It costs about Rs 30 a piece,” S. Subramanian, said the team leader from the Department of Textiles, Alagappa College of Technology, Anna University.
  • The team had earlier worked on developing mask for pollution protection.
  • After checking out several materials, the team zeroed in on polyester pile fabric which is breathable and washable and also offers good filteration capabilities.
  • A cotton-based mask will retain the moisture and be wet whereas the polyester pile fabric will remain dry.
  • Pointing out that the mask developed the team is thicker, it does not however block air flow, is breathable and washable with any soap.

  • The Anna University has supplied a sample batch to the Health Department and production on a larger scale has to be done by an outside unit.

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Assam Current Affairs – March 22 – 28, 2020

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Current Affairs Assam – March 22 - 28, 2020

( Covers all important Assam Current Affairs & GK topics for the week of March 22 – 28, 2020 )

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MARCH 22, 2020

Assam cabinet approve Assam Elementary and Secondary School Teachers (Regulations of Posting and Transfer) Bill, 2020

  • The Assam state cabinet approved the Assam Elementary and Secondary School Teachers (Regulations of Posting and Transfer) Bill, 2020.

  • The bill seeks to fix posting tenures of teachers in a bid to rationalise their deployment in schools.
  • As per the bill, there will be an online system, in which a teacher will apply for transfer after completion of 10 years of service and it will be considered on merit.
  • A Teachers Accountability Commission will be setup. Anyone violating this act will be punished with three years of imprisonment.
  • The cabinet also approved The Assamese Language Learning Bill, 2020, which aims to make Assamese a compulsory subject in all schools — government and non-government — across Assam. However, the schools in the Barak Valley, BTAD and also the two Hill districts where Assamese will not be a compulsory subject.
  • The cabinet further gave its nod to the Guwahati Building Byelaws, which will enable construction of ground-plus-two-storey houses under Chief Minister’s housing scheme.
  • The cabinet also gave its nod to the bills to create four autonomous councils – Kamatapur, Motock, Moran and Bodo-Kachari.
  • To ensure VAT exemption to BCPL for fifteen years, the State government will spend Rs 1,714 crore, the cabinet further decided.

Union Cabinet approved a production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for promoting domestic manufacturing of medical devices

  • Union Cabinet has approved a production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for promoting domestic manufacturing of medical devices, with financial implications of Rs 3,420 crore.
  • The Cabinet also approved another promotion of medical device parks scheme worth Rs 400 crore for financing common infrastructure facilities in four medical device parks.
  • The expenditure to be incurred for the said schemes will be for the next five years i.e. from 2020-21 to 2024-25.
  • Under the sub-scheme for promotion of medical device parks, common infrastructure facilities would be created in four medical device parks, which is expected to reduce manufacturing cost of medical devices in the country.
  • The PLI scheme for promoting domestic manufacturing of medical devices would boost domestic manufacturing and attract large investments in the medical device sector, particularly in the identified target segments.
  • It will lead to expected incremental production of Rs 68,437 crore over a period of five years.
Cabinet approved signing of an extradition treaty between India and Belgium
  • The Cabinet approved signing of an extradition treaty between India and Belgium. The treaty would provide a legal framework for seeking extradition of terrorists, economic offenders and other criminals from and to Belgium.
  • The new treaty will replace the pre-Independence extradition treaty between Great Britain and Belgium that was made applicable to India through the exchange of letters in 1958 and is currently in force between India and Belgium.
  • Under the new treaty, each party will agree to extradite any person found in its territory accused or convicted of an extraditable offence in the territory of the other party.
  • An extraditable offence means an offence punishable under the laws of both the parties with imprisonment for a period of one year or more severe punishment.
  • Under the treaty, when extradition of a convicted person is sought, the duration of the sentence remaining to be served must be at least six months at the time of making the request.
  • Offences relating to taxation or revenue or one of a fiscal character also fall within the scope of this treaty.
  • The extradition can be refused if the offence is a political or military offence. It, however, specifies certain offences which will not be considered as political offences.
  • The request will not be entertained if it is for the purpose of prosecuting or punishing the person on account of his race, sex, religion, nationality or political opinion.
  • Extradition of nationals is discretionary. The nationality will be determined at the time the offence was committed.

FACTFILE – Belgium

  • The Kingdom of Belgium is a country in Western Europe. It is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to the southwest, and the North Sea to the northwest.
  • It is a sovereign state and a federal constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system.
  • It covers an area of 30,689 km2 and has a population of more than 1.15 crore, making it the 6th most densely populated country in Europe.
  • The capital and largest city is Brussels.

AYUSH Health and Wellness Centre (HWCs) component of Ayushman Bharat to be included in National AYUSH Mission (NAM)

  • The proposal entails an expenditure of Rs 3399.35 crore for operationalization of AYUSH HWCs within a period of five years, from financial years 2019-20 to 2023-24.
  • The operationalization of HWCs component under NAM will achieve objectives such as establishment of a holistic wellness model based on AYUSH principles and practices focusing on preventive promotive, curative, rehabilitative and palliative healthcare by integration with the existing public health care system.
  • It will also provide informed choice to the public by making the AYUSH services available.
  • The services include community awareness about lifestyle, diet, Yoga, medicinal plants and provision of medicines for selected conditions as per the strength of AYUSH systems.
  • The Ministry of AYUSH, in consultation with States and Union Territories, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and other line Ministries has also proposed models for operationalization of 12,500 AYUSH Health and Wellness Centres across the country.
  • Approximately 10,000 dispensaries and 2,500 sub-health centres (SHCs) will be upgraded.
  • It will enhance accessibility to achieve universal health coverage for affordable treatment, reduce the burden on secondary and tertiary health care facilities.

Union Cabinet cleared incentive schemes of Rs 48,000 crore to boost electronics manufacturing

  • The Union Cabinet has cleared three schemes involving a total incentive of around Rs 48,000 crore to boost electronics manufacturing in the country.
  • Government is expecting to generate manufacturing revenue potential of Rs 10 lakh crore and create direct and indirect jobs for 20 lakh people by 2025 through these schemes.
  • The Cabinet also approved incentives for medical devices to reduce dependency on import of electronic products for medical care in the country.
  • Under the scheme, electronic manufacturing companies will get an incentive of 4 to 6 per cent on incremental sales of goods manufactured in India and covered under target segments, to eligible companies over a period of next 5 years.
  • The Cabinet approved scheme for promotion of manufacturing of electronics components and semiconductors with a budget outlay of Rs 3,285 crore spread over a period of 8 years.
  • It also approved revised version for electronics manufacturing clusters with a total incentive outlay of Rs 3,762.25 crore spread over a period of 8 years with an objective to create 10 lakh direct and indirect jobs under the scheme.
MARCH 23, 2020
Union Cabinet cleared incentive schemes of Rs 48,000 crore to boost electronics manufacturing
  • The Union Cabinet has cleared three schemes involving a total incentive of around Rs 48,000 crore to boost electronics manufacturing in the country.
  • Government is expecting to generate manufacturing revenue potential of Rs 10 lakh crore and create direct and indirect jobs for 20 lakh people by 2025 through these schemes.
  • The Cabinet also approved incentives for medical devices to reduce dependency on import of electronic products for medical care in the country.
  • Under the scheme, electronic manufacturing companies will get an incentive of 4 to 6 per cent on incremental sales of goods manufactured in India and covered under target segments, to eligible companies over a period of next 5 years.
  • The Cabinet approved scheme for promotion of manufacturing of electronics components and semiconductors with a budget outlay of Rs 3,285 crore spread over a period of 8 years.
  • It also approved revised version for electronics manufacturing clusters with a total incentive outlay of Rs 3,762.25 crore spread over a period of 8 years with an objective to create 10 lakh direct and indirect jobs under the scheme.
Bengaluru Salem students create apps to help tackle COVID-19
  • Engineering students of Sona College of Technology, Salem and engineers from Vee Technologies, Bengaluru on Saturday announced they have created two apps to help the country tackle the growing new coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
  • One app called ‘Corona-Scan’ proactively allows public health officials to map individuals who were in close proximity with a possibly infected or active coronavirus patient.
  • The second is a corresponding user app, ‘Corona-Support,’ that asks the public for their voluntary registration.
  • If an individual tests positive a voluntary status update can be entered in the app, helping health authorities and experts tracking the spread of the virus get accurate information.
  • By tracking and recording people within 3 to 5 metres every two minutes, the ‘Carona-Scan’ app generates live data of people in close proximity to one another.
  • By mapping people who may have been infected and risk infecting others, public health officials can identify and take appropriate action to connect with them over the phone and keep them under observation, isolation or recommend testing.
Tamil Nadu to reserve medical college seats for govt school students
  • Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Palaniswami said the government will reserve certain percentage of medical college seats for students from government schools who clear the entrance exams.
  • A special law will be brought by the government to reserve seats for students who had cleared the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) after studying in government schools from 1st to 12th standard.
  • TN CM Palaniswami also said the government will appoint Commission headed by a retired High Court judge to gather data and statistics for bringing in the law and make necessary recommendations in this connection.
  • The Commission will also study the reasons for government school students for joining medical college in low numbers and recommend the action to be taken.

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MARCH 24, 2020
Assam making 20,000 isolation beds available
  • Assam State Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the State, in its effort to prepare for COVID 19 outbreak, is trying to make 20,000 isolation beds available.
  • Addressing the State Legislative Assembly, Sarma said that the month of April and May would be a challenging one for the State since it is also the time when cases of Japanese Encephalitis, which has higher mortality rate.
  • He further informed that along with the Mahendra Mohan Choudhury Hospital and Sonapur civil hospital, the State Government has also decided to turn Singimari hospital into a set-up dedicated to Corona.
  • The Health Minister while laying special onus on a private-public partnership to deal with the health emergency, informed that the Government’s flagship scheme – Atal-Amrit Health Card – which earlier covered five major ailments, will now cover all the diseases.
  • As far as providing financial assistance to the low income groups or daily wage earners is concerned, we do not have an extensive mechanism in place. The State Government could access bank accounts of around 40 lakh people including daily wage earners and members of the low income groups who have been covered under schemes like Ujala which could be used for the it.
Lok Sabha passes Finance Bill 2020
  • The Lok Sabha passed the Finance Bill, 2020 by voice vote, The Bill gives effect to the financial proposals of the Central government for the financial year 2020-21.
  • In the Union Budget 2020-2021, the government proposed to spend Rs 30,42,230 crore in 2020-21, which is 12.7 per cent higher than the revised estimate of 2019-20.
  • The receipts are expected to increase by 16.3 per cent to Rs 22,45,893 crore, owing to higher estimated revenue from disinvestments.
  • The government has assumed a nominal Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate of 10 per cent in 2020-21. The nominal growth estimate for 2019-20 was 12 per cent.

FACTFILE – Finance Bill

  • As per Article 110 of the Constitution of India, the Finance Bill is a Money Bill. The Finance Bill is a part of the Union Budget, stipulating all the legal amendments required for the changes in taxation proposed by the Finance Minister.
  • It is an umbrella legislation which encompasses all amendments required in various laws pertaining to tax, in accordance with the tax proposals made in the Union Budget.
  • The Finance Bill, as a Money Bill, needs to be passed by the Lok Sabha — the lower house of the Parliament. Post the Lok Sabha’s approval, the Finance Bill becomes Finance Act.

Point2Remeber – Difference between Money Bill and Finance Bill

  • A Money Bill has to be introduced in the Lok Sabha as per Section 110 of the Constitution.
  • It is sent to the Rajya Sabha for its recommendations. The Rajya Sabha has to return the Bill with recommendations in 14 days.
  • Article 117 of the Constitution categorically lays down that a Bill pertaining to sub-clauses (a) to (f) of clause (1) shall not be introduced or moved except with the President’s recommendation.
  • The bill that makes such provisions shall not be introduced in the Rajya Sabha.
National Supercomputing Mission to develop more computing power
  • The National Supercomputing Mission was set up to provide the country with supercomputing infrastructure to meet the increasing computational demands of academia, researchers, MSMEs, and startups by creating the capability design, manufacturing, of supercomputers indigenously in India.
  • A first of its kind attempt to boost the country’s computing power, the National Super Computing Mission is steered jointly by the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) and Department of Science and Technology (DST) and implemented by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Pune and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru. 
  • The target of the mission was set to establish a network of supercomputers ranging from a few Tera Flops (TF) to Hundreds of Tera Flops (TF) and three systems with greater than or equal to 3 Peta Flops (PF) in academic and research institutions of National importance across the country by 2022.
  • This network of Supercomputers envisaging a total of 15-20 PF was approved in 2015 and was later revised to a total of 45 PF (45000 TFs), a jump of 6 times more compute power within the same cost and capable of solving large and complex computational problems. 
  • 11 new systems are likely to be set up in different IITs, NITs, National Labs, and IISERs across India by December this year, which will have many sub-systems manufactured and microprocessors designed in India which will bring in a cumulative capacity of 10.4 petaflops.

MARCH 25, 2020

NE’s first COVID-19 case reported in Manipur
  • The first COVID-19 case was reported in Manipur today, official sources said. It is also the first positive case of novel coronavirus in the Northeast.
  • Director of Health Services, Manipur, Dr K Rajo Singh in a press release said one 23-year-old Manipuri person returning from the United Kingdom has tested positive
Complete Nationwide Lockdown for 21 Days to combat coronavirus outbreak
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced a complete lockdown across the country for 21 days from 24th March midnight, asserting that social distancing is the only way out for the country to fight a decisive battle against coronavirus outbreak.
  • Modi made a fervent appeal to the countrymen not to cross the ‘lakshman rekha’ of their homes in the next three weeks.
  • He said, if the situation is not handled in these 21 days, the country and your family could go back by 21 years. If situation is not handled in these 21 days, several families will get devastated forever
  • The Centre and state governments have taken measures to ensure that the supply of all essential items continue smoothly.
  • Separately, the government issued detailed guidelines about the restrictions, along with certain exemptions.
Vivaad Se Vishwas direct tax scheme extended till June 30
  • The government has extended durations of the dispute settlement schemes for direct taxes (Vivaad Se Vishwas) and indirect taxes (Sabka Vishwas) till June 30.
  • Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said under the ”Vivaad Se Vishwas” scheme, 10 per cent additional charge would not be levied till June 30.
  • The scheme in its earlier version provided complete waiver of interest and penalty for payments made by March 31 and involved settlement with additional payment of 10 per cent between April 1 and June 30.

  • The Direct Tax Vivaad Se Vishwas Bill 2020 intends to resolve direct tax disputes and offers a waiver of interest, penalty and prosecution for settlement of these disputes.

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MARCH 26, 2020

SEBA online classes for Class X students

  • In an attempt to compensate for the losses of academic days of students who would sit for their HSLC exams next year, SEBA has launched online classes through YouTube for students of Class X standard.

  • Lectures of subjects English, Mathematics and Science would be uploaded through YouTube videos every day in Assamese, English and Bodo languages so that maximum number of students can keep themselves updated during the lockdown period.

  • Students would get intimated about the video upload through SMSes on their mobile numbers registered in the Board database.

  • The digital materials of the current curriculum are being uploaded in YouTube by SIQUES EDUAID LLP in association with the SEBA.

  • Approximately 4.5 lakh students would sit for their Board examination next year. Initially the curriculum of February and March would be covered through the videos.

  • As in case of any YouTube video, the SEBA video contents would be available for repeat playing. In the comment section, the students can ask their questions and get their queries answered by the teachers.

Union Cabinet approved MoU between India and Germany for technological cooperation in railway
  • Union Cabinet approved a memorandum of understanding signed between India and Germany for technological cooperation in the railway sector.
  • The Cabinet was apprised of a MoU signed between Ministry of Railways with DB Engineering and Consulting GMBH of Germany for technological cooperation in railways.
  • India and Germany had signed the MoU in February this year for technological cooperation in railway sector that will enable cooperation in freight operations, passenger operations, infrastructure building and management.
  • The MoU will also help the Indian Railways in development of a modern, competitive railway organisation, IT solutions for railway operations, marketing and sales as well as administrative purposes, predictive maintenance, private train operations and any other areas which may be mutually agreed in writing between the two sides.
Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved recapitalisation of RRBs with Rs 1,340 crore
  • The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved the recapitalisation of regional rural banks with total outlay of Rs 1,340 crore, to improve their capital adequacy during the coronavirus crisis.
  • Out of the total approved Rs 1,340 crore, the Central government will infuse Rs 670 crore and the rest would be put in by the state government and other sponsoring banks.
  • The government has off late announced a slew of measures to provide relief to the general public and businesses in terms of regulatory compliances, including deferment of deadlines for IT and GST return filings.
WHO partners Microsoft, Facebook for global coronavirus hackathon
  • The World Health Organisation (WHO) has partnered with tech giants like Facebook and Microsoft for a global hackathon, asking developers to build software solutions that drive social impact, with the aim of tackling some of the challenges related to the current coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
  • Along with Facebook and Microsoft, tech companies Twitter, WeChat, TikTok, Pinterest and Slack are also participating in the hackathon.
  • The #BuildforCOVID19 hackathon would begin accepting project submissions.
  • Given the isolation currently being experienced within communities right now, we want to create an online space where developers could ideate, experiment and build software solutions to help address this crisis.

MARCH 27, 2020

Installation of supercomputing facility at IIT Guwahati got approved

  • The Technical Advisory Committee of National Supercomputing Mission (MSM-TAC) has approved the installation of a supercomputing facility of the compute power of 650 TF (approximately 838 TF peak, 70:30 CPU and GPU Hybrid Supercomputing System) at the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IITG).
  • The Department of Science and Technology (DST), along with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY), is coordinating the mission and the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Pune, and Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, are the implementing agencies of the mission.
  • This new hybrid supercomputing system will not only boost the HPC usages and research environment in the institute but also enhance the research capability of the North East, since around 40 per cent of the compute power will be allocated to the external users as per the guidelines approved by the NSM-TAC.
  • This also aligns with the policy of IIT Guwahati to build a ‘Network of Excellence’ among the institutes of Northeastern region.
Rs 1.7 lakh crore stimulus to help poor hit by lockdown
  • Central government announced a Rs 1.7 lakh crore stimulus that included free foodgrain and cooking gas to poor for three months, and cash doles to women and poor senior citizens as it looked to ease the economic impact of the nationwide lockdown.
  • While over 80 crore poor ration card holders will each get 5 kg of wheat or rice, and 1 kg of preferred pulses free of cost every month for the next three months, 20.4 crore women having Jan Dhan bank accounts would get one-time cash help of Rs 1,500 spread over three months.
  • Over 8.3 crore poor women, who were handed out free cooking gas connections since 2016, will get free LPG refills for the next three months, while poor senior citizens, widows and disabled will get an ex gratia cash of Rs 1,000.
  • The package included advancing the payment of one-third of the Rs 6,000 a year pre-2019 general election cash dole scheme for farmers, government contributions to retirement funds for the next three months of small companies with 90 per cent of staff earning less than Rs 15,000, and a Rs 50 lakh insurance cover to healthcare workers.
  • For rural workers, the daily wage under the MNREGA employment guarantee programme has been increased to Rs 202 from Rs 182, benefiting five crore workers of about Rs 2,000 in all.
  • Rs 50 lakh insurance cover for healthcare workers fighting COVID-19; 22 lakh people to be covered under the scheme
  • 80 crore poor people to get 5 kg wheat or rice and 1 kg of preferred pulses for free every month over the next three months
  • 20 crore women Jan Dhan account holders to get Rs 500 per month for next three months
  • Increase in MNREGA wage to Rs 202 a day from Rs 182; to benefit 13.62 crore families
  • An ex-gratia of Rs 1,000 to 3 crore poor senior citizen, poor widows and poor disabled
  • To front-load Rs 2,000 payment to farmers in first week of April under existing PM Kisan Yojana to benefit 8.7 crore farmers
  • Free gas cylinders will be provided under PM Ujjwala Yojana to 8 crore poor families for the next three months
  • PF contribution to be paid for next three months for workers earning below Rs 15,000 per month in units having less than 100 workers.
Apollo Hospitals launches ”Project Kavach” to fight pandemic
  • Apollo Hospitals Group announced a new initiative called ”Project Kavach (shield), a comprehensive and integrated response plan to fight the COVID-19 disease.
  • Apollo Hospitals Group, they have specially designed an AI-based Coronavirus Risk Assessment scan for screening and initial assessment, which is available in the form of an app and on the website (https://covid.apollo247.com/).
  • The Risk assessment scan, which is available in 6 regional languages, will guide individuals about the potential risk of having the Virus through simple interactive questions.
  • According to the hospital, the digital app also offers virtual and telephony consultation with facility to tele-connect with all doctors at Apollo Hospitals enabling patients to seek healthcare while staying at home.

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MARCH 28, 2020

Home delivery of essential items through online service in Meghalaya

    • Amid the ongoing lockdown across the country to check spread of COVID-19, the Meghalaya Government launched an online platform, store.meghamart.com, for home delivery of essential commodities.

    • People in Tura, Garo Hills, Jowai and Jaintia Hills will be able to access the service of the online delivery platform from March 28.
    • esides, meghabazzar.com, IEW (app on Google Play Store), narifresh.com and syllad.com are additional digital platforms to buy essentials.
    • Big retail stores like Vishal Mega Mart and some local entrepreneurs have also been roped in to deliver essential commodities at people’s doorsteps.

    • Chief Minister Conrad Sangma has cautioned the people against overcrowding during the curfew relaxation hours.

Union Govt approves Rs 5,751 crore for 8 disaster-hit states
      • The Centre decided to provide additional assistance of Rs 5,751.27 crore to eight states who faced disasters such as landslides, floods, drought and cyclone during 2019.
      • The decision was taken in a High Level Committee (HLC) under the chairmanship of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
      • The committee approved additional Central assistance under National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) to Bihar, Kerala, Nagaland, Odisha, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, West Bengal and Karnataka, which were affected by floods, landslides, cyclone and drought during 2019.
      • The HLC approved additional Central assistance of Rs 5751.27 crore to eight States from NDRF subject to the adjustment of 50 per cent of balances available in the SDRF account as on April 1 of the financial year.
        • Of the Rs 5,751.27 crore, a total of Rs 953.17 crore has been allocated to Bihar
        • Rs 460.77 crore to Kerala
        • Rs 177.37 crore to Nagaland
        • Rs 179.64 crore to Odisha
        • Rs 1,758.18 crore to Maharashtra
        • Rs 1,119.98 crore to Rajasthan
        • Rs 1,090.68 crore to West Bengal
        • Rs 11.48 crore to Karnataka
RBI cuts repo rate to 4.40%, maintains accommodative stance
    • The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) massively reduced the key lending rates in response to the Covid-19 outbreak.
    • The Monetary Policy Committee of the central bank in an unscheduled meet reduced the repo rate, the key interest rate at which the RBI lends short term funds to commercial banks, by 75 basis points to 4.40 per cent from 5.15 per cent. The reverse repo rate was also reduced by 90 basis points to 4 per cent.
    • The marginal standing facility (MSF) rate and the Bank Rate stand reduced to 4.65 per cent from 5.40 per cent.
    • The Apex bank instituted a moratorium on interest payments on term loans for three months. This move is expected to benefit corporates and MSMEs. Even interest on working capital loans have been deferred for three months.
    • The cash reserve ratio (CRR) of all banks have been reduced by 100 basis points to 3 per cent of net demand and time liabilities (NDTL) with effect from the reporting fortnight beginning March 28, 2020 for a period of one year.
    • Lending institutions are being permitted to allow a deferment of three months on payment of interest in respect of all such facilities outstanding as on March 1, 2020.
    • The moratorium on term loans and the deferring of interest payments on working capital will not result in asset classification downgrade.
Abbott’s portable test ”ID NOW COVID-19” can detect COVID-19 in 5 minutes
    • US-based healthcare technology maker Abbott has unveiled a test that can deliver positive results in as little as five minutes. The test can also be used outside the four walls of a traditional hospital such as in the physicians.
    • Testing remains a crucial step in controlling the novel COVID-19 pandemic.
    • Continuing to supply healthcare providers with new technologies to help curb the spread of infection is a top priority for public health officials and healthcare providers.
    • The new Abbott ”ID NOW COVID-19” test runs on Abbott”s ID NOWTM platform — a lightweight box (6.6 pounds and the size of a small toaster) that can sit in a variety of locations.
    • Because of its small size, it can be used in more non-traditional places where people can have their results in a matter of minutes, bringing an alternate testing technology to combat the novel coronavirus.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal addresses C-40 leaders, commits to contain COVID-19
    • Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal represented India and the national capital in a global meet organised by the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, to discuss strategy to combat the coronavirus pandemic.
    • Kejriwal was joined by top leaders of several megacities from around the world, such as mayors of Los Angeles (Eric Garcetti), Seoul (Won-soon Park), Paris (Anne Hidalgo), Milan (Guiseppa Sala), Istanbul (Ekrem Imamoglu) and Rome (Virginia Raggi), Johannesburg (Geoff Makhubo), London (Sadiq Khan) and Madrid (Jos Luis MartAnez-Almeida), amongst 45 mayors who were present in the meet.
    • He said that Delhi aggressively pursued the policy of identifying contacts and isolating them through learning from the experiences of other countries.
    • Counting the steps taken by the Delhi government towards the welfare of all sections of the society, the Chief Minister said that the government has already released a two months advance social security pension for widows, senior citizens and the specially-abled.

FACTFILE – The C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40)

    • The C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40) is a group of 96 cities around the world that represents one twelfth of the world’s population and one quarter of the global economy.
    • C40 is focused on tackling climate change and driving urban action that reduces greenhouse gas emissions and climate risks, while increasing the health, wellbeing and economic opportunities of urban citizens.
    • C40 started in October 2005 when London Mayor Ken Livingstone convened representatives from 18 megacities to forge an agreement on cooperatively reducing climate pollution and created the ‘C20’.
    • The rotating Steering Committee of C40 mayors provides strategic direction and governance.
    • Steering Committee members include: Amman, Boston, Copenhagen, Durban, Hong Kong, Jakarta, London, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Milan, Paris, Seoul, and Tokyo.
    • Working across multiple sectors and initiative areas, C40 convenes networks of cities providing a suite of services in support of their efforts, including: direct technical assistance; facilitation of peer-to-peer exchange; and research, knowledge management & communications.
    • C40 is also positioning cities as a leading force for climate action around the world, defining and amplifying their call to national governments for greater support and autonomy in creating a sustainable future.
    • C40’s work is made possible by three strategic funders: Bloomberg Philanthropies, Children’s Investment Fund Foundation and Realdania.
    • Indian member cities are Bengaluru, Chennai, Jaipur, Kolkata, Mumbai and New Delhi

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Assam Current Affairs – March 15 – 21, 2020

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Current Affairs Assam – March 15 - 21, 2020

( Covers all important Assam Current Affairs & GK topics for the week of March 15 – 21, 2020 )

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MARCH 15, 2020

Assamese versions of The Ahoms and The Principia released
  • The Assamese versions of The Ahoms and Principia, The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy, were released at an event held at Swahid Nyas.
  • The translated version of The Ahoms, authored by Arup Kumar Dutta, was released by eminent writer and veteran journalist HomenBorgohain.
  • The book was translated into Assamese by senior research fellow in the Department of English, Gauhati University Parag Kumar Deka.
  • The Assamese edition of Sir Isaac Newton’s Principia, The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy, was released by retired professor of physics, Gauhati University Dr Barindra Kumar Sarma.
  • The book was translated into Assamese by Professor of physics, Tezpur University Dr Jayanta Kumar Sarma and edited by retired assistant professor of physics, Handique Girls’ College BasantaDeka.
IIT Madras launched “Career Back 2 Women (CB2Women)” to skill women in technical profession
  • Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) launched a “Career Back 2 Women (CB2Women)” initiative through its “Digital Skills Academy” to skill women who aspire to return to a technical profession after a break in their career.
  • Overall, as many as 150 hours of training will be offered to skill the women on their journey back to their careers.
  • Candidates will get a choice to opt for any level as certificates will be issued for each level.
  • The IIT Madras Digital Skills Academy is using latest platforms and has tied-up with the Forensic Intelligence Surveillance and Security Technologies (FISST) to offer this programme.
  • All participants will take “Back To Technical Track (BTCUBE)”, which is a 20 hour programme that will bring them up-to-date on technologies and demystifies latest jargons.
  • At the end of this programme, they will have a choice to select a specialisation.
  • All participants will take “Back To Technical Track (BTCUBE)”, which is a 20 hour programme that will bring them up-to-date on technologies and demystifies latest jargons.
  • At the end of this programme, they will have a choice to select a specialisation.
  • There are 4 tracks offered initially. Track 1 – Data Science and Big Data, Track 2 – Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML), Track 3 – Cyber Security with Digital Forensics, Track 4 – Software Engineering with Programming in Python with MongoDB.
  • The Institute also plans to offer more courses at various levels for students and working professionals in association with NASSCOM and in partnership with training companies incubated at IIT Madras Research Park and industry partners.
IIT Mandi designs algorithms for HVAC systems in buildings
  • The Indian Institute of Technology Mandi (IIT Mandi) said its researchers have developed new algorithms for component failure detection and diagnosis that can enhance the energy efficient operation of Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems used in buildings.
  • In centralised HVAC systems in buildings, climate control and ventilation are performed at a centralised location outside the building by an Air Handling Unit (AHU) which results in better maintenance and no indoor noise.
  • The processed air is distributed to every room with the help of controlled ducts and excess air in the room is recirculated through the unit.
  • According to the researchers, the algorithm developed for detection and estimation of the magnitude of the failure of VAV dampers uses analytical models that are applicable over a wide range of unpredictable operating conditions, such as weather dynamics, outside air temperature, zone occupancy profile, and so on.
  • The researchers have demonstrated the effectiveness through exhaustive simulation studies and have shown that the developed algorithm can successfully detect and estimate the magnitude of VAV multiple damper faults.
  • The research team is working towards developing decentralised and distributed fault diagnosis algorithms and fault-tolerant control strategies for large scale buildings in order to ensure more energy-efficient operation of HVAC systems and hopes to extend this work to real time testing and validation on a real building monitoring platform.

 

MARCH 16, 2020
TRIFED Launches transformational “Tech For Tribals” program
  • A game changing and unique project aimed to transform 5 crore Tribal Entrepreneurs under the name “Tech for Tribal” has been launched by TRIFED.
  • It was launched by TRIFED and IIT-Kanpur along with IIT-Roorkee, IIM Indore, Kalinga Institute of Social Science, Bhubaneshwar and SRIJAN, Jaipur in the first phase of organising tribal entrepreneurship and skill development program.
  • Tech for Tribals, an initiative of TRIFED supported by Ministry of MSME, aims at capacity building and imparting entrepreneurship skills totribal forest produce gatherers enrolled under the Pradhan Mantri Van Dhan Yojana(PMVDY).
  • The trainees will undergo a 30 days program over six weeks comprising 120 sessions.
  • Under the Tech for Tribals program, the Partners will develop course contents relevant to Entrepreneurship in Value Addition and Processing of Forest Produces.
  • The Tech for tribals capacity building program will ensure higher success rate of the Tribal Entrepreneurs by enabling and empowering them to run their business with marketable products with quality certifications.

FACTIFLE – The Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED)

  • The Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED) came into existence in 1987.
  • It is a national-level apex organization functioning under the administrative control of Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Govt. of India.
  • TRIFED has its registered and Head Office located in New Delhi and has a network of 13 Regional Offices located at various places in the country.
  • The ultimate objective of TRIFED is socio-economic development of tribal people in the country by way of marketing development of the tribal products on which the lives of tribals depends heavily as they spend most of their time and derive major portion of their income.
  • The activity of TRIFED is divided into two categories :
  • Minor Forest Produces(MFP) Development
    • MFP Development
    • MSP for MFPs
    • R&D of MFPs
  • Retail Marketing Development
    • Retail Marketing Development
    • Handicraft / Handloom development Training
Centre clears 52 Master Plans of North East river basins
  • The Centre has cleared 52 Master Plans of River Basins of Northeast region, including main stem of Brahmaputra and Barak rivers prepared by the Brahmaputra Board for implementation of its recommendations by respective State governments. The control of floods and erosion is also part of recommendations.
  • Every year Assam, Manipur and other Northeast region suffer losses due to heavy rains and flood. Flood management being a State subject, schemes for flood management and erosion control are formulated and implemented by the State governments.
  • In addition, the Government of India has also released funds to Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Nagaland under the Flood Management Programme in the last four financial years for execution of their flood management schemes.
  • The Government of India through Central Water Commission issues flood forecasts for Northeast States which facilitates them to manage the flood.
PM Modi proposes SAARC fund to combat coronavirus
  • Making a strong pitch for SAARC nations to jointly combat coronavirus, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi proposed setting up a COVID-19 emergency fund with India committing $10 million initially for it, and asserted that the best way to deal with the pandemic was by coming together, and not growing apart.
  • Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, Nepalese Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, Bhutanese premier LotayTshering, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Special Assistant to Pakistani Prime Minister on Health Zafar Mirza also participated in the video conference.
  • The message of the video conference was unitedly taking on the pandemic.
  • Modi asserted that it was important for the SAARC member countries to work together. He said it was important to focus on collaboration, not confusion, and preparation, not panic.

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MARCH 17, 2020
India to fund NPR 107 million for construction of three school buildings in Nepal
  • The Government of India will provide 107.01 million Nepali Rupees (NPR) for three new school buildings in Nepal. The schools will be constructed in Darchula, Dhanusha and Kapilvastu districts.
  • The Embassy of India and Nepal’s Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration signed Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) with Mahakali Municipality, Darchula and MukhiyapattiMusharniya Rural Municipality, Dhanusha in Kathmandu for the construction of two new school buildings.
  • These school will be built under the India-Nepal Development Partnership programme at a total estimated cost of NPR 73.96 million.
  • The new infrastructure will be used by Shree Malikarjun Higher Secondary School at Dhap in Darchula district and BaidyanathDevnarayan Public Higher Secondary School at Tulsiyahi in Dhanusha district. 
  • The Government of India will provide funds while construction work, including call for tender, award of work and day to day supervision, will be by Mahakali Municipality, Dharchula and MukhiyapattiMusharniya Rural Municipality, Dhanusha.
  • The projects will be monitored at the federal level by the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration of Nepal and Embassy of India.
  • The Government of India has also committed an amount of NPR 33.05 million for the construction of new school building for Shivbhari School, Mahrajgunj Municipality in Kapilvastu district.
  • The Embassy of India handed over a cheque of NPR 8.26 million as the first installment to of its total commitment to District Coordination Committee Kapilvastu.
Lok  Sabha passes Appropriation Bill 2020-21
  • The Lok Sabha passed the Appropriation Bill 2020-21, authorising the government to draw funds from the Consolidated Fund of India for its working as well as implementation of its programmes and schemes.
  • The house passed the bill after the Speaker applied ”guillotine” on demands of grants for various ministries.
  • Once the speaker applies the guillotine, all the outstanding demands for grants, whether discussed or not, are put to vote at once. After this, appropriation bill is taken into consideration.

InDepthKnowledge: Procedure for enactment of Budget

The stages through which the budget goes through in the parliament.

  1. Presentation of budget
  2. General discussion
  3. Scrutiny by departmental committees
  4. Voting on demands of grants
  5. Passing of the appropriation bill
  6. Passing of finance bill

 

  1. Presentation of Budget

The General Budget are presented in the Lok Sabha. In an election year, the budgets may be presented twice—first to secure a vote on account for a few months and later in full. After the budget speech by the finance minister, the budget is laid before the Rajya Sabha, which can discuss it but has no power to vote on the demands for grants. Immediately after the presentation of the Budget, the following three statements under the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act, 2003 are also laid on the Table of Lok Sabha:-

 (i) The Medium-Term Fiscal Policy Statement;

(ii) The Fiscal Policy Strategy Statement; and

(iii) The Macro-Economic Framework Statement

  1. General Discussion

After a few days of the budget presentation, general discussion starts which usually, lasts for three to four days. The House can discuss the budget as a whole or any question of principles involved but no motion can be moved at this stage. The scope of discussion is confined to an examination of the general scheme and structure of the budget. The finance minister has the general right of reply at the end of the discussion.

  1. Scrutiny by Departmental Committees

After the general discussion on the budget is over, the House is adjourned for a fixed period. During this period, the demands for grants of the ministries/ departments are examined and discussed by the 24 departmental standing committees. These committees prepare their reports on the demands for grants of each ministry and submit to both the Houses of the parliament. 

  1. Voting on Demands of Grants 

After the reports of the Standing Committees are presented to the House, the House proceeds to the discussion and voting on demands for grants. The demands for grants are presented to the Lok Sabha ministry-wise and are voted upon, after which they become grants. Though the budget is discussed in both the Houses, but only the members of Lok Sabha vote on demands for grants.

No Voting is done on those matters which are related to the expenditure charged upon the Consolidated Fund of India. The members can discuss the budget in details and also move motions to reduce any demand of grant. This motion is called cut motion.

Cut motions are of three types:

(i) Disapproval of Policy Cut Motion: The motion states that the amount of the demand be reduced to Re. 1 which means that the mover disapproves of the policy underlying the demand. The mover can advocate for an alternative policy.

(ii) Economy Cut Motion: The motion states that the amount of the demand be reduced by a particular amount. The motion represents the effect of proposed expenditure on the economy. The amount suggested for reduction may be either a lump-sum reduction in the demand or omission or reduction of an item in the demand.

(iii) Token Cut Motion:  The objective of the motion is to ventilate a specific grievance within the sphere of responsibility of the government. It states that the amount of the demand be reduced by Rs. 100. Discussion on such a cut motion is confined to the particular grievance specified in the motion which is within the sphere of responsibility of the government of India.

If such a motion is passed in the Lok Sabha, it may lead to the resignation of the government for want of majority.

On the last of the allotted days for the discussion and voting on demands for grants, the Speaker puts every question necessary to dispose of all the outstanding matters in connection with the demands for grants. This is known as the guillotine, which concludes the discussion on demands for grants.

  1. Appropriation Bill

After the demands for grants have been passed by the House, an appropriation bill is introduced  for the appropriation out of the Consolidated Fund of India, all money required:

(i). To meet the grants passed by the Lok Sabha

(ii). The expenditure charged on the Consolidated Fund of India

No amendment can be proposed to an Appropriation Bill which will have the effect of varying the amount or altering the destination of any grant so made or of varying the amount of any expenditure charged on the Consolidated Fund of India. The decision of the Speaker as to whether such an amendment is admissible is final.

The appropriation bill becomes an act after it receives assent from the president. Until that time, the government cannot take out money from the Consolidated Fund of India. As the process takes some time, usually till the end of April, the constitution provides for a provision called the ‘vote on account’.

The constitution allows the government to take any grant in advance according to the estimated expenditure for that part of the year. Usually, it is granted for two months which is equivalent to one-sixth of the total expenditure.

  1. Passing of the Finance Bill

The finance bill is introduced every year to give effect to the financial proposals of the Government of India for the next following financial year.

The finance bill is introduced immediately after the presentation of the budget. The introduction of the bill cannot be opposed. According to the Provisional Collection of Taxes Act, 1931, the finance bill has to be passed by parliament and assented to by the president before the expiry of the seventy-fifth day after the day on which it was introduced.

As the finance bill contains taxation proposals, it is considered and passed by the Lok Sabha only after the demands for grants have been voted and the total expenditure is known. The Finance Act completes the process of the enactment of the budget.

Parliament passes Central Sanskrit Universities Bill
  • The Rajya Sabha passed the Central Sanskrit Universities Bill by voice vote, paving the way for converting three deemed varsities into central Sanskrit universities.
  • The three deemed varsities to be converted into central Sanskrit universities are Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan, New Delhi; Lal Bahadur ShastriRashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeeth, New Delhi; and Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeeth, Tirupati.
  • The Bill was introduced in the Rajya Sabha on March 2 by Minister of Human Resource Development Ramesh Pokhriyal ”Nishank”.
Moghai Ojah award presented to Paramananda Majumder
  • Noted writer and researcher Dr Paramananda Majumder, who compiled the first book on the life and works of folk musician Moghai Ojah, was presented the 10th Moghai Ojah Award at a function held at Jorhat Science Centre and Planetarium.
  • The award instituted in 2011 by the Jorhat district unit of the AJYCP, was given away to Dr Majumder by AJYCP general secretary Palash Changmai.
  • The award carried a cash prize of Rs 21,000, a citation, a gamosa, a selengchadar and a memento. The award is annually presented on March 15, on the death anniversary of Ojah.
  • First recipient of the award was prominent sattriya dance exponent Padmashri Jatin Goswami.

BIOGRAPHY – Moghai Ojah

  • Moghai Ojah (1916–1978) was a musician from Assam who popularized the Dhol of Assam to the world audience.
  • Moghai Ojah had also acted in a few films, which include Pioli Phukan, Ranga Police, Pratidhwani, Mahut Bandhu Re (Bengali) and Maram Trishna.
  • Ojah was born in Naosolia Gaon, Jorhat, Assam in a family of Chutia ethnicity and died in Jorhat, Assam on 15 March 1978.
  • Srijanasom Trust, a charitable institution set up with an objective of promotion of Indian art and culture has instituted an award titled “Moghai Ojah Srijan Award” in memory of Moghai Ojah in 2015.

 

MARCH 18, 2020

Rajya Sabha passes National Commission for Indian System of Medicine Bill 2019
  • Rajya Sabha passed the National Commission for Indian System of Medicine Bill 2019 and the National Commission for Homoeopathy Medicine Bill 2019
  • Union minister for AYUSH Shripad Yesso Naik said, the two bills aim at providing a quality and affordable medical education system ensuring high quality medical professionals in Indian System of Medicine and Homeopathy, in all parts of the country.  
  • The Commission will also ensure adoption of latest medical research in the work of such professionals.
Madhya Pradesh to get 3 new districts
  • The Madhya Pradesh Cabinet gave in-principle approval to the formation of three new districts in the state.
  • The state Cabinet approved in principle to constitute three new districts including Chachaura, Maihar and Nagda.
  • Following the formation of the new districts the number would rise to 55.

Three new districts of MP:

  • Chachaura is currently part of Guna district.
  • Maihar, currently part of Satna district.
  • Nagda is currently part of Ujjain district.
Assam CM reviews flood prevention measures of Guwahati Development Department
  • Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal reviewed the measures taken by the Guwahati Development Department (GDD) to prevent artificial floods in the city.
  • The Chief Minister directed the officials of the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) to complete the de-silting of drains and water-bodies by the first week of May so that free flow of rainwater can be ensured before the onset of monsoon.
  • He also urged the officials to explore ways to revive the Bharalu river and look at ways to develop water-bodies to retain excess water coming from the hills of Meghalaya during the rainy season.
  • The Chief Minister stressed the need to make people the stakeholders in the fight against flash floods so that they do throw garbage and plastics into the drains.
Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas test flies for final operational clearance
  • The indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas was test flown for final operation clearance (FOC) standard for certification.
  • The home-grown fighter aircraft was test flown for about 40 minutes by chief test pilot Air Commodore (retired) K.A. Muthana from the city’s eastern suburb airport.
  • Designed and developed by the Aeronautics Development Agency (ADA) of the state-run Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
  • The fourth-generation fighter aircraft is manufactured by the defence behemoth (HAL) for deployment in the frontline combat fleet of the Indian Air Force (IAF).
  • The single engine, delta wing, multi-role fighter, equipped with advanced features such as air-to-air refuelling and beyond visual range missile system, will go into serial production after regulatory certification by Cemilac and endorsement by the IAF for FOC and deployment into its depleted fleet.
  • The LCA’s 45 Squadron Flying Daggers is based at the Sulur air base near Coimbatore in southern Tamil Nadu.

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MARCH 19, 2020

Justice B P Dharmadhikari appointed as new Chief Justice of Bombay HC
  • Acting Chief Justice Bhushan Pradyumna Dharmadhikari was appointed as the new Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court.
  • The senior most judge, Justice Dharmadhikari was appointed as acting chief justice following the retirement of Justice Pradeep Nandrajog, the Chief Justice of Bombay High Court.
  • In exercise of the power conferred by Clause (I) Article 217 of the Constitution of India, the President is pleased to appoint Justice Bhushan Pradyumna Dharmadhikari, Judge of Bombay High Court, to be the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court with effect from the date he assumes charge of his office.
Assam Govt orders closure of all Aadhaar centres
  • In yet another measure to contain the spread of coronavirus, the state government has decided to close all Aadhaar registration centres across the State till March 31, 2020.
  • The step has been taken to ensure that the mandatory biometric collection system does not contribute to spreading infection.
  • It needs to be mentioned here that Aadhaar centres in many parts of the country have already been closed because of the pandemic. In private institutions also, biometric systems have been closed.
  • A notification from the Commissioner Secretary of the State General Administration department has asked all the deputy commissioners of the state to ensure strict implementation of the instruction in this regard.
DAC approved procurement of 83 Tejas fighters for the IAF
  • The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) headed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh approved procurement of 83 Tejas fighters for the IAF. The proposal will now be placed for consideration of Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS).
  • The DAC has also approved for acquisition of indigenous defence equipment for about Rs 1,300 crore.
  • The proposals were for procurement of Aerial Fuses and Twin-Dome Simulators for Hawk Mk32 aircraft for the IAF.
  • Light Combat Aircraft ”Tejas” is indigenously designed by Aircraft Development Agency (ADA) under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
  • The DAC also approved an amendment to the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) 2016 to enable review by a costing committee of bids submitted by joint ventures of Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs)/Ordnance Factory Board (OFB)/DRDO.
Uttarakhand abolishes quota in promotion for govt employees
  • Uttarakhand government abolished reservation in promotion in the state government jobs. The state government also issued orders regarding departmental promotion committee (DPC).
  • The state government’s order said that as per the Supreme Court’s decision, the government has abolished the promotion ban dated September 11, 2019.
  • Besides, the state government order dated September 5, 2012 banning reservation in promotions has also come into effect.

MARCH 20, 2020

Meghalaya present Rs 1,532 crore deficit budget
  • Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma tabled a Rs 1,532-crore deficit budget for 2020-21, projecting a total expenditure of Rs 17,432 crore, including a developmental budget of Rs 8,616 crore.
  • The total receipts for the fiscal is estimated at Rs 17,375 crore, of which revenue receipts are pegged at Rs 15,353 crore and capital receipts at Rs 2,022 crore, the Chief Minister said.
  • The budget of 2020-21 has a fiscal deficit of Rs 1,532 crore, which is around 3.53 per cent of the GSDP,” Sangma, who also holds the Finance portfolio, said.
  • “Our strategy revolves around prioritising the four core pillars of human development, primary sector, infrastructure and entrepreneurship,” he added.
  • The Chief Minister also said that the State Government is committed to take all necessary measures to effectively deal with the coronavirus pandemic.
PM Modi calls for daylong ‘Janata Curfew’ on March 22
  • In wake of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the people of the country to opt for a ”Janata Curfew” on March 22 from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
  • This is public curfew. Janata curfew means for the public, curfew imposed on public by themselves.
  • He urged people to follow this ”curfew”, not go out on the streets or even gather in their societies and stay inside their homes.
  • The Prime Minister further urged people above the age of 60 should avoid going out in the coming weeks.
  • The Prime Minister also urged the people to follow the instructions issued by the state governments.
  • The Prime Minister also said that if one thinks that by roaming on the streets is safe, then it is not good.
Lok Sabha passes bill to merge three Ayurveda institutes at Gujarat
  • The Lok Sabha passed a bill for conglomerating three Ayurveda institutes at Gujarat Ayurved University campus Jamnagar and to declare the Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda, Jamnagar as an institution of national
  • Ayush Minister ShripadNaik said there had been no discrimination with any state and more projects will be undertaken depending on availability of funds.
  • He said research at various institutes in Ayurveda was being published in peer journals and the institute at Jamnagar with its enhanced status will help boost research.
  • The bill provides for conglomerating the cluster of Ayurveda institutes at Gujarat Ayurved University campus Jamnagar – Institute for Post Graduate Teaching and Research in Ayurveda, Shri Gulabkunwerba Ayurveda Mahavidyalaya and Institute of Ayurveda Pharmaceutical Sciences including Pharmacy Unit.
  • It provides for subsuming the MaharshiPatanjali Institute for Yoga and Naturopathy Education and Research into the Department of Swasthvritta of the Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda.
CSIR develops bio hand-sanitizer
  • A laboratory of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in Himachal Pradesh has developed a hand-sanitizer that contains natural flavours, active tea constituents and alcohol content as per WHO guidelines.
  • The product is free from parabens, triclosan, synthetic fragrance and phthalates, says CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology that is based in Palampur town in Kangra district.
  • It says the technology was transferred to a private unit through an agreement made on March 16 between CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology and A.B. Scientific Solutions, which is also based in Palampur.
  • As per the agreement, CSIR-IHBT will transfer its expertise for making hand sanitizers and other disinfectants to the company.
  • The firm with a strong marketing network will establish this facility at Palampur and will market hand sanitizers and other disinfectants across the country.
Nepal has committed 100 million rupees to SAARC fund to fight Coronavirus
  • Nepal has committed 100 million rupees to SAARC fund set by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to fight Coronavirus
  • Nepal’s Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli said during SAARC leaders video conference on Coronavirus he had committed to contribute amount for the fund announced by Indian Prime Minister to fight the Coronavirus pandemic.
  • In his first speech after the renal transplant Nepali Prime Minister Oli urged the citizens to make necessary changes in their daily activities incorporating precautionary measures to fight against the new pandemic that started from China.
  • Nepali Prime Minister also announced ban on all International flights into the Himalayan Nation from March 22 to 31 along with the strict health check-ups at border sides to rein COVID-19. He said compulsory health check-ups would be introduced at border points for travelers entering Nepal via roads. 

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MARCH 21, 2020

Rs 19,891 crore budget tabled in Tripura Assembly
  • Tripura Deputy Chief Minister Jishnu Dev Varma, who also holds the Finance portfolio, presented a Rs 19,891-crore budget, which is a 13.46 per cent increase over last year’s budget of Rs 17,530 crore.
  • The budget leaves an uncovered deficit of Rs 511 crore, which the Government intends to cover by higher mobilisation of internal resources and an austerity drive. However, there is no new tax proposal in the budget.
  • Other highlights of the budget are a whopping 229.50 per cent hike in allocation for the Department of Information Technology, 52.79 per cent for the Department of Planning, 46.11 per cent for Forest, 37.98 per cent for PWD (DW&S), 37.91 per cent for Tribal Welfare (Research), 36.02 per cent for PWD (R&B) and 10.27 per cent for the Department of Agriculture.
  • There are announcements of constitution of the Innovation and Transformation Aayog of Tripura, and introduction of Tripura Beti Bachao Beti Padao Abhiyan and Chief Minister’s Fasal Bima Yojana.
  • Deputy Chief Minister Dev Varma announced that the Government would provide free sanitary napkins to girl students of classes VI to XII, incurring an annual expenditure of Rs 4.10 crore.
  • Dev Varma said the State Government was on course to make Tripura a model State and this endeavour of the State Government has been appreciated by the Centre.
  • The expenditure on payment of salaries, wages and pension takes away 44.68 per cent of the total budgetary allocation, while 10 per cent more is to be borne on interest payment and repayment of loans.
  • It is only with the remaining 54.67 per cent that the State Government will have to cover its development expenditure which may not prove to be enough.
  • Dev Varma said the reduction in the State’s share of Central taxes by 1 per cent, which is now 41 per cent compared to 42 per cent earlier, and shrinking of the divisible pool was due to higher allocations for internal security and defence.
  • According to the Centre, Tripura has topped the good governance index among the North Eastern States.
Lok  Sabha passes Indian Institutes of Information Technology Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2020
  • The Lok Sabha passed a Bill that seeks to declare five Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs) in public-private partnership mode as institutions of national importance along with existing 15 Indian Institutes of Information Technology.
  • Minister of Human Resource Development Ramesh Pokhriyal ”Nishank” said the Bill seeks to declare five IIITs set up under the PPP mode in Surat, Bhopal, Bhagalpur, Agartala, and Raichur as institutions of national importance.
  • Currently, these institutes are registered as Societies under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 and do not have the power to grant degrees or diplomas.
  • On being declared institutions of national importance, the five institutes will be granted the power to grant degrees.
  • The Indian Institutes of Information Technology (Public-Private Partnership) Act, 2017 declares certain Indian Institutes of Information Technology established under Public-Private Partnership mode as institutions of national importance. Under the Act, 15 institutes are currently incorporated as institutions of national importance.

FACTFILE – Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs)

  • Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs) are a group of institutes of higher education in India, focused on information technology.
  • Five of them are established, funded and managed by the Ministry of Human Resource Development. The rest are set up on the public-private partnership (PPP) model.
  • Prior to 2010, the IIITs at Gwalior, Allahabad, Jabalpur and Kancheepuram were set up by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD).
  • In 2015, a fifth institute was set up by the MHRD in Kurnool, as part as the government obligation under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014.
  • In 2020 Prime Minister lead Union Cabinet has been approved to setup new IIIT in Agartala, Tripura alongside 4 new IIIT under PPP mode
Atal Bihari Vajpayee Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management, Gwalior
Indian Institute of Information Technology, Allahabad
Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design and Manufacturing, Jabalpur
Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design and Manufacturing, Kancheepuram
Indian Institute of Information Technology, Sri City
Indian Institute of Information Technology, Guwahati
Indian Institute of Information Technology, Vadodara
Indian Institute of Information Technology, Kota
Indian Institute of Information Technology Tiruchirappalli
Indian Institute of Information Technology Una
Indian Institute of Information Technology, Sonepat
Indian Institute of Information Technology, Kalyani
Indian Institute of Information Technology, Lucknow
Indian Institute of Information Technology, Dharwad
Indian Institute of Information Technology Design and Manufacturing, Kurnool
Indian Institute of Information Technology, Kottayam
Indian Institute of Information Technology, Manipur
Indian Institute of Information Technology, Nagpur
Indian Institute of Information Technology, Pune
Indian Institute of Information Technology, Ranchi
Indian Institute of Information Technology, Surat
Indian Institute of Information Technology, Bhopal
Indian Institute of Information Technology, Bhagalpur
Indian Institute of Information Technology, Agartala
Assam Govt initiates phone-based learning for students
  • The State government initiated phone-based learning for students during school closure to mitigate learning gaps among children.
  • In order to meet the learning gaps of children and reduce the probability of dropout of children from schools, some initiatives have been proposed by the education department.
  • As per these initiatives, the heads of the institutions or teachers of the schools will open a WhatsApp group with parents/guardians. Groups may be opened class-wise, if number of students and teachers are more in the school.
  • Teachers have been instructed to provide necessary learning support through phone-based learning materials, including homework.
  • Students will do the homework and teachers will check the answers on WhatsApp itself, and by visiting children who need special attention.
  • Teachers can also share short videos on academic areas and can upload them on the WhatsApp for the students.
  • Teachers have also been instructed to pay home visits to students in general and those with learning issues in particular.
  • The academic support may be provided by teachers through phone/WhatsApp during morning hours from 7 am to 9 am or evening hours from 7 pm to 9 pm.
Defence Ministry signs capital acquisition contract with Israeli firm
  • The Defence Ministry has signed a capital acquisition contract with Israel Weapons Industries (IWI) for procurement of 16,479 light machine guns (LMGs) at a cost of Rs 880 crore.
  • The contract was signed with the approval of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
  • IWI, which is based out of Ramat HaSharon city in Israel, would be providing Negev 7.62*51 mm LMGs to the Indian armed forces under the contract.
  • The contracted Negev 7.62X51 mm LMG is a combat proven weapon and currently used by several countries around the globe.
  • The Indian Armed Forces’ long-standing requirement of a modern state-of-the-art LMG has finally fructified.
  • The acquisition wing of Ministry of Defence has signed the capital acquisition contract with IWI for procurement of 16,479 LMGs at a cost of Rs 880 crore with the approval of Defence Ministry.
Ministry of HRD and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare have jointly developed comprehensive School Health Programme
  • Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Human Resources Development and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare have jointly developed comprehensive School Health Programme (SHP) under Ayushman Bharat to foster the growth, development and educational achievement of school going children by promoting their health and wellbeing.
  • A total of eleven themes have been identified under the SHP which include Reproductive Health and HIV Prevention.  These modules create awareness on the subject among adolescents.
  • In pursuance of the National Curriculum Framework, 2005, the Department of School & Literacy is implementing the Adolescence Education Programme (AEP) as part of the National Population Education Project (NPEP). 
  • One of the learning outcomes of AEP is to make the learners aware of the concerns of adolescence, i.e. process of growing up during adolescence, HIV/AIDS and Substance (Drug) Abuse and to inculcate in them positive attitude regarding these concerns.

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Assam Current Affairs – March 08 – 14, 2020

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Current Affairs Assam – March 8 - 14, 2020

( Covers all important Assam Current Affairs & GK topics for the week of March 8 – 14, 2020 )

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MARCH 08, 2020

Delimitation Commission for north-eastern states constituted
  • Former Supreme Court judge Ranjana Prakash Desai will head the Delimitation Commission that will redraw Lok Sabha and Legislative Assembly constituencies of the north-eastern states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Nagaland.
  • Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra and a representative of the state election commission of the four northeastern states will be the ex officio members.
  • The commission will delimit the constituencies of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Nagaland in accordance with the provisions of the Delimitation Act, 2002.

FACTFILE – Delimitation Commission of India

  • The Delimitation commission (Boundary commission) of India is a commission established by the Government of India under the provisions of the Delimitation Commission Act.
  • The main task of the commission is redrawing the boundaries of the various assembly and Lok Sabha constituencies based on a recent census.
  • The representation from each State is not changed during this exercise. However, the number of SC and ST seats in a state are changed in accordance with the census.
  • The present delimitation of constituencies has been done on the basis of 2001 census under the provisions of Delimitation Act, 2002.
  • The Commission is a powerful and independent body whose orders cannot be challenged in any court of law.
  • Delimitation commissions have been set up four times in the past — 1952, 1963, 1973 and 2002 — under Delimitation Commission Acts of 1952, 1962, 1972 and 2002.
  • The union government had suspended delimitation in 1976 until after the 2001 census so that states’ family planning programs would not affect their political representation in the Lok Sabha. This had led to wide discrepancies in the size of constituencies, with the largest having over three million electors, and the smallest less than 50,000.

FACTFILE – Delimitation Commission of 2002

  • The most recent delimitation commission was set up on 12 July 2002 after the 2001 census with Justice Kuldip Singh, a retired Judge of the Supreme Court as its Chairperson.
  • The Commission has submitted its recommendations. On December 2007, the Supreme Court on a petition issued notice to the central government asking reasons for non implementation. On 4 January 2008, the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) decided to implement the order from the Delimitation Commission.
  • The recommendations of the Commission was approved by President Pratibha Patil on 19 February. This means that all future elections in India for states covered by the commission will be held under the newly formed constituencies.
  • The present delimitation of parliamentary constituencies has been done on the basis of 2001 census figures under the provisions of Delimitation Act, 2002.
  • However, the Constitution of India was specifically amended in 2002 not to have delimitation of constituencies till the first census after 2026. Thus, the present constituencies carved out on the basis of 2001 census shall continue to be in operation till the first census after 2026.
  • The assembly election in Karnataka, conducted in three phases in May 2008, was the first to use the new boundaries as drawn by the 2002 delimitation commission.
President of India confers Nari Shakti Puraskar for 2019
  • The President of India, Ram Nath Kovind presented Nari Shakti Puraskar for the year 2019 at a special ceremony held in Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi on the occasion of International Women’s Day.
  • The awards were conferred on 15 eminent women in recognition of their efforts in rendering distinguished services towards emancipation of women, especially vulnerable and marginalized women.
  • Nari Shakti Puraskar is an initiative of the Ministry of Women and Child Development to acknowledge the exceptional contribution made by individuals and institutions, to celebrate women as game changers and catalyst of positive change in the society.

The winners of the Nari Shakti Puraskar for the year 2019 are

NAME STATE
Padala Bhudevi Andhra Pradesh
Bina Devi Bihar
Arifa Jan Jammu and Kashmir
Chami Murmu Jharkhand
Nilza Wangmo Ladakh
Rashmi Urdhwareshe Maharashtra
Sardarni Mann Kaur Punjab
Kalavati Devi Uttar Pradesh
Tashi and Nungshi Malik Uttarakhand
Kaushiki Chakroborty West Bengal
Bhageerathi Amma

Karthyayini Amma

 Kerala
Avani Chaturvedi

Bhawna Kanth

Mohana Singh

Madhya Pradesh

Bihar

Uttar Pradesh

 

PM hands over Twitter handle to women achievers
  • Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has said that women achievers will share their life journey through his social media accounts on the occasion of International Women’s Day.
  • Women from across India are sharing their life stories on the Prime Minister’s twitter handle. The journeys shared by women from all walks of life are exemplary and motivating. 
  • A Chennai-based food activist, Sneha Mohandoss was the first women to take over the PM’s account Sunday morning. Founder of Food Bank India, Mohandoss is striving for a hunger-free planet.
  • Malvika Iyer is a bomb blast survivor, who lost her hands and damaged her legs in the grenade blast in her home in Bikaner in 2002, when she was 13 years old. Iyer was bedridden for over 18 months and underwent multiple surgeries for over two years to get back on her feet.
  • Arifa is a Kashmiri activist seeking to revive the traditional Namda crafts of the region.
  • A Hyderabad-based architect, Kalpana Ramesh runs a city-based project to conserve lakes and rivers. The government and forest authorities have also been collaborating with her in the endeavour to conserve water.
  • An artisan from the Banjara community of rural Maharashtra, Vijaya Pawar was the fifth woman to take over Modi’s social media account.
  • Kalavati is an activist who campaigns against open defecation, A mason who hails from Kanpur, Kalavati is on a mission to build toilets across the lower income households in the city.
  • An organic farmer, Veena Devi has been growing mushrooms at home for several years now, through some unique farming-at-home techniques. She has also encouraged several other women to do grow mushrooms in a similar manner.
Tech Mahindra launches women-led ‘Ideathon‘ to drive tech innovation
  • Makers Lab, the research and development arm of IT major Tech Mahindra launched a women-led “Ideathon” aimed at solving real world challenges through technology, especially in the defence space.
  • Announced on International Women”s Day, the Ideathon will run for four weeks and will end on April 7.
  • Makers Lab, is to promote technology innovation and provide a common platform where academia and industry can come together to create disruptive solutions to solve real world problems.
  • The Ideathon will consist of two rounds. The top 20 ideas will be rewarded and will get a chance to interact with instructors as well as Army officers of College of Military Engineering (CME), Pune.
  • College of Military Engineering is a premier technical and tactical training institute of the Indian Army (Corps of Engineers) with a focus on promoting innovative technologies like Artificial Intelligence and Robotics for the Indian Army.

MARCH 09, 2020
Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) chief presents deficit budget
  • The Chief Executive Member (CEM) of Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) Tuliram Ronghang presented Rs 38.97-crore deficit budget for the year 2020-21 for the council.
  • The budget also proposed an estimated expenditure of Rs 225 crore for the fiscal to carry out developmental activities.
  • The Council’s main sources of revenue are derived mostly from forest products, entry tax, professional tax, trade callings, land revenue, share of motor vehicle tax, sale proceeds from weekly markets, ghats, fisheries and cattle pounds.
  • In order to increase the revenue kitty, the CEM also proposed new fee hike on trading license, transfer of land and other trades.
  • The KAAC is likely to receive an amount of Rs 50 crore of administrative charges and share of motor vehicle tax from the state government. Similarly, the KAAC would receive excise and export revenues from 2021
  • The MAC development fund has been increased to Rs 30 lakh from Rs 15 lakh. The state government has assured that the excise and export revenues will be handed over to the KAAC fully and the amount may touch Rs 100 crore from April next year.
NITI Aayog organizes the fourth edition of the Women Transforming India Awards
  • NITI Aayog organized the Fourth Edition of the Women Transforming India Awards and Rajnath Singh, presided over as the chief guest of the event and conferred the WTI Awards.
  • WTI Awards are NITI Aayog’s initiative to highlight the commendable and ground-breaking endeavours of India’s women leaders and changemakers.
  • Since 2018, the Awards have been hosted under the aegis of NITI Aayog’s Women Entrepreneurship Platform with a special focus on entrepreneurship. 

The winners of WTI Awards are

  • Priyanka Mokshmar is the co-founder of Vaayu Home Appliances
  • Ramya Venkataraman’s Centre for Teacher Accreditation (CENTA)
  • Shilpi Kapoor BarrierBreak
  • Rinka Banerjee Thinking Forks
  • Nidhi Pant Science for Society team
  • Anupriya Balikai Spookfish Innovations
  • Kalpana Sankar Hand in Hand
  • Khushboo Jain ImpactGuru
  • Sneha Sundaram Kutuki, Jayanti Pradhan an agro-processor and farmer from Odisha
  • Jugnu Jain founder and CSO, of Sapien Biosciences
  • Pratyusha Pareddy NemoCare
  • Poonam BirKasturi Daily Dump
  • Ruchi Jain Taru Naturals
  • Sujata Sahu 17000 ft Foundation
  • Dr Praveen Nair Founder Trustee of Salaam Baalak Trust.
Shri Krishan Pal Gurjar Presents Awards to Divyang Artisans & Entrepreneurs
  • Shri Krishan Pal Gurjar, Minister of State for Social Justice & Empowerment presented awards to Divyangs artisan and entrepreneurs who participated in exhibition cum fair “Ekam fest” organized by National Handicapped Finance Development Corporation under M/o Social Justice & Empowerment.
  • 82 Divyang artisans and entrepreneurs from 17 States/UTs showcased their products in the week long Ekam Fest.
  • The Ekam fest gave platform to PwD artists to present their skill in the cultural evenings. In the Ekam Fest, Divyang Entrepreneur and artisans from all over the country.
  • The Fest presented vibrant products of from J&K and NE with products ranging from handicraft, handloom, Embroidery work and dry fruits.
  • In the fest, live demonstrations of products making were given by around 12 organisations and artisans which included: live demo of looms, embroidery, free and paintings, wheat grass paintings etc.
  • NHFDC provides financial assistance to the Divyangjan (Persons with Disabilities) for their economic rehabilitation and provides number of skill development programmes to empower them to grow & sustain their enterprises.
Odisha govt creates ‘Mission Shakti’ Dept for women development
  • Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced the creation of a ”Mission Shakti” department, exclusively for the development of the women.
  • He announced that Odisha will be the first state to have an exclusive department for the self-help groups. This will be called the Department of Mission Shakti and will be dedicated to all the women of Odisha.
  • 70 lakh women are getting benefits under Mission Shakti and Mamata Scheme and 50 per cent reservation in Panchayati Raj has ushered in a new era for the socio-economic development of women.
  • He said that the state government has introduced an independent Nutrition Budget whose focus will be on mother-child nutrition.

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MARCH 10, 2020
10 schools in Kamrup (M) adopted under Rural Education Program
  • SRF Foundation in collaboration with the State Education Department has implemented its flagship Rural Education Programme in Dimoria block of Kamrup (M) district by adopting 10 government schools.
  • Under the Rural Education Programme, the SRF Foundation organised an event ‘Academic Mela and Stakeholders Felicitation’ for its 10 adopted government schools at Pub Dimoria ME School ground (Topatali).
  • Under the Rural Education Programme, the Academic Mela and Stakeholders Felicitation is to further motivate and enhance on sharing of innovative ideas, best practices and ensuring sustainable teaching-learning practices of the schools.
  • As many as 12 stalls were installed at the Mela by the students of 10 government schools demonstrating various creativity and innovations.
HAL plans to set up logistics bases in Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia and Sri Lanka
  • Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) is looking at setting up logistics bases in Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia and Sri Lanka as part of initiatives to woo the countries to buy India’s light combat aircraft Tejas and military helicopters.
  • Chairman and Managing Director of HAL R Madhavan said that HAL is now seriously focusing on boosting exports in sync with the government’s priority and identified South East Asia, West Asia and North Africa to sell key platforms like Tejas, attack helicopter Rudra and advanced light helicopter Dhruv.
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set an ambitious defence export target of $5 billion dollars in the next five years and asked all the key military manufacturers to work hard to achieve the target.
MoST launches helpline for women scientists, students, researchers
  • On International Women’s Day, Union Science and Technology Minister Harsh Vardhan launched a helpline number for women students, researchers, entrepreneurs and scientists to get their queries related to the ministry’s programmes answered.
  • They will also get information about qualifications or other requirements to avail benefits of schemes under the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST).
  • Launched by President Ram Nath Kovind last month, the Vigyan Jyoti scheme identifies girl students at the district level with interest in science.
  • Selected women from more than 500 districts, would be given opportunities to attend science camps at IITs, NITs and other leading institutions of science and technology education where women are not adequately represented.

MARCH 11, 2020

Indian states advised to invoke Epidemic Disease Act, 1897 on epidemics
  • To combat the coronavirus outbreak, the Central government decided that all states should be advised to invoke the necessary provisions of the Epidemic Disease Act, 1897 to enforce all advisories.
  • It was decided that all states/UTs should be advised by the Union Health Ministry to invoke provisions of Section 2 of Epidemic Disease Act so that all advisories being issued from time to time by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare/State/UTs are enforceable.
  • Section 2 of the 1897 Act gives the power to take special measures and prescribe regulations as to dangerous epidemic disease.
  • It also gives the power for inspection of “persons travelling by railway or otherwise, and the segregation, in hospital, temporary accommodation or otherwise, of persons suspected by the inspecting officer of being infected with any such disease”.
Coronavirus outbreak could cost global economy up to USD 2 trillion, says UNCTAD
  • The coronavirus outbreak could cost the global economy up to USD 2 trillion this year, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) said, warning that shock from the epidemic will cause a recession in some countries and depress global annual growth to below 2.5 per cent.
  • “We envisage a slowdown in the global economy to under two per cent for this year, and that will probably cost in the order of USD 1 trillion, compared with what people were forecasting back in September, Director, Division on Globalization and Development Strategies at UNCTAD Richard Kozul-Wright said.
  • The UN agency said that apart from the tragic human consequences of the COVID-19 epidemic, the economic uncertainty it has sparked will likely cost the global economy USD 1 trillion in 2020.
  • A preliminary downside scenario sees a USD 2 trillion shortfall in global income with a USD 220 billion hit to developing countries (excluding China). The most badly affected economies in this scenario will be oil-exporting countries, but also other commodity exporters, which stand to lose more than one percentage point of growth, as well as those with strong trade linkages to the initially shocked economies.
  • Growth decelerations between 0.7 per cent and 0.9 per cent are likely to occur in countries such as Canada, Mexico and the Central American region, in the Americas; countries deeply inserted in the global value chains of East and South Asia, and countries in the immediacy of the European Union.
  • Trade impact of the coronavirus epidemic for India is estimated to be about USD 348 million and the country figures among the top 15 economies most affected as slowdown of manufacturing in China disrupts world trade.
  • Slowdown of manufacturing in China due to the coronavirus outbreak is disrupting world trade and could result in a USD 50 billion decrease in exports across global value chains.
PV Sindhu named BBC Indian Sportswoman of Year
  • Indian badminton player PV Sindhu won the inaugural BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year award following a public vote.
  • The shortlist of five contenders also consisted of sprinter Dutee Chand, boxer Mary Kom, wrestler VineshPhogat and para-badminton player Manasi Joshi.
  • In 2019, Sindhu became the first Indian to win badminton World Championship gold in Basel, Switzerland.
  • She is considered a medal prospect at this year’s Olympics in Tokyo.
  • Sindhu has five World Championship medals and is the first Indian singles badminton player to win an Olympic silver medal.
  • The BBC award ceremony was held in New Delhi in the presence of eminent sportspersons, sports writers and influencers.
  • Former sprinter PT Usha was given the Lifetime Achievement award for her contribution to Indian sports and inspiring generations of players.
  • She won more than 100 international medals and awards during her career.
  • The Indian Olympics Association also named her Best Sportswoman of the Century.

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MARCH 12, 2020

World Health Organization declares Covid-19 as a pandemic
  • World Health Organization (WHO) has characterised the new coronavirus outbreak as a pandemic and a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).
  • UN chief Antonio Guterres has urged world governments to urgently scale up their response to the novel coronavirus if they are to stand a chance of stemming its spread.
  • UN Secretary General said, the declaration of coronavirus outbreak as a pandemic is a call to action for everyone, everywhere.
  • It’s the first time the WHO has called an outbreak a pandemic since the H1N1 “swine flu” in 2009. In the last pandemic, the H1N1 influenza virus killed more than 18,000 people in more than 214 countries and territories, according to the WHO.

FACTFILE – Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)

  • Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by the virus strain “severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2” (SARS-CoV-2).
  • The disease was first identified in 2019 in Wuhan, China, and has since spread globally, resulting in the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic.
  • Common symptoms include fever, cough, and shortness of breath. As of 20 March 2020, the rate of deaths per number of diagnosed cases is 4.1%, but ranges from 0.2% to 15% depending on age and other health problems.
  • The infection is typically spread from one person to another via respiratory droplets produced during coughing and sneezing. Time from exposure to onset of symptoms is generally between 2 and 14 days, with an average of 5 days.
  • The standard method of diagnosis is by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) from a nasopharyngeal swab.
  • Recommended measures to prevent infection include frequent hand washing, maintaining distance from others (social distancing), and keeping hands away from the face. The use of masks is recommended for those who suspect they have the virus and their caregivers, but not the general public.
  • There is no vaccine or specific antiviral treatment for COVID-19. Management involves treatment of symptoms, supportive care, isolation, and experimental measures.
Govt has formed committee to finalise modalities of Kisan Rail
  • The government has formed a committee under the Ministry of Agriculture which also includes representatives of the Indian Railways to work out the modalities of ‘Kisan Rail’.
  • The committee has been formed under the aegis of Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, which includes representative from Ministry of Railways also, to work out the modalities of ‘Kisan Rail’.
  • Nine such refrigerated vans were already available on its network.
  • These vans, with a carrying capacity of 17 tonnes each for transportation of highly-perishable parcel traffic, were developed and procured through the Rail Coach Factory at Kapurthala.
  • Temperature-controlled perishable cargo centres were commissioned at GhazipurGhat (UP), New Azadpur (Adarsh Nagar, Delhi) and Raja kaTalab (UP) as a pilot project under the Kisan Vision Project by Container Corporation of India Limited (CONCOR) through a CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) initiative.
Himachal Pradesh signs pacts with World Bank to boost agriculture
  • The central government, the Himachal Pradesh government and the World Bank on Wednesday signed an $80 million loan agreement to improve water management practices and increase agricultural productivity in selected gram panchayats in the hill state.
  • The Integrated Project for Source Sustainability and Climate Resilient Rain-Fed Agriculture in Himachal Pradesh will be implemented in 428 gram panchayats in 10 districts, benefiting over 400,000 small-holder farmers, including women, and pastoral communities.
  • The loan agreement was signed by Khare on behalf of the government of India; Ram Subhag Singh, Additional Chief Secretary (Forest), on behalf of the Himachal Pradesh government and Junaid Ahmad, Country Director, India, on behalf of the World Bank.
  • The project will improve upstream water sources in forests, pastures, and grasslands and ensure sufficient water is available for sustainable agriculture both in Himachal Pradesh and in downstream states.

MARCH 13, 2020

Assam’s innovator Uddhab Bharali to be part of Delhi School curriculum
  • Padma Shri Awardee and internationally acclaimed innovator Uddhab Bharali will be involved in the new school curriculum in Delhi, in a bid to change the mindset of the students.
  • Uddhab Bharali, who hails from North Lakhimpur, has been inducted in the Entrepreneurship Mindset Curriculum (EMC) programme for students of Class 9 to 12, which has been devised to connect knowledge to life outside school.
  • Developed by the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), Delhi, the curriculum aims to build awareness and knowledge of various aspects of entrepreneurship among students. Over 1.5 lakh students from over 500 government schools in Delhi are part of the curriculum.
  • The curriculum tries to unleash the inner potential of the students, and aims to make them confident, creative and competent. The curriculum, which has no textbooks and is non-evaluative with no formal examination, aims to enable the students to become job-givers and not job-seekers, after completing their education.
  • The curriculum will give an opportunity to students to meet real-life entrepreneurs and understand their journey and struggles, and Bharali has been included among the icons in this new education system.
  • The objective of the interaction with Bharali is to inspire students with the journey of his entrepreneurship and learn about his dreams, opportunities, challenges and stories of overcoming the struggles.
  • Uddhab Bharali, who has 147 innovations, has been included along with E Sreedharan who built the Delhi Metro, street vendor-turned-entrepreneur Krishna Yadav who has a pickle business with around 2,000 employees, Flipkart founders Binny Bansal and Sachin Bansal, visually impaired Srikant Bolla who after repeated rejections by educational institutions in India joined the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and went on to found a startup called Bollant Industries, that has an eco-friendly product line and employs over 150 disabled individuals, and Dharampal Gulati of MDH spices.
Parliament passes Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Bill 2020
  • Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Bill 2020 has been passed by the Parliament with Rajya Sabha giving its nod.
  • Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that the current government is both responsive and is committed to deliver to its promises in tune with changing times.
  • She said that the amendments brought in by the government are a mechanism to incorporate viable changes in the legislation.
  • She emphasized on the importance of the ordinance before the bill and said that it was needed to avoid any hiatus.
  • The Minister said, as on 1st January of this year, out of around 43 thousand cases disposed off by National Company Law Tribunal, nearly 15 thousand cases were resolved based on Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code.
‘BaLA’ initiave launched at Hailakandi District of Assam
  • With the vision to ensure the learning outcome and make every child learn with fun, Deputy Commissioner KeerthiJalli ceremonially launched Building as Learning Aid (BaLA) at Greham MV School.
  • Launching BaLA, Deputy Commissioner Jalli said that the concept behind it is to make every child learn with fun in a conducive environment, in which he or she can relate to quickly.
  • She said that a child gets easily attracted to the world of colours and pictures and creating this ambience by making use of the school space aesthetically is the driving force behind BaLA.
  • BaLA is a tool to promote learning, curiosity, care and concern, wonder and lifelong learning.
  • It will help children to practice and revisit concepts. It also helps learning to take place everywhere – in the classroom, the corridor, the verandas, the outdoors, etc.
  • Its impact can be directly observed on Student Learning Outcome (SLO), teacher instruction practices and student enrolment
Women SHGs undergo mushroom cultivation training at CSIR-NEIST
  • CSIR-North East Institute of Science and Technology (CSIR-NEIST) at Pulibor observed International Women’s Day by organising a training programme on mushroom cultivation to women of self-help groups of nearby villages.
  • Training on mushroom cultivation was given to 30 members belonging to different SHGs.
  • Certificates were awarded to the women SHG members during a valedictory session held after the training session. 

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MARCH 14, 2020

Centre sanctions Rs 365 crore for ICP at Sabroom, Tripura
  • The Centre has sanctioned Rs 365 crore for setting up an Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Sabroom in South Tripura to tap the potential for boosting bilateral trade with Bangladesh.
  • Union Home Minister Amit Shah cleared the proposal for setting up the ICP under a ‘single scheme’ following a request made by Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb.
  • During his last visit to Delhi, Deb met the Union Home Minister with a plea to set up an ICP at Sabroom, which could become a gateway to Southeast Asian nations for the North East.
  • Setting up of an ICP has become necessary as the bridge over the Feni river will connect the two sides of the international border. Once the bridge becomes operational, it will give easier access to the Chittagong Port in Bangladesh. This will increase trade manifold. Land Port Station (LCS) will be insufficient to handle bilateral trade once connectivity is established between Sabroom and Chittagong Port.
  • Earlier, the Union Ministry of Commerce had sanctioned a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) at Sabroom to boost trade and industry. The State, which shares 856-km border with Bangladesh, currently has one ICP at Akhaura, not far from the State capital.
Union Cabinet approved Yes Bank’s reconstruction plan
  • The Union Cabinet approved a reconstruction plan for cash-strapped Yes Bank, under which the State Bank of India will pick up 49 per cent of the equity, while private investors will be allowed to buy the rest.
  • The Cabinet decided that the SBI will hold at least 26 per cent stake in the private bank for a minimum period of three years.
  • Similarly, the other investors will also be mandated to have a similar lock-in period for 75 per cent of their investment in the bank.
  • The authorised share capital of the Yes Bank will be revised upwards from Rs 1,100 crore to Rs 6,200 crore.
  • The office of the administrator shall also stand vacated after seven days from the cessation of moratorium and the new Board will take over the bank.
  • Prashant Kumar, former SBI CFO, is the current administrator.
CCEA approved rehabilitation and upgradation of Green National Highways Corridor Project (GNHCP)
  • The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs CCEA approved rehabilitation and upgradation of 780 kms of roads under Green National Highways Corridor Project (GNHCP) in the states of Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh.
  • The approval involves investment of Rs 7,662.47 crore which includes a loan component of Rs 3,500 crore ($500 million). The loan assistance of the World Bank will be under GNHCP.
  • Green Corridor projects are the ones where cement is used for road construction while there are other parameters of greening the highway with tree line on both sides and extensive use of plastic, fly ash, demolition waste and other reusable products.
  • Apart from upgradation of the two-lane, and four-lane highways, the project also includes the maintenance of these stretches for five years (in the case of flexible pavement) and 10 years (in the case of rigid pavement) after completion of construction.
  • The construction period for the project stretches will be 2 to 3 years.
Parliament passes Vivad Se Vishwas Bill for settlement of Direct Tax disputes
  • Parliament has passed the Vivad Se Vishwas Bill, 2020 the bill provides a waiver on interest, penalty and prosecution for settlement of Direct Tax disputes.
  • It grants a complete waiver on interest and penalty when the disputed amount is paid before 31st of this month, and provisions an additional 10 percent of the disputed amount in cases where the settlement is made by 30th June of this year.
  • Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharam said, all steps will be taken by the government to reduce the tax litigation on a priority basis.
  • She assured that the discretion of tax authorities will be reduced by faceless assessment driven by technology.
  • Tax-related disputes in the country amounting to over 9 lakh crore rupees is pending against over 4 lakh litigations in various appellate forums.
  • Sitharaman assured that the provisions of this bill provide absolute immunity for prosecutions under the Income Tax Act to the appellant once the dispute is resolved. She, however, clarified that it only governs disputes related to Direct Tax and not litigations related to wealth tax.
IIM Shillong team wins Guwahati edition of Tata quiz
  • Akash Verma and Akshay Vinayak Desai from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Shillong emerged victorious in the Guwahati edition of Tata Crucible Campus Quiz 2020.
  • A total of 73 teams battled it out in the city-level finale for the top honours held.
  • The winners took home a cash prize of Rs 75,000 and they will compete in the zonal round to qualify for the national finale.
  • Prasant Bose and SubhraneelAcharjee from Assam Engineering College, Guwahati, were declared runners-up, winning a cash prize of Rs 35,000.
  • The theme for this year’s quiz was ‘Industry 4.0’. Noted quiz master Giri Balasubramaniam hosted the quiz.

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Assam Current Affairs – February 01 – 07, 2020

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Current Affairs Assam – February 1 - 7, 2020

( Covers all important Assam Current Affairs & GK topics for the week of February 1 – 7, 2020 )

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FEBRUARY 01, 2020

Economic Survey 2019-20 presented in the Parliament
  • The Economic Survey of India is the flagship annual document of the Ministry of Finance, Govt of India. It is prepared under the guidance of the Chief Economic Adviser of India. This document is presented to both Houses of Parliament during the Budget Session. The first Economic Survey of India was presented in 1950-51 as part of the Union Budget. After 1964 it was separated from the Budget and presented each year during the Budget Session before the presentation of the budget. The document is non-binding.
  • The Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Economic Survey 2019-20 in the Parliament on January 31, 2020. Krishnamurthy V. Subramanian is the Chief Economic Adviser of Ministry of Finance, Government of India.

Highlights of the Economic Survey 2019-20

  • GDP growth pegged at 6-6.5% in fiscal year starting April 1, 2020, up from 5% in the current fiscal.
  • Uptick in growth projected in second half of current fiscal based on 10 factors including higher FDI flows, build up of demand pressure, positive GST revenue growth.
  • Share of formal employment increased from 17.9% in 2011 -12 to 22.8% in 2017-18 reflecting formalisation in Indian economy.
  • To achieve GDP of $5 trillion by 2024-25, India needs to spend about $1.4 trillion over these years on infrastructure.
  • Around 2.6 crore new jobs created in rural, urban areas between 2011-12 and 2017-18 among regular wage/salaried employees.
  • Declining inflation from 3.2% in April 2019 to 2.6% in December 2019, reflecting weakening demand pressure in the economy.
  • GST collections grew by 4.1% for the centre during April-November 2019.
  • Government should deliver expeditiously on reforms to revive growth. The Survey suggests government to systematically examine areas where it needlessly intervenes and undermines markets.
  • Excessive government intervention in markets, especially when the market can do the job of enhancing citizens welfare perfectly well, stifles economic freedom.
  • Economic Survey calls for improving governance in public sector banks, more disclosures to build trust and for measures to make it easier to start new business, register property, pay taxes, enforce contracts.
  • The Survey also calls for easing of crude prices lowers current account deficit; imports contract more sharply than exports in first half of current fiscal.
Government to restructure Ministry of External Affairs
  • The government has decided to restructure the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the MEA will get decentralised by setting up several verticals, specialisation-wise.
  • This will enable separation of consular services and other routine administrative affairs from the diplomacy involved in areas like economics, trade, development, technology, cultural exchange etc.
  • Each vertical is to be headed by a ”political director” at Additional Secretary level.
  • Until now, like all other ministries, the MEA has been a pyramid like structure, with lot of work pressure on Joint Secretaries and the four Secretaries.
  • The restructuring began with handing over all the four development partnership divisions responsible for foreign aid and development projects in South Asia and Africa to Akhilesh Mishra, who was heading the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).
  • The council, which is the cultural arm of MEA, will be under Dinesh Patnaik.
  • The economic section will be handled by P. Harish and three divisions of Africa will be under Nagma Mallik.
  • All multilateral meetings and summits will now be handled by VikramDoraiswami.
  • The ministry also plans to expand and hire experts from the private sector and non-profit bodies as well.
European Investment Bank to invest 600 million euros in Pune Metro
  • The European Investment Bank (EIB) will invest 600 million euros (Rs 4,800 crore) in the upcoming Pune Metro Rail (PMR) project, the Maharashtra government announced.
  • A Memorandum of Understanding for the first tranche of 200 million euros (Rs 1,600 crore) was signed in the presence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.
  • The state government said, This will enable easier and affordable access to jobs, healthcare, education, reduce pollution, generate employment and slash commuting time for over 600,000 daily commuters among Pune’s three million population.
  • The fundings received will be utilised for the underground sections, a metro depot and other purposes.
  • The PMR will be 32.50 km long, costing around Rs 11,420 crore, running both on the surface and underground with 30 stations.
  • The PMR will help India achieve several United Nations” sustainable development goals like SDG 13 (climate action), SDG 11 (sustainable cities) and SDG 5 (gender equality).
FEBRUARY 02, 2020
Union Budget 2020-21 presented in the Parliament

The Union Budget of India for 2020–2021 was presented by the Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman on 1 February 2020. The central ideas of the Budget are – “Aspirational India, Economic development, A Caring Society.”

Highlights & Important Point

~ Income Tax & other Personal Taxes ~

    • A simplified and new Income Tax Regime has been proposed as an option to the old regime.
    • Income between Rs 5 lakh to Rs 7.5 lakh: Reduced to 10% from the current 20%
    • Between Rs 7.5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh: Reduced to 15% from the current 20%
    • Between Rs 10 lakh to Rs 12.5 lakh: Reduced to 20% from the current 30%
    • Between Rs 12.5 lakh to Rs 15 lakh: Reduced to 25% from the current 30%
    • Above ₹15 lakh: Continue at 30%, but without exemptions

However, those who wish to continue to pay old rates may do so.

~ Business Sector ~

  • Concessional corporate tax rate of 15 per cent to new domestic companies in manufacturing and power sector.
  • Corporate tax for existing companies slashed to 22 per cent.
  • Govt proposes 100 per cent tax concession to sovereign wealth funds on investment in infra projects.
  • Concessional tax rate of 15 per cent extended to power generation companies.
  • Tax concession for sovereign wealth fund of foreign governments and other foreign investments.
  • Tax benefits to Start-ups by way of deduction of 100 per cent of their profits are enhanced by increasing turnover limit and period of eligibility period of eligibility.
  • Concessional tax rate for cooperatives proposed.
  • Turnover threshold for audit of MSMEs increased.
  • Extension of time limits pertaining to the tax benefits for affordable housing.
  • Issuance of Unique Registration Number to all charity institutions for easy tax compliance.
  • Health cess to be imposed on imports of medical equipment.
  • Dividend Distribution Tax removed and classical system of dividend taxation adopted
  • Simplified GST return shall be implemented from 1st April 2020. Refund process to be fully automated.
  • National Textile Mission to be launched with a proposed Rs 1,480 crore allocation. National Technical Textiles Mission for a period of 4 years
  • Allocation of Rs 27,300 crore for development of industry and commerce.
  • Foreign direct investment (FDI) into the country has increased to $284 billion during 2014-19 from $190 billion in previous five years.
  • Scheme to encourage manufacturing of mobile phones, electronic equipment and semiconductor packaging
  • NIRVIK Scheme for higher export credit disbursement launched
  • Setting up of an Investment Clearance Cell to provide end to end facilitation
  • Extension of invoice financing to MSMEs through TReDs
  • A scheme to provide subordinated debt for entrepreneurs of MSMEs
  • Scheme anchored by EXIM Bank and SIDBI to handhold MSMEs in exports markets

 

~ Health Sector ~

  • Rs 69,000 crores allocated for the healthcare sector.
  • More than 20,000 empanelled hospitals under PM Jan Arogya Yojana.
  • FIT India movement launched to fight NCDs
  • Expansion of Jan Aushadhi Kendra Scheme to all districts by 2024

 

~ Infrastructure Sector ~

  • 9,000 km of economic corridor will be set up.
  • Chennai-Bengaluru expressway will also be started.
  • Delhi-Mumbai expressway to be completed by 2023.
  • 100 more airports to be developed by 2025
  • Transport infrastructure: Rs 1.7 lakh crore
  • National Infrastructure Pipeline: Rs 22,000 crore
  • National Logistics Policy to be launched soon National Logistics Policy to be launched soon
  • Accelerated development of Highways
  • Railways will set up Kisan Rail through PPP model so that perishable goods can be transported quickly.
  • 150 trains will run under the public private partnership (PPP) mode, also four stations will be redeveloped with the help of the private sector.
  • More Tejas type trains for tourist destinations
  • Coporatizing at least one major port
  • An International Bullion Exchange to be set up at GIFT City.
  • Power sector: Efforts to replace conventional energy meters by prepaid smart meters.
  • Gas Grid: Expand National Gas Grid to 27,000 km

 

~ Education & Training ~

  • Rs 99,300 crore allocated for education in FY21.
  • Govt will start Ind-Sat Exam to promote under Study in India programme and a degree-level online education programme for the deprived.
  • A total of Rs 3,000 crore will be given for skill development.
  • About 150 higher educational institutions will start apprenticeship embedded courses.
  • Internship opportunities to fresh engineers by urban local bodies.
  • Special bridge courses to improve skill sets of those seeking employment abroad.
  • Degree level online education programmes for students of deprived sections of the society.

 

~ Social Welfare Sector ~

  • Allocation for Swachh Bharat Mission for 2020-21 stands at Rs 12,300 crore.
  • In further push to PM Modi’s ‘Nal se jaal’ scheme, govt proposes Rs 3.6 lakh crore towards piped water supply to households.
  • Rs 35,600 crore allocated for nutritional related programme in FY21.
  • Rs 85,000 crore has been budgeted for the welfare of Scheduled Castes and other backward classes.
  • Rs 53,700 crore for Scheduled Tribes
  • Allocation for senior citizens and ‘Divyang’ enhanced to Rs 9500 crore.
  • Rs 4,400 crore to tackle Delhi’s air pollution problem.
  • Extends additional Rs 1.5 lakh tax benefit on interest paid on affordable housing loans to March 2021.
  • Tax holiday to affordable housing developers.

 

~ Women and Child Development ~

  • A task force to be appointed to recommend regarding lowering MMR and improving nutrition levels
  • Rs 28,600 crore will be allocated in FY21 for women-linked programmes.

 

~ Banking and Financial Sector ~

  • DICGC has been permitted to increase Deposit Insurance Coverage for a depositor from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 5 lakh per depositor.
  • Amendments in Banking regulation Act to strengthen Cooperative Banks.
  • Proposal to sell balance holding of the government of India IDBI Bank to private investors.
  • Recovery eligibility limit for NBFCs reduced to asset size of 100 crore or loan size of 50 lakh.
  • Separation of NPS Trust for government employees from PFRDAI
  • Specified categories of government securities would be opened for non-resident investors
  • FPI Limit for corporate bonds to be increased to 15 per cent.
  • New debt ETF proposed mainly for government securities

 

~ Technology Sector ~

  • 550 WiFi facilities have been commissioned at railway stations.1 lakh gram panchayats to get optical fibre link
  • An allocation of Rs 6,000 crore will be provided for BharatNet scheme.
    Rs 20,000 crore for renewable energy sector in a bid to tackle pollution and climate change.
  • A new scheme of smart meters will be launched.
  • An allocation of Rs 8,000 crore will be made for National Mission on Quantum Computing and Technology.
  • Knowledge Translation Clusters for emerging technology sectors
  • Scaling up of Technology Clusters harbouring test beds and small scale manufacturing facilities.

 

~ Disinvestment ~

  • Govt proposed an ambitious disinvestment target of PSU stake sales to the tune of Rs 2.1 lakh crore in the next financial year 2020-21.
  • Government to sell part holding in LIC.
  • Govt to also sell stake in IDBI Bank to private investors.

 

~ Agriculture & Allied Sectors ~

  • Budget allocation of Rs 2.83 lakh crore for agriculture and allied activities.
  • Doubling farmers incomes by 2020.
  • Krishi Udaan under Ministry of Civil Avaition on international and national routes to benefit farmers. Krishi Udaan scheme to transport agri products to national as well international destinations to be launched.
  • Self Help Groups will be allowed to set up village agri storage facilities.
  • NABARD will map and geo-tab 162 mn tonne capacity agri warehouses across country. FCI and Warehousing Corporation of India to build warehousing facility on their land.
    Government to incentivise farmers to go solar.
  • Over 6 crore farmers under Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojna have been insured.
  • Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha and Utthan Mahabhiyan (PM KUSUM) to be expanded, providing 20 lakh farmers in setting up standalone solar pumps.
  • Railways will set up Kisan Rail through PPP model so that perishable goods can be transported quickly.
  • Agri-credit target for the year 2020-21 has been set at Rs 15 lakh crore.
  • One horticulture crop in one district on cluster basis will be promoted.
    Viability gap funding for creation of efficient warehouses on PPP mode.
  • SHGs run Village storage scheme to be launched.
  • Integartion of e-NWR with e-NAM.
  • Elimination of FMD and brucellosis in cattle and PPR in sheep and goat by 2025.
  • Increasing coverage of artificial insemination to 70 per cent.
  • Doubling of milk processing capacity by 2025.
  • Fishery extention through 3477 Sagar Mitras and 500 fish FPOs.
  • Raise fishery exports to `1 lakh crore by 2024-25
  • Fish Production target of 200 lakh tonnes by 2022-23.

 

~ Culture & Tourism ~

  • Five archaeological sites would be developed as iconic sites with on-site museums would be developed at Rakhigarhi in Haryana, Hastinapur in Uttar Pradesh, Sivasagar in Assam, Dholavira in Gujarat and Adichanallur in Tamil Nadu.
  • Indian Institute of Heritage and Conservation
  • Museum of Numismatics and trade
  • Tribal museum in Ranchi
  • Maritime Museum in Lothal
  • Tourism promotion gets Rs 2500 crore.
  • Ministry of Culture to get Rs 3,150 crore.

 

~ Fiscal Scenario ~

  • Fiscal deficit target pegged at 3.8% of GDP for FY 2019-20. FY21 fiscal deficit target pegged at 3.5% of GDP.

 

~ Miscellaneous ~

  • G20 Presidency in 2022 – Allocation of Rs 100 crore
  • Allocation of Rs 30,757 crore for Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir
  • Allocation of Rs 5,958 crore for Union Territory of Ladakh

 

  • State of Indian Economy §
  • Between 2006-2016, 271 million are out of poverty and we should be proud of it.
  • Total of 60 lakh new taxpayers and 105 crore e-way bills generated under GST
  • Central government debt reduced to 48.7 per cent of GDP in 2019 from 52.2 per cent.
  • India is now 5th largest economy in world.
  • Gross enrollment of girls is 94.32 per cent in elementary levels, 81.32 per cent in secondary level and 59.7 per cent in higher secondary level.
  • Foreign direct investment (FDI) into the country has increased to $284 billion during 2014-19 from $190 billion in previous five years.
  • Nominal growth of GDP for 2020-21 has been estimated at 10 per cent
  • Receipts for 2020-21 estimated at 22.46 lakh crore rupees, and expenditure at 30.42 lakh crore rupees
  • ‘Vivad se Vishwas’ scheme for direct tax payers whose appeals are pending at various forum. 4.83 lakh direct cases pending in various appellate forums. Under the scheme, taxpayer to pay only amount of disputed tax. They will get complete waiver on interest and penalty if scheme is availed by March 31, 2020.
  • 15th Finance Commission has cut state share of central taxes by one percentage point to 41 per cent.
  • Rs 12.7 lakh crore to be transferred to states and union territories in 2020-21.
  • Government has insured 6.11 crore farmers under Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojna.
Centre to soon release National Logistics Policy
  • To create a single window e-logistics market, the Centre plans to release a ”National Logistics Policy”.
  • It will create a single window e-logistics market and focus on generation of employment, skills and making MSMEs competitive.
  • At present, India”s logistics sector is highly fragmented and the policy aims to reduce the logistics cost from 14 per cent of GDP to less than 10 per cent by 2022.
  • The sector provides livelihood to more than 22 million people and improving the sector will facilitate 10 per cent decrease in indirect logistics costs, leading to the growth of 5 to 8 per cent in exports.
  • The policy which has been formulated by the Commerce and Industry Ministry will improve India”s trade competitiveness, create more jobs, improve India”s performance in global rankings and pave the way for India to become a logistics hub.

 

Gopal Baglay appointed as High Commissioner to Sri Lanka
  • The government appointed Gopal Baglay as the next High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka.
  • Baglay, who is currently in the Prime Minister”s Office in New Delhi, will take over from Taranjit Singh Sandhu who was recently appointed as Ambassador to the US.
  • An 1992 batch IFS officer, Baglay has served in Moscow, London, Kathmandu and Islamabad besides holding key positions in the Ministry of External Affairs.
Government to launch new schemes to support export sector
  • To support and promote exports, the Centre proposed to launch new schemes in FY 2020-21.
  • Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, said that the Centre plans to launch the Nirvik and ”Reversion of duties and taxes on exported products” scheme.
  • To achieve higher export credit disbursement, a new scheme, Nirvik is being launched, which provides for higher insurance coverage, reduction in premium for small exporters and simplified procedure for claim settlements.
  • It is proposed to digitally refund to exporters, duties and taxes levied at the Central, State and local levels, such as electricity duties and VAT on fuel used for transportation, which are not getting exempted or refunded under any other existing mechanism.
  • The development assumes significance as these schemes are expected to facilitate higher exports.
National Recruitment Agency for all computer based exams
  • Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that a National Recruitment Agency (NRA) will be set up for all computer-based examinations for recruitment to non-gazetted government and public sector banks posts.
  • The move has the potential to give a breath of fresh air for the youth of the country, who have been stuck in the vicious cycle of recruitment exams and an indefinite wait for jobs.
  • The Minister said that at present, candidates have to appear for multiple examinations conducted by multiple agencies at different points of time for similar posts.
  • To mitigate the hardship faced, it is proposed to set up a NRA as an independent, professional, specialist organisation for conduct of a computer-based online Common Eligibility Test for recruitment to non-gazetted posts
  • Non-gazetted jobs are the government jobs or posts which do not give the person the authority to issue an official stamp on the behalf of the government.
  • In terms of types of jobs, this includes Group B, Group C and Group D government jobs.

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FEBRUARY 03, 2020
Karbi New Year ‘Nikam Kimi’ celebrated
  • Nikam Kimi, the Karbi New Year was celebrated with pomp and gaiety throughout the district by different celebration committees.
  • As per the Karbi calendar, February 1 is considered as New Year by the community.
  • Nikam Kimi was celebrated throughout the day by holding various Karbi traditional events and games where male, female and youth participated.
  • It may be mentioned here that Ningkam Kimi was welcomed by symbolically releasing pigeons in the sky by the dignitaries.
  • The Karbi Ningkan Kimi (Karbi New Year) was celebrated with splendour and exuberance across the twin hill district of Karbi Anglong on February 1.
  • The Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) declared February 1 as official holiday.
US, India celebrate 70th Fulbright exchange program
  • The United States and India celebrated the 70th anniversary of the prestigious Fulbright exchange program which has awarded scholarships to over 11,000 Indians and Americans so far.
  • US Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Marie Royce from Washington to attend the gala event in New Delhi.
  • The Fulbright program, created by Senator J. William Fulbright in 1946, was designed to increase mutual understanding among the people of the United States and the people of other countries. It has now grown into the premier US international educational exchange program in the world.
  • The binational United States-India Educational Foundation (USIEF) was among the earliest of the Fulbright Commissions or foundations.
  • On February 2, 1950, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and US Ambassador to India Loy Henderson signed a bilateral agreement to implement and administer a country Fulbright Program on behalf of the partner governments.
  • Since its inception, USIEF has awarded approximately 11,128 Fulbright Fellowships to Indians and Americans.
  • On July 4, 2008, the United States and India signed a historic new Fulbright agreement that made India a full partner in the governance and funding of the Fulbright Program.
Sakhi centre, one-stop centre to provide support to women of sexual violence, inaugurated in Tezpur
  • Sakhi, a one-stop centre to provide integrated support and assistance under one roof for women affected by sexual and physical violence, was inaugurated at VidyaMandir building at Dhanua Nagar, Morabharalipaar.
  • The one-stop centre has been set up by the Sonitpur district administration and the Social Welfare Department to provide integrated services of medical and legal aid, guidance on the procedure of registering police complaints, along with psycho-social counselling and temporary shelter to women who have been victims of sexual or physical violence.
  • A toll-free number 181 has also been made available for women in distress.
  • The scheme is Centrally sponsored by the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development under the National Mission for Empowerment of Women.

FEBRUARY 04, 2020

Madhya Pradesh’s Kalidas Awards for Assam dance guru, Kathak danseuse
  • Veteran classical dance guru from Assam, Jatin Goswami, and renowned Kathak danseuse Guru Uma Sharma will be conferred Madhya Pradesh”s prestigious cultural award, National Kalidas Samman, for 2017 and 2018 respectively during the Khajuraho Dance festival.
  • The award amount comprises Rs 2 lakh and a plaque.
  • Goswami, 87, is a legendary choreographer of the Sattriya dance form which originated in eastern Assam.
  • It is a dance-drama form with origins in the Krishna-centric Vaishnavist monasteries of Assam and attributed to the 15th century Bhakti movement scholar and saint Mahapurush Srimanta Sankardev.
  • Sharma has a reputation as a senior guru, choreographer and dancer in the field of Kathak dance.
  • Born in Delhi in 1942, she received dance education from Guru Hiralal and GirivarDayal.
  • Following the Kathak tradition of the Jaipur Gharana, she also received guidance from ShambhuMaharaj and BirjuMaharaj. Her dedication to Kathak is acknowledged the world over. She has also received the Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan.
India to have 10 more Defence Attaches
  • To strengthen India’s defence diplomacy, the Ministry of Defence announced creation of 10 new posts of Defence Attaches (DAs).
  • The government has introduced a new scheme to promote defence exports through Defence Attaches to their respective countries.
  • Under this scheme, funds have been allocated for export promotion to 34 countries.
  • The Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) have also opened offices for their liaison officers in countries like Vietnam, Singapore, Myanmar, Oman and others.
  • India has also offered several defence Line of Credits (LOC) to friendly countries to allow Indian defence exports and increase their presence in the global market.
IIT-Madras builds AI technology to convert brain signals into language
  • Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-Madras) have developed an Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology to convert brain signals of speech impaired humans into language.
  • The researchers can potentially interpret nature’s signals such as the plant photosynthesis process or their response to external forces.
  • Electrical signals, brain signals, or any signal in general, are waveforms which are decoded to meaningful information using physical law or mathematical transforms such as Fourier Transform or Laplace Transform.
  • The output result is the ionic current, which represents the flow of ions which are charged particles.
  • These electrically driven ionic current signals are worked on to be interpreted as human language meaning speech. This would tell us what the ions are trying to communicate with us.
  • They tested this concept by getting experimental electrical signals through experiments in the laboratory to get signals from nanofluidic transport inside nanopores.
  • The nanopores were filled with saline solution and mediated using an electric field.

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FEBRUARY 05, 2020

Highest priority accorded to North Eastern Region in Union Budget 2020-21
  • Union Minister of Development of North Eastern Region is Jitendra Singh (Minister of state, Independent Charge) said the hallmark of the Union Budget 2020-21 is that it accords the highest priority to the overall development of the Northeastern region.
  • The budgetary allocation for the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) saw a hike of over 14 per cent from Rs 2,670 crore last year to Rs 3,049 crore in 2020-21.
  • The budget for the North Eastern Council (NEC) has been doubled from Rs 700 crore to Rs 1,474 crore in the last five years.
  • The budget has accorded the highest priority to the overall development of the Northeastern region keeping in tune with the vision and declaration of Prime Minister Narendra Modi since he came to power in 2014.
  • He said there is a constant and progressive rise in funds for the development of the Northeastern region since 2014.
  • In case of the Ministry of DoNER, the budgetary allocation for 2020-21 is Rs 3,049 crore as against Rs 2,670 crore in the Revised Estimate (RE) 2019-20. Of the total Rs 3,049 crore, the provision for development of infrastructure is around Rs 2,900 crore compared to Advance Estimate (AE) 2014-15 of Rs 1,719 crore.
  • The budget allocation of the Ministry of DoNER in 2020-21 is higher by 77.26 per cent, he said.
  • In case of schemes being implemented by the North Eastern Council (NEC), the current year’s budgetary allocation is Rs 1,474 crore, an increase of 19.23 per cent over RE 2019-20 allocation of Rs 1,237 crore.
  • The government is ensuring smooth access to financial assistance from multilateral and bilateral funding agencies to help introduce innovative and global best practices. The Central government has effectively used an online portal to reduce gestation period. This has improved the flow of funds to the Northeast region.
  • The inland waterways received a boost in the last five years. The Jal Vikas Marg on National Waterway-1 will be completed. Further, the 890-km Dhubri-Sadiya waterway will be completed by 2022.
  • Plans are afoot to energise eco-heritage sites. Government proposes to establish an Indian Institute of Heritage and Conservation under the Ministry of Culture; it shall have the status of a deemed university to start with.
  • Five archaeological sites – Rakhigarhi (Haryana), Hastinapur (Uttar Pradesh), Sivasagar (Assam), Dholavira (Gujarat) and Adichanallur (Tamil Nadu) – would be developed as iconic sites with on-site museums.
Union Cabinet approves amendment Bill for IIITs
  • The Union Cabinet has approved the Indian Institutes of Information Technology Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2020.
  • The Bill grants statutory status to five Indian Institutes of Information Technology in Public-Private Partnership mode at Surat, Bhopal, Bhagalpur, Agartala and Raichur and declare them as Institutions of National Importance along with the existing 15 Indian Institutes of Information Technology under the Indian Institutes of Information Technology (Public-Private Partnership) Act, 2017.
  • The Bill, once it gets parliamentary approval, will amend the principal Acts of 2014 and 2017 to enable these IIITs to use the nomenclature of Bachelor”s in Technology (B.Tech) or Master”s in Technology (M.Tech) or Ph.D degree as issued by a university or Institution of National Importance.
  • It will enable the institutes to attract enough students required to develop a strong research base in the country in the field of information technology.
  • The five IIITs at Surat, Bhopal, Bhagalpur, Agartala and Raichur are already functioning as societies registered under the Societies Registration Act of 1860.
  • After changes in the existing laws, these institutions will be covered under the IIIT (PPP) Act, 2017, similar to 15 others established under the scheme in the PPP mode.
UP to procure Dornier aircraft to ferry passengers
  • Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that his government will sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with HAL for two 19 seater Dornier aircraft for non-military purpose.
  • The aircraft can be used to ferry passenger from one destination to another.
  • The Chief Minister said that flight services could be started from Lucknow to Varanasi or Lucknow to Agra.
  • He also said that his government is making a military manufacturing policy so that Uttar Pradesh can become a hub of defence production.
  • The Chief Minister also said that the corridor is being developed with an objective of promoting indigenisation and supporting the ”Make in India” initiative towards fulfilling equipment requirements worth over $250 billion by 2025.
  • The Chief Minister announced that his government has planned to develop the Ganga Expressway from Uttar Pradesh to Bihar.

 

FEBRUARY 06, 2020

Chief Minister Conrad Sangma inaugurated Meghalaya Police Academy
  • Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma inaugurating the Meghalaya Police Academy in Ri-Bhoi district. With this, Meghalaya got its own police academy which, in due course of time, is expected to be developed as a research centre to study the social pattern related to crimes and the health of the State’s population.
  • The Meghalaya Police Academy is located at Umran, Niangbyrnai, close to the North Eastern Police Academy (NEPA) in Ri-Bhoi district. The academy will initially take in 40 trainees.
  • This centre should also function as a research centre by bringing together the society, not necessarily in policing, but in maintaining law and order with simple standard operating procedures right from the village level.
  • Maintaining law and order has become more complicated, and requires specialised training and skill sets under the changing scenario. Issues like cyber crimes have made a huge impact on the society and stressed the need of analysing situations with new skills and technologies.
  • The first phase of the academy has been built with a total fund of Rs 50 crore provided by the 13th Finance Commission from 2013. Work for the second phase of the academy will start soon with an additional fund of Rs 92 crore from the 15th Finance Commission.
  • The NEPA, which was established in 1978, is mandated to provide training to recruits in the police forces from all the North Eastern State. Some State Police personnel undergo training at the NEPA, while the majority are trained at the Police Training School (PTS).
HAL signs MoU with Israeli firm to make & sell drones
  • Indian state-owned aerospace and defence company Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bengaluru based Dynamatic Technologies Limited (DTL) and Israel Aerospace Industries Limited (IAI) at DefExpo 2020.
  • In India drones are playing significant role in wars and other tactical missions such as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR).
  • HAL has the best capability and infrastructure available in India to manufacture world class and battle-proven drones.
  • HAL as a long-time partner of IAI is involved in the depot level maintenance of all ranges of drones supplied by IAI to the Indian forces since 2004.
  • The partnership would be the first in the country to manufacture IAI designed UAVs in India such as short range tactical class having long endurance.
  • This collaboration will enhance technology sharing and business partnership between India and Israel.
Union Cabinet decision for Cooperative Banks to come under RBI regulations
  • The Union Cabinet has taken a major step to reform the cooperative banks of the country. Now the banking operations of as many as 1540 cooperative banks of the country have come under the regulation of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
  • At present, commercial, scheduled and nationalised banks regulate under RBI.
  • But now under the Banking Regulation Amendment Act 2019, the norms of commercial banks will be applicable on cooperative banks as well.
  • The administrative system of the cooperative banks will continue as per the rules of the Co-operative Registrar as usual.
  • RBI norms will apply only to the banking system of cooperative banks.
  • Now candidates will have to qualify and fulfil certain conditions to become a cooperative bank officer.
  • Rules will also have to be followed for loan waiver. If the situation worsens, RBI will also have the rights to supersede and take control of the bank.
South Salmara Mankachar district bagged national award for Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana
  • The South SalmaraMankachar district has bagged a national award for proper execution of Pradhan Mantri MatruVandanaYojana (PMMVY) scheme.
  • Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Zubin Irani, presented the award at a function held at New Delhi recently.
  • Indore of Madhya Pradesh and Kurnool of Andhra Pradesh shared first and the second prize respectively, while South SalmaraMankachar district bagged the third prize.
  • The Assam team was represented by JishnuBaruah, Additional Chief Secretary of Assam; Hemen Das, Secretary to the Government of Assam, Social Welfare Department; Niva Das, Joint Director, Social Welfare Department and KishoriBaruah, District Social Welfare Officer of South SalmaraMankachar district.

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FEBRUARY 07, 2020

Govt proposes jail term for ads promoting magic remedies
  • The Health and Family Welfare Ministry has proposed the draft amendment to the Drugs and magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements Act, 1954), with a stringent punishment of a jail term of up to five years and a fine of up to Rs 50 lakh.
  • For advertisements for magic remedies and drugs for fair skin, enhancing sexual performance, stammering, infertility in women, premature ageing and greying, increasing brain capacity among others.
  • The draft amendment has made several additions to the list of diseases, disorders, conditions covered in the Act.
  • The Act says that medicines, “magic remedies” and products to cure any of these 78 diseases, disorders, conditions named should not be advertised.
  • Under the Act, the first conviction is punishable with imprisonment of up to six months or fine or both; and a subsequent conviction can result in imprisonment of up to a year or fine, or both.
  • The amendment proposes to increase the penalties. For the first conviction, the proposed punishment is imprisonment of up to two years and fine up to Rs 10 lakh. For subsequent conviction, the imprisonment may extend to five years with a fine of up to Rs 50 lakh.
  • The draft bill also proposes an expansion of definition of an advertisement.
  • It says, “any audio or visual publicity, representation, endorsement or pronouncement made by means of light, sound, smoke, gas, print, electronic media, internet or website and includes any notice, circular, label, wrapper, invoice, banner, poster or such other documents.
Tripura CM seeks Israeli help in security, water management
  • Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb held a meeting with Israeli Ambassador to India Ron Malka in New Delhi and discussed mutual cooperation in a variety of fields including security and surveillance systems.
  • Deb discussed diverse potential areas of cooperation with the Israel Ambassador.
  • The Chief Minister discussed about the joint cooperation on the areas of security and surveillance system, water management, agriculture, food processing, packaging, cold storage, technology transfer, tourism and culture.
  • The Israeli Ambassador expressed willingness to visit Tripura along with his team soon.
J&K Administrative Council approved the implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission
  • The Jammu & Kashmir Administrative Council approved the implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) and the roadmap to achieve 100 per cent coverage of piped water supply by December 2021 across the region aligning it to the National Mission of Jal Jeevan.
  • The objective of the mission is to provide Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTC) to every rural household with priority to desert, drought prone,border areas, schools, anganwadi and health centres.
  • Under the mission, sustainability of the water supply system will be ensured besides empowerment and development of human resource in the sector so as to meet the demands of construction, plumbing and water quality management.
  • Under the National Jal Jeevan Mission, every rural household of the country will be connected with piped water supply by 2024 with an aim ”HarGharNal Se Jal”.
  • At present, 30.5% of J&K’s rural households have piped water connections compared to the national average of 18%.
  • To achieve 100 per cent coverage under JJM in a phased manner by December 2021, the PHE Department has carried out a detailed exercise to prepare a District Water Security Plan through the District Water and Sanitation Mission headed by the concerned Deputy Commissioners.
  • In the initial phase, seven districts viz. Poonch, Reasi, Samba, Srinagar, Ganderbal, Shopian and Pulwama will be covered for 100% piped water supply by June 2020.
  • In the second phase, seven more districts will be covered by June 2021 and the remaining six districts shall be covered in the third phase ending December 2021.
Indian, Russian companies ink 14 defence MoUs
  • As many as 14 MoUs were signed between Russian original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and Indian companies at Defexpo currently on in Lucknow.
  • The MoUs were signed during the fifth round of India-Russia military industrial conference which was co-chaired by Ajay Kumar, Defence Secretary, and Oleg Ryazantsev, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of Russian Federation.
  • The first ”Request for Proposal” for manufacturing of parts in India under the provision of inter-governmental agreement was also handed over by the Indian Navy to the identified Indian industry.
  • Representatives from both the countries acknowledged that the MoUs would pave the way for more contracts for joint manufacturing of spares parts.
  • The IGA provides framework for partnership of Russian OEMs with Indian industry for manufacturing of spare parts of Russian origin equipment in use by the Indian defence forces.
  • The Indian side has taken steps to expedite the collaboration between the Indian and Russian companies as the country looks forward to expeditious commencement of manufacturing in India.

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Assam Current Affairs – January 29 – 31, 2020

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Current Affairs Assam – January 29 - 31, 2020

( Covers all important Assam Current Affairs & GK topics for the week of January 29 – 31, 2020 )

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JANUARY 29, 2020

Assam gets best tableau award for Republic Day 2020 parade
  • Assam’s Republic Day tableau has been adjudged best among the tableaus from 16 states and Union Territories. The tableau of Assam was based on the theme ‘Land of Unique Craftsmanship and Culture’.
  • Tableau of Odisha and Uttar Pradesh were named joint second best. The tableau of Odisha displayed the famous Rukuna RathaYatra of Lord Lingaraja worshipped as both Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu in a sixth century built temple named ‘Lingaraj Temple’ at Bhubaneswar.
  • The tableau of Uttar Pradesh mirrored the cultural and religious tourism of the state with the theme ‘Sarva Dharma SamaBhav’.
  • Among the six tableaus from different ministries and departments, Ministry of Jal Shakti and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) won the joint best tableau award.
  • The tableau of Central Public Works Department (CPWD), with the theme ‘Kashmir se Kanyakumari’, bagged the special prize for showcasing different parts of the country decorated with colourful and fragrant flowers.
  • The Defence Minister gave away the award of best cultural performance to the children of SarvodayaKanyaVidyalaya, B-Block, Janakpuri, New Delhi.
Odisha CM launches virtual police station
  • Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched a virtual police station, which will facilitate online registration of FIR in unknown motor vehicle theft cases.
  • The Chief Minister also launched medico legal opinion system and road accident case document module at LokSevaBhawan which is aimed at reducing human interface with government offices.
  • The Chief Minister said that the government is committed to providing citizen-centric governance under 5-T.
  • The virtual police station is an online mechanism established at the State Crime Records Bureau in Bhubaneswar to facilitate online registration of FIR in unknown motor vehicle theft cases.
  • It will benefit citizens for claiming insurance in motor vehicle theft cases.
  • The road accident case documents module is a web-based application and it will help insurance companies or the victims in downloading the required documents like FIR, final form, spot map, MVI report and post mortem report.
  • The medico legal opinion system is a web-based system and it is helpful to both the police and medical professionals.
  • Under it, the police can submit requisitions online for medical examination of victims. Besides, the doctors will upload their medical examination reports online which will be downloaded by the police for necessary action.
Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship organised Great Indian Media Job Festival
  • The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship has organised India’s first and largest media job festival – Great Indian Media Job Festival.
  • The job fest, organised in alliance with the Media and Entertainment Skill Council (MESC), began on January 27 and will continue till February 1.
  • Hiring will be carried in 78 Arena/MAAC Centres in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Kochi, Indore, Pune and Baroda.
  • More than 100 recruiters will hire staff across graphic design, 3D modelling, VFX, web designing, motion graphics, rotoscopy, animation and other job roles.
CM Sonowal distributes land patta to indigenous landless people
  • The Chief Minister Sonowal distributed the land pattas and land allotment letters to 4,513 landless indigenous families.
  • Satradhikar of Dakhinpat Satra Nanigopal Devagoswami was among those who received the land patta from the Chief Minister on behalf of the satra.
  • Apart from distributing financial assistance of Rs 3,800 per family to 176 flood-hit families, the Chief Minister also gave away financial grants to 187 schools under the 14th Finance Commission.

 

JANUARY 30, 2020

Assam Sahitya Sabha announces awards, honours
  • The Asam Sahitya Sabha has announced a host of awards and honours including the Preranamoyi Nari Sanman’ which would be conferred on RekhaBaruah for her exploits in the literary field.
  • The Sabha will confer the honour on Baruah under its president’s special honour and award category.
  • Dr Narayan Das has been chosen for the BhashaPran honour in recognition of his work in Assamese and Brajabuli languages.
  • The AnubadRatna honour has been conferred posthumously on BhrigugiriMaharaj for translating the Samaveda and the Atharva Veda into Assamese.
  • ParthaSarathiMahanta has been chosen for the Ananda Chandra Agarwala award for his contribution to Assamese literature and cinema.
  • The BisheshSamajHitoyshi, BisheshYuvaSahitya and Special Cultural Organiser (by Medhi Dharani-AlokaNyas) awards which will be given to Ganesh Tamuli, BarnaliKalita and Tarun Azad Deka respectively.
  • The Sabha also named DhrubajyotiSarma for the MahendraBorthakur Memorial Special Playwright Award.
  • Habibur Rahman will be given the M Ilimuddin Dewan Award and Samar Talukdar the Hari Prasad Neog Award.
Tripura unveils new Tourism Policy
  • The Tripura Government has adopted a new tourism policy with special emphasis on religious tourism, tea tourism and eco-tourism to promote the State in a big way.
  • The Tourism Development Corporation was launched in 2008 and a separate department for tourism was created in 2013, but there has been no progress in this sector. We are trying to reverse this trend and ensure growth of this sector.
  • The State Cabinet has decided to approach the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to get Unakoti, a hidden treasure of spiritual tourism in the State, listed by the UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
  • The splendid rock works at Unakoti near Dharmanagar subdivision are under the protection of the ASI.
  • Tourism is the priority sector for the State Government as it is a revenue multiplier. An increase in tourist flow would introduce the rich cultural heritage of the State to the world, which would be beneficial for the State in multiple sectors like trade and commerce.
  • The new tourism policy will ensure coordinated development of the tourism sector in a bid to attract domestic as well as foreign tourists.
  • In 2017-2018, altogether 4,83,488 tourists visited Tripura, but the footfall grew in 2018-2019 with 5,29,879 tourists visiting the State. In 2019-2020, 3,97,202 tourists visited the State up to November and this year’s final figure will surely cross the previous year’s number. There has been an increase in the number of foreign tourists also.
  • The Central Government is providing funds for development of tourist destinations under the Swadesh Darshan scheme.
NCRB launches missing person, vehicle NOC services
  • The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) launched two police-related, citizen-centric services on the Crime and CCTNS platform which will help people in searching for missing persons and generating vehicle NOC (No Objection Certificates).
  • It is the first time that these services ”Missing Person Search” and ”Generate Vehicle NOC” are being launched centrally while such services were being provided through the state citizen portals so far.
  • These services can be accessed through ”digitalpolicecitizenservices.gov.in” portal or through a link in the existing ”Digital Police Portal”.
  • In this user-friendly search, a citizen may enter search criteria in the portal and the system will search for it from the available national database across the country and will display the result immediately with photograph and other details.
  • Generate Vehicle NOC allows citizens to ascertain the status of a vehicle before its second-hand purchase, as to whether it is suspicious or clean from police records.
  • This search could be made against national database based on vehicle”s details. One can generate and download the relevant NOC required by the RTO before the transfer of ownership.
India’s gold demand falls 9 % on record prices in 2019, said World Gold Council (WGC)
  • India’s gold demand fell nine per cent to 690.4 tonnes in 2019 from the previous calendar year as record domestic prices and economic slowdown dented retail purchase, the World Gold Council (WGC) said.
  • However, in 2020, gold demand in India, the world’s second biggest consumer after China, could increase to 700-800 tonnes on hopes of increased acceptance of high price level and likely economic reforms boosting consumer confidence.
  • The domestic gold price finished 2019 just above Rs 39,000 per ten grams, almost 24 per cent higher than at the end of 2018.
  • As policy measures unfold, broader economic growth accelerates and local prices of the past six months become more acceptable among households, India’s gold demand will be in the range of 700-800 tonnes in 2020.
  • Already, the government has made hallmarking (quality certification) mandatory on January 15, 2020 with a transition period of one year for the trade to sell or change its existing non-hallmarked inventory. This is an overdue reform and a positive step towards making the Indian gold more trustworthy.
  • In 2019, the WGC said India’s gold demand in volume terms declined to 690.4 tonnes from 760.4 tonnes in 2018, out of which jewellery demand fell nine per cent to 544.6 tonnes from 598 tonnes, while bar and coins demand also dropped 10 per cent to 145.8 tonnes from 162.4 tonnes in the said period.
  • However in value terms, the country’s gold demand rose three per cent to Rs 2,17,770 crore in 2019 from Rs 2,11,860 crore in the previous year.
  • India’s gold import including through grey channels, the WGC said it declined by 14 per cent to 646.8 tonnes in 2019 from 755.7 tonnes in 2018. Imports through grey market stood at 115-120 tonnes in 2019.

 

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JANUARY 31, 2020

Union Govt approves 30 per cent funds for NEC projects
  • The Centre approved allocation of 30 per cent funds of the North Eastern Council (NEC) for new projects for focused development of deprived areas and neglected sections of society.
  • As per the plans, allocation of 30 per cent of NEC funds will be for new projects under the existing ‘Schemes of North Eastern Council’ for focused development of deprived areas; deprived or neglected sections of society and emerging priority sectors in the northeastern states.
  • The balance allocation shall be bifurcated in the existing two components – state component of 60 per cent and Central component of 40 per cent.
  • The projects will be allowed under state component, up to 25 per cent of each state’s normative allocation, for sectors not covered in the mandate of NEC, but which are considered important as per local felt needs as per recommendations of the state governments.
  • The projects under the existing ‘Schemes of NEC’ will accrue socioeconomic benefits to the marginalised and vulnerable groups of people in backward and neglected areas of the northeastern states.
Busu festival celebrated in Dima Hasao
  • Busu or Bishu, one of the major festivals of Dimasa people was celebrated throughout the district of Dima Hasao with great enthusiasm and traditional fervour.
  • At Maibang, the Jidab Busu was celebrated at Damadi Hawar with a three-day programme, which saw participation of hundreds of people. They also organized traditional games , sports and dance competitions during the event.
  • Greater Maibang central Busu was organized at Dishru Sports Complex Mabang, where Naba Kumar Doley, State Minister of Panchayat and Rural Development Department attended as the chief guest.
  • The State Government is committed in preserving and protecting tradition and culture of all communities living in Assam.
  • Busu is one of the most important festivals celebrated by Dimasa people. ‘Busu’ means festival of eating newly-grown autumnal rice, and so it can be considered as a harvesting festival too.
Govt takes over IMEI-related processes from private body
  • The Department of Telecom has taken over the process to issue and manage IMEI allocation for mobile phones in India from the private body MSAI.
  • The IMEI number – a unique 15-digit serial number of mobile devices – is allocated by global industry body GSMA and organisations authorised by it. When a mobile phone is lost, the victim is required to mention the IMEI number of the handset for tracking.
  • The Department of Telecom (DoT) had issued a standard operating procedure in May 2015 to prohibit import of mobile phones with duplicate, fake and non-genuine international mobile equipment identity.
  • The process was being managed by Mobile Standard Alliance of India (MSAI), erstwhile reporting body of GSMA in India.
  • The government has decided to replace the MSAI operated system and hence a new system, Indian Counterfeited Device Restriction (ICDR) system, has been developed by the Centre for Development of Telematics – R&D unit of DoT for implementing the SOP.
  • The new system has been operationalised on pilot basis on the web portal of Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR). The CEIR is being used to block all services on stolen or lost mobile phones on any network even if the SIM card is removed or the IMEI number of the handset is changed.

FACTFILE – International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI)

  • The International Mobile Equipment Identity or IMEI is a number, usually unique, to identify 3GPP and iDEN mobile phones, as well as some satellite phones.
  • It is usually found printed inside the battery compartment of the phone, but can also be displayed on-screen on most phones by entering *#06# on the dialpad, or alongside other system information in the settings menu on smartphone operating systems.
  • GSM networks use the IMEI number to identify valid devices, and can stop a stolen phone from accessing the network.

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Assam Current Affairs – January 01 – 07, 2020

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Current Affairs Assam – January 1 - 7, 2020

( Covers all important Assam Current Affairs & GK topics for the week of January 1 – 7, 2020 )

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JANUARY 01, 2020

US varsity honours human rights activist Dibyajyoti Saikia from Assam
  • Human rights activist from Assam Dibyajyoti Saikia has been conferred honorary doctorate degree by the California Public University, USA for his invaluable services in the field of human rights, social harmony and community welfare.
  • Saikia received the Doctor of Humanities (D Hum) honour at a special programme organised in Tamil Nadu, where a number of other eminent personalities from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Singapore and Dubai were given honorary doctorate.
  • Saikia, who has been actively involved in anti witch-hunting campaigns throughout the State and also in several parts of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhatisgarh and Bihar, has two decades of experience in the field of social work.
  • Apart from working in the field of eradication of superstition in the rural pockets of Assam, he has also worked to foster communal harmony.
  • Saikia has received a number of other awards and honours including Babu Jagjivan Ram Award, Maulana Azad National Award and Bhupen Hazarika Peace Award.
Assam Govt announced financial grant to indigenous literary bodies
  • The State government announced financial grant for indigenous Sahitya Sabhas (literary bodies) of Assam, including Asam Sahitya Sabha and Bodo Sahitya Sabha.
  • The State government would provide Rs 10 crore to the corpus fund of Asam Sahitya Sabha, Rs 5 crore to Bodo Sahitya Sabha and Rs 3 crore each to the other indigenous Sahitya Sabhas as one-time grant.
  • Accordingly, the Asam Sahitya Sabha would be able to derive an amount of Rs 80 lakh annually as interest from the corpus fund, while the Bodo Sahitya Sabha would receive Rs 40 lakh and other indigenous Sahitya Sabhas would get Rs 24 lakh each annually.
  • The Chief Minister also announced that the State government would provide a one-time financial grant of Rs 50,000 each to one thousand new writers belonging to various communities of the State under the ‘Bhasha Gaurav’ scheme which was a budget announcement.
  • CM Sonowal hoped that the scheme would be able to inspire young generation writers to engage in literary works in different indigenous languages of the State.
  • The Chief Minister also urged the indigenous literary bodies to put emphasis on research works for preservation and promotion of indigenous language and culture, and assured all help from the State government in this regard.

FACTFILE – ‘Bhasha Gaurav Achoni’

  • On September 07, 2019, Assam CM Sarbanand Sonwal announced that under the ‘Bhasha Gaurav Achoni’, under which 1000 new generation authors will be provided one-time financial grant of Rs 50,000 each for promotion of various languages of Assam.Various ‘Sahitya Sabhas’ will select the authors for the scheme.
General Bipin Rawat takes charge as first ‘Chief of Defence Staff’
  • Former Army Chief BipinRawat, took charge as the first Chief of Defence Staff. General Rawat, who demitted office on retirement as Chief of Indian Army received the guard of honour from all the three forces.
  • Besides Rawat, Army Chief Manoj MukundNaravane, Air Chief Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria and Navy Chief Karambir Singh and other senior officers were also present during the guard of honour.
  • General Rawat said, “All the three services will work as a team. As per the task given to the Chief of Defence Staff, we have to enhance integration and do better resource management.”
New Indo-Bangla river route opened through Dhubri District
  • In a bid to boost trade between Bangladesh and India, the Assistant High Commissioner of Bangladesh Tanvir Mansur formally opened a river route between India and Bangladesh by flagging of a commercial cargo service between the two countries in Dhubri.
  • The Assistant High Commissioner of Bangladesh said that Indo-Bangla trade has increased manifold in the wake of improving relations between the countries and the new route is likely to give a fresh impetus to bilateral trade.
  • On July this year the first cargo vessel from Dhubri to Bangladesh was introduced.
JANUARY 02, 2020
Assam tourism lost Rs 500 crore due to anti-CAA stir
  • State tourism sector has lost an estimated revenue of Rs 500 crore due to the protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act during the peak tourist season from December to March.
  • Assam Tourism Development Corporation (ATDC) chairman Jayanta Malla Baruah said when the tourism industry of the State was witnessing a surge in tourist footfall, the violent protest dealt a blow, resulting in trip cancellations and an expected 30 per cent fall in the annual tourist inflow.
  • Also, with the negative travel advisories issued by a dozen countries, including the US, Canada, UK, Australia, France, Russia and Israel, the brand value of Assam tourism received a major setback that would take a long time to recover.
  • The period from December to March is the peak tourist season for Assam. However, as the violent protests erupted in different corners of the State, including the capital city, a number of sectors, including tour operators, hoteliers, tour guides, transport services to name a few, have been badly hit.
  • As a damage control exercise, the ATDC has entered into a tie-up with Google for a digital campaign that would help in image building for the State tourism sector through small promotional videos on YouTube and Facebook, besides pushing promotional contents in the Google search engine.
  • The State tourism department that has been running several campaigns to woo foreign tourists is also apprehensive about the duration it will take for withdrawal of negative travel advisories to foreign tourists.
4 IAF pilots selected for India’s manned space mission
  • Four ace pilots of the Indian Air Force (IAF) were selected for India’s maiden manned mission Gaganyaan around the earth’s orbit by 2022.
  • Three of them will go into space to orbit around the earth for a week and conduct experiments in micro-gravity and bio-science.
  • The quartet will undergo training in Russia from the third week of this month for becoming the first Indian crew to go into space from native soil.
  • The four pilots have undergone medical tests at the Indian Aviation Medicine of the IAF in Bengaluru and in Russia at the space agency which will train them in all aspects of a manned mission in outer space.
RBI launches mobile app MANI for visually impaired
  • The Reserve Bank of India launched a unique mobile application for aiding visually impaired persons to identify the denomination of Indian bank notes.
  • The application Mobile Aided Note Identifier was launched by RBI Governor.
  • At present, Indian bank notes contain several features which enable the visually impaired to identify them, viz., intaglio printing and tactile mark, variable bank note size, large numerals, variable colour, monochromatic hues and patterns.
  • The mobile app is capable of identifying the denominations of “Mahatma Gandhi Series and Mahatma Gandhi (New) Series” bank notes by checking “front or reverse side or part of the note including half folded notes at various holding angles and broad range of light conditions”.
  • Feature-wise, the app is capable of identifying the denomination through audio notification in either Hindi or English and non-sonic mode such as vibration.
  • Besides, it can be navigated via voice controls. After installation, the mobile application does not require internet and works in offline mode.
PM Modi dedicates 5 DRDO Young Scientists Labs to nation
  • As part of the ongoing efforts to boost indigeneous research capabilities in the country”s defence sector, Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicate five DRDO Young Scientists Laboratories to the nation.
  • The Prime Minister unveiled a plaque to mark the occasion at the Aeronautical Development Establishment in Bengaluru during his two-day visit to Karnataka.
  • The Prime Minister also viewed DRDO innovations on show in an exhibition at the event.
  • This event comes in the backdrop of Prime Minister”s proposal in 2104 to identify at least five DRDO labs for innovation by young scientists aged under 35 years.
  • Giving away the DRDO awards in 2014, Modi had also called for facilitating greater involvement of youth in defence research related activities so that India remained abreast of global technological advancements in the field.

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JANUARY 03, 2020
‘Kayakalp’ certification to Down Town Hospital
  • Guwahati’s Down Town Hospital has been rewarded with the ‘Kayakalp’ certification for the year 2019-20 in recognition for its efforts towards excellence in promoting cleanliness, hygiene and infection control in the hospital and contributing to improved quality of care to the patients, said a press statement.
  • The assessment was conducted by a team of auditors with expertise in their respective fields from various parts of the country.

Kayakalp is an initiative launched by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and aims to promote and maintain sanitation and hygiene in healthcare facilities.

Wipro, HAL tie up to make aerospace components
  • Software major Wipro’s Infrastructure and Engineering arm and aerospace behemoth Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) tied up to jointly design, develop and manufacture aerospace components using metal additive technology (3D printing).
  • The agreement will enable the partners to develop, prove and apply new material in the production of aerospace applications, including Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO).
  • The joint initiative will make manufacturing and certification of aerospace components feasible using metal 3D printing.
  • The 3D printing is a new age manufacturing technique, which uses solid material such as plastic or metal as ink to print or manufacture the desired object layer by layer, also called additive printing.
  • Desired product images with exact dimensions are fed into a computer to 3D print required specimens using the molten ink, which later solidifies.
  • Wipro 3D metal additive facility offers layered metal printing consulting, design, production and research and development services.
  • HAL designs, develops, manufactures and supplies aircraft, helicopters, aerospace equipment, engines and accessories.
IIT Hyderabad set to help Telangana govt carry out research on AI
  • The Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IIT-H) is going to collaborate with the Government of Telangana to carry out research in Artificial Intelligence.
  • The Institute is partnering with the Information Technology, Electronics and Communication Department, for building, and identifying quality datasets, along with third parties such as Industry.
  • The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by Prof B S Murty, director, IIT Hyderabad, and JayeshRanjan, principal secretary to Government of Telangana, during an event.
  • They will also work on Education and Training to prepare and deliver content and curriculum on AI courses, which are to be delivered to college students along with industry participants.

JANUARY 04, 2020

Assam Govt to start State-wide vaccination drive against Japanese Encephalitis
  • The State government will start an adult vaccination drive to prevent spread of Japanese encephalitis (JE) in Assam from the January 2020 end.
  • The step to start the vaccination drive has been taken by the government after JE and acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) took a disastrous form last year across the State.
  • I n the preliminary stage the vaccination drive is likely to start from Goalpara district, to be followed by South Salmara and Kokrajhar.
  • The health department will use Jenvac vaccine during the drive. Jenvac is a locally produced JE vaccine available in India.

FACTFILE – Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) In Assam

  • In 2019, altogether 2,652 cases of AES were reported across the State with 353 of those resulting in death. The highest number of 601 cases was reported in Dibrugarh district, followed by Kamrup Metro (241) and Lakhimpur (167) districts.
  • The number of JE cases reported in 2019 was 641 with 161 of those resulting in death. Last year, the highest cases of JE were reported in Lakhimpur (50), followed by Nagaon (45) and Sivasagar (45) districts.
  • In 2019 altogether 89 AES cases and 34 JE cases were reported in Goalpara district. While AES claimed the lives of 21 people, JE claimed 13 lives in that district.
PM Modi kicks off 107th Indian Science Congress in Bengaluru
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 107th Indian Science Congress (ISC 2020) in Bengaluru in the presence of galaxy of top scientists, Nobel Laureates, dignitaries and students from across the country and the world over.
  • During his address, the Prime Minister called for new solutions to remove and reuse plastic waste and metal from the electronic waste. He also sought solutions to farmer-centric problems like the stubble burning.
  • About 15,000 delegates, including two Nobel Laureates and eminent scientists from across India and abroad are attending the mega 5-day event at the University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), which is hosting the annual event.
  • This year’s event focal theme is ‘Science & Technology : Rural Development’

FACTFILE – Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA)

  • Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA) is a premier scientific organisation of India with headquarters at Kolkata, West Bengal. The association started in the year 1914 in Kolkata and it has a membership of more than 30,000 scientists.
  • The first Indian Science Congress was held in 1914 at the Asiatic Society in Calcutta.
  • Several prominent Indian and foreign scientists, including Nobel laureates, attend and speak the congress.
ISRO sets up 4th regional academic centre for space in NIT Karnataka
  • The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) set up a regional academic centre for space at the National Institute of Technology (NITK) at Surathkal in Karnataka”s southwest Dakshina Kannada district.
  • The centre at NIT-K will conduct joint research and development in space technology applications to meet the needs of space programmes.
  • The state-run ISRO will provide Rs 2 crore grant annually to NIT for the R&D projects and promotional activities through the year.
  • The space agency and the engineering institute signed an agreement on the industry-academic collaboration at Surathkal, about 380km from Bengaluru.
  • The centre, fourth in the country, will also facilitate promoting space technology in the southern states, including Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and Telangana and be an ambassador for capacity-building, awareness and research and development.
  • A joint policy and management committee will guide the centre in optimal utilisation of the research potential, infrastructure, expertise and experience of the space agency and the autonomous institute.
  • The committee will plan activities like research programmes of common interest and reviewing their projects periodically.
  • Students of under-graduation (B.Tech) and post-graduation (M.Tech) will be involved in one-year short-term research projects and 2-4 year long-term projects in advance space programmes.
  • The other three such centres are Malaviya National Institute of Technology at Jaipur in Rajasthan, Gauhati University in Assam and Kurukshetra University at Thanesar in Haryana.
Dubai-based Indian girl Sucheta Satish wins Global Child Prodigy Award
  • A Dubai-based Indian girl, who can sing in 120 languages, has won in the ”Global Child Prodigy Awards 2020”.
  • The 13-year-old Sucheta Satish, known as the Dubai Indian High School”s nightingale, won in the singing category.
  • The Global Child Prodigy Award is a platform to celebrate children”s talent and power in different categories such as dancing, music, arts, writing, acting, modelling, science, innovation, sports etc.
  • The awards are supported by the Dr APJ Abdul Kalam International Foundation and Oscar award winning music producer A.R. Rahman.

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JANUARY 05, 2020

Tripura per capita income to cross the national average
  • Due to proactive economic measures taken by the State Government, Tripura’s per capita income would cross the national average in the current fiscal (2019-20), said Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb.
  • According to official documents, the per capita income of Tripura was Rs 1,13,467 in 2018-19 against the national average of Rs 1,25,397.
  • The Chief Minister said that besides the urban areas, the rural areas of Tripura are also economically developing following which the per capita income has increased substantially and it is expected to cross Rs 1,50,000 by the end of 2019-20.

Indian states and union territories by NSDP per capita

  • According to the IMF, on a per capita income basis, India ranked 142nd by GDP (nominal) and 119th by GDP (PPP) per capita in 2018.
Rank State/UTs NSDP per capita (nominal)
1 Goa ₹467,998 (US$6,600)
2 Delhi ₹365,529 (US$5,100)
3 Sikkim ₹357,643 (US$5,000)
4 Chandigarh ₹297,313 (US$4,200)
5 Haryana ₹226,644 (US$3,200)
6 Puducherry ₹220,461 (US$3,100)
7 Karnataka ₹210,887 (US$3,000)
8 Telangana ₹205,696 (US$2,900)
9 Uttarakhand ₹198,738 (US$2,800)
10 Tamil Nadu ₹193,750 (US$2,700)
11 Maharashtra ₹180,596 (US$2,500)
12 Kerala ₹179,523 (US$2,500)
13 Himachal Pradesh ₹179,188 (US$2,500)
14 Gujarat ₹174,652 (US$2,400)
15 Andhra Pradesh ₹164,025 (US$2,300)
16 Andaman and Nicobar Islands ₹159,664 (US$2,200)
17 Punjab ₹154,598 (US$2,200)
18 Mizoram ₹141,210 (US$2,000)
19 Arunachal Pradesh ₹127,748 (US$1,800)
— India ₹126,406 (US$1,800)2
20 West Bengal ₹109,491 (US$1,500)
21 Rajasthan ₹109,105 (US$1,500)
22 Tripura ₹105,044 (US$1,500)
23 Nagaland ₹102,581 (US$1,400)
24 Chhattisgarh ₹96,887 (US$1,400)
25 Jammu and Kashmir ₹94,992 (US$1,300)
26 Odisha ₹93,352 (US$1,300)
27 Madhya Pradesh ₹90,998 (US$1,300)
28 Meghalaya ₹85,609 (US$1,200)
29 Jharkhand ₹76,019 (US$1,100)
30 Assam ₹74,204 (US$1,000)
31 Manipur ₹62,640 (US$880)
32 Uttar Pradesh ₹61,351 (US$860)
33 Bihar ₹43,822 (US$610)

Rs 457 crore to be spent in 2020 for upgrading NE airports
  • Almost all the airports in the northeastern region are on upgrade projects for which about Rs 457 crore will be spent in the year 2020, focusing mainly on developing airport-related infrastructure and enhancing passenger amenities.
  • Most of the land disputes in the region have been resolves and hundred per cent land mutation done for all airports.
  • At present 12 airports are operational in the Northeast. Air connectivity in the region has also increased and some routes have been reactivated. Focusing about some remote locations, Lengpui (Aizawl) and Dimapur airports have seen new connectivity.
  • Cargo development is another sector where the Northeast is growing fast and the AAI is in the process of developing cargo terminals at all the airports of the region.
  • The AAI is coming up with world class integrated terminal buildings in Guwahati and Agartala. Greenfield (completely new project) airports are also being developed at Holongi (Arunachal Pradesh) and Silchar (Assam).
28th World Book Fair started in New Delhi
  • The 28th edition of the nine-day New Delhi World Book Fair (NDWBF) opened at Pragati Maidan, and saw Lt. Governor of Puducherry Kiran Bedi launch a book written on her.
  • This year, the book fair is themed Gandhi: Writer”s Writer.
  • The 2020 Fair was inaugurated by HRD Minister Ramesh Pokkhriyal ”Nishank”
  • He also urged publishers to promote books and the habit of reading as people are moving away from books, and said that a book fair like the NDWBF ensures that books and reading is preserved and increases.
  • Organised by the National Book Trust (NBT) and the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO), the fair is featuring over 600 exhibitors in different languages including Bangla, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Maithili, Malayalam, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu, who are exhibiting books in over 1300 stalls.
  • Along with business sessions, several literary and cultural activities including seminars, book release functions and panel discussions, are part of the fair.
  • It sees participation from about 20 foreign countries including China, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Iran, Nepal, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sri Lanka, the UAE, the UK, and the US.
Children’s Science Congress kicks off in Bengaluru
  • The two-day children’s science congress of the 107th Indian Science Congress (ISC), kicked off aimed at encouraging school children to take up science education.
  • The main objective is to motivate children to take science and technology education and encourage a sense of discovery.
  • ISC organising committee Chairman and University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS) Vice Chancellor S. Rajendra Prasad said the Children”s Science Congress targeted students in the age bracket of 10-17 years.
  • Thousands of students from across the country and Bengaluru attended the event where Israeli Chemistry Nobel Laureate Ada Yonath and Bharat Ratna C.N.R. Rao also spoke.

 

JANUARY 06, 2020

Guwahati Refinery carries out Akira Miyawaki method of afforestation
  • As a mark of support to Indian Oil’s commitment towards the cause of environment protection and conservation, Guwahati Refinery carried out an ‘Akira Miyawaki’ method of afforestation at Amingaon in Guwahati.
  • A total of 4,000 saplings of around 48 species of indigenous plants were planted near the Saraighat Lake in an attempt to build ‘the lungs of Guwahati city’.
  • A large number of employees took part in the afforestation drive which was carried out in line with the ‘Think Green’ mission of Indian Oil. The afforestation was carried out under the CSR initiatives of Guwahati Refinery and in collaboration with the district administration of Kamrup.
  • Miyawaki method of afforestation is a technique pioneered by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki, that helps build dense, native forests. The approach is supposed to ensure that plant growth is 10 times faster and the resulting plantation is 30 times denser than usual. It involves planting dozens of native species in the same area, and becomes maintenance-free after the first three years.

BIOGRAPHY – Akira Miyawaki

  • Akira Miyawaki is a Japanese botanist and expert in plant ecology, specializing in seeds and the study of natural forests.
  • He is active worldwide as a specialist in the restoration of natural vegetation on degraded land.
  • Since 1993, he has been Professor Emeritus at Yokohama National University and Director of the Japanese Center for International Studies in Ecology.
  • He received the Blue Planet Prize in 2006.
Indian Navy kicks off 1st Maha Navy Connect 2020
  • The Indian Navy launched a first-ever three-dimensional expedition to promote the heritage of India and spread awareness on coastal security among the sea-side communities in Maharashtra.
  • The tri-axes expedition – comprising yachting, running and cycling teams of 50 naval personnel was flagged off by Western Naval Command”s Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Vice-Admiral Ajith Kumar P. at the Naval Dockyard.
  • The expedition extends from Arnala Fort, the northernmost fort in Palghar district built by the then Portuguese rulers to Sindhudurg Fort, the southernmost fort in the state built by ChhatrapatiShivajiMaharaj.
  • The team of sailors, runners and cyclists will cover a staggering distance of over 555 kms, and complete the expedition after a week.
  • The three teams will touch prominent coastal locations like the KanhojiAngre Island with the Khanderi Fort, around 20 kms off Mumbai harbour in the Arabian Sea, Revdanda, Korlai, Murud-Janjira, Raigad, Suvarnadurg, Jaigad, Ratnadurg, Purnagad, Vijaydurg and Devgad forts, spanning Palghar, Thane, Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg in the Konkan region.
  • Besides, the teams would visit and interact with students of schools-college, NCC-NSS and local establishments to spread awareness about coastal security.
Delhi launches ”She Codes” programme for girl students
  • The Directorate of Education of the Delhi government on Friday launched ”She Codes” programme for girl students of the city government schools, With an aim to empower young girls in the field of Computer Science.
  • Launched in collaboration with She Codes Foundation – a Not for Profit organization — the programme aims to provide free and flexible Computer science and coding skills programmes for girls.
  • While 1,000 girl students of the Delhi government schools have been enrolled in the programme, the government is aiming to accommodate 10,000 girls by March 2021.
  • The aim is to equip girls to be strong enough to pursue a career in technology.

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JANUARY 07, 2020

Centre clears Rs 5,908 crore aid to Assam and other 6 disaster-hit states
  • The Centre decided to provide additional assistance of Rs 5,908.56 crore to seven disaster-hit states – Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tripura and Uttar Pradesh.
  • The states were affected by floods, landslides and cloudburst during south west monsoon 2019.
  • A High Level Committee (HLC), chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, approved the additional assistance to seven states from National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF).
  • Rs 616.63 crore to Assam, Rs 284.93 crore to Himachal Pradesh, Rs 1869.85 crore to Karnataka, Rs 1749.73 crore to Madhya Pradesh, Rs 956.93 crore to Maharashtra, Rs 63.32 to Tripura and Rs 367.17 crore to Uttar Pradesh.
  • Earlier, the Central government had released an interim financial assistance of Rs 3,200 crore to four states — Rs 1,200 crore to Karnataka, Rs 1,000 crore to Madhya Pradesh, Rs 600 crore to Maharashtra and Rs 400 crore to Bihar.
  • In addition, during 2019-20, till date, the Centre had released Rs 8,068.33 crore to 27 states as Central share from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF).
Bodo Sahitya Sabha signed MoU to digitise Bodo language
  • The Bodo Sahitya Sabha signed an MoU with ASCOSYS, an organisation working in information technology, for a project to digitise the Bodo language.
  • The MoU was signed in the presence of Sabha president Taren Boro, general secretary PrasantaBoro, Vice Chancellor of CMJ University, Meghalaya PranhariTalukdar, director ASCOSYS Mandeep Sharma and others.
  • The Sabha singed the memorandum for a project called ‘e-thunlai’ (e-literature) to digitise the language and make it easily available online.
  • The main aim is to popularise the language among non-Bodo speakers.
  • More than 1,000 books will be available on online platforms after completion of the project.
  • The project will be formally launched at the 59th annual conference of the Bodo Sahitya Sabha to be held at Khoirabari in Udalguri district from January 20.
IIT Mandi develops mechanism for hydrogen production
  • Indian Institute of Technology Mandi said its researchers have developed new materials that can use sunlight for the production of hydrogen from water.
  • This collaborative research work by IIT Mandi and Yogi Vemana University in Andhra Pradesh.
  • Hydrogen gas, with its high energy yield and eco-friendliness has been identified as a potential energy vector that can herald a new hydrogen-based economy.
  • The catch with hydrogen economy is that the gas is now largely obtained from fossil fuels by petroleum and natural gas steam reforming processes, which does not help with the problem we set out solving – finding alternatives to fossil fuels.
  • Water, the simplest chemical compound known to man, is made of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom and is logically a good source of hydrogen.
  • However, splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen is not easy and is energy intensive. It has been known for decades that light can assist in the splitting of water into its constituent hydrogen and oxygen atoms.
  • The researchers have developed a novel multicomponent catalyst comprising nitrogen doped zinc oxide nanorods coated with molybdenum sulphide nanosheets.
  • Materials in the nanometre scale have high surface area-to-volume ratio, improved physical properties and tuneable electronic properties, all of which make them suitable for photocatalytic activities.
  • This collaborative research has not only provided an easy method to fabricate the N-ZnO-MoS2 nanosheet heterojunctions but has also offered insights into the scope of exploitation of such materials for hydrogen fuel generation using water and sunlight.
Delhi launches Mission NEEV health scheme
  • The Delhi government launched Neonatal Early Evaluation Vision (NEEV) covering close to 1.5 lakh newborns to tackle visible, functional and metabolic defects in them.
  • Health Minister Satyendar Jain laid the foundation of NEEV at Maulana Azad Medical College (MAMC).
  • The scheme is being supported by the Delhi government and Delhi State Health Mission under the Rashtriya Baal SwasthyaKaryakram.
  • With the programme being implemented at many government hospitals, newborns who do not have clinically evident disease like congenital hypothyroidism, critical congenital heart disease and hearing loss will be picked up early and treatment can be initiated early
  • To start at 31 birthing facilities with the highest load, Jain said that this will be expanded later to include all delivery points and other birthing facilities.

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Assam Current Affairs – December 22 – 28, 2019

Posted on by admin 
Current Affairs Assam – December 22 - 28, 2019

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

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December 22, 2019

 Tripura tops in good governance initiative and wins 13 awards for rural development scheme
  • Tripura has won 13 awards under various categories for successful implementation of MGNREGA, the flagship programme under the Ministry of Rural Development, for 2018-19.
  • The State secured the first rank for good governance initiative under the hilly states category, while it finished second for work completion rate under the same category.
  • In the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, the State got the first rank in the category of number of houses completed in Group-1 (North Eastern States, Union Territories and Himalayan States).
  • TheState Government has been trying to make the MGNREGA a tool of socio-economic development.
  • An average of 44 mandays have already been generated, while an average of 46 mandays had been generated in 2017-18. Theaverage mandays may go up to 65, which could be a record in recent years.
 Railways tests new BOXNS freight wagons
  • The Indian Railways has conducted speed trial — up to 110 kmph of the new BOXNS wagons with the 25-tonne axle load on the newly built 193 km Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) .
  • The Research Design and Standards Organisation of the Railways conducted the trial on the Western DFC — Phulera to Ateli.
  • During the trial, the train attained an average speed of 86 kmph.
  • The BOXNS wagons cleared 100 kmph in both loaded and empty condition on the DFC.
  • The freight wagons normally run at 60 kmph with 22.9-tonne axle load and at 45 kmph with 25-tonne axle load on few routes.
  • The Railways is constructing the DFC equipped for heavy-haul train operation.
  • Passing through nine states and 60 districts, the project is divided in Western and Eastern corridors.
  • The DFC is expected to complement the Indian economy with an increased number of freight trains in eastern and western sectors.
 US President Trump launches US military Space Force
  • US President Donald Trump officially launched US military ‘Space Force’ at an army base near Washington. On the occasion, Mr Trump described space as the world’s newest war-fighting domain.
  • He said the Space Force will help to deter aggression and control the ultimate high ground.
  • The launch of the Space Force, the first in more than 70 years, falls under the US Air Force.
  • It will be funded by an initial 40million Dollar for its first year. 

DECEMBER 23, 2019

 Indian-origin scientist creates new framework for better drugs
  • An Indian-American drug discovery researcher-led team from Purdue University has created a new framework for mining data for training Machine Learning models.
  • The framework called ”Lemon” helps drug researchers better mine the Protein Data Base (PDB) a comprehensive resource with more than 1,40,000 biomolecular structures and with new ones being released every week.
  • The Lemon software platform is a library with Python bindings that mines the PDB within minutes.
  • Loading all traditional files in the PDB takes about 290 minutes, but Lemon does this in about six minutes when applying a simple workflow on an 8-core machine.
  • Lemon allows the user to write custom functions, include it as part of their software suite, and develop custom functions in a standard manner to generate unique benchmarking datasets for the entire scientific community.
 Public registry with skilling information launched
  • The Directorate General of Training (DGT), Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has launched a public registry with all relevant skilling information towards ensuring greater accessibility of information to those who need it the most.
  • These newly created digitally-accessible registries, created by DGT, will act as a single source of information of all skilling resources being provided by the government and allied private enterprises.
  • This includes information on training centres, courses, teachers and students in the ecosystem.
  • The aim is to provide accurate information to potential students, trainers and employers on the courses being offered by Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and the like.
  • Through these new electronic registries, third party organisations can easily access the skilling information through application programming interfaces (APIs).
  • The new applications enable easier dissemination of detailed information on the training centres, courses along with the contact details of the authorities concerned.
  • The information will be made available in different languages for easy access and a link has been created for registry on Bharat skills, a central repository for skills providing curriculum, course information and other relevant materials like question banks and mock tests.
 Indigenous Pinaka MK-II missile successfully test-fired
  • Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully flight-tested indigenously developed Pinaka MK-II guided missile system off the Odisha coast.
  • The Pinaka, an artillery missile system, is capable of striking into enemy territory up to a range of 75 kilometres with high precision.
  • The Pinaka MK-II rocket is modified as a missile by integrating with the navigation, control and guidance system to improve the end accuracy and enhance the range.
  • The Navigation system of the missile is also aided by the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS).
  • The mission achieved all the objectives including enhancing the range, accuracy and sub-system functionality.
  • The missile was fired from Pinaka launcher system in deployment configuration
  • The missile system has been jointly developed by various DRDO laboratories, Armament Research & Development Establishment (ARDE), Research Centre Imarat (RCI), Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), Proof and Experimental Establishment (PXE) and High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL).

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  DECEMBER 24, 2019

 Assam Govt’s announce schemes to protect Assamese language, rights of indigenous people
  • The Assam cabinet decided that the Assam government will approach the Union government to declare the Assamese language as the state language of Assam excluding Barak Valley, BTAD area and Hill districts by amending Article 345 of Constitution of India.
  • Assam government will bring legislation in the next Assembly session making it mandatory that the Assamese language should be taught as a compulsory subject in all English and other medium schools including Kendriya Vidyalaya up to Class 10. This law will not apply for hilly districts, BTAD, Bodo dominated areas and Barak Valley.
  • State government will bring a new bill in the next session of Assam Legislative Assembly for protection of land rights of indigenous people of Assam, under which, the indigenous people will sell their lands only to the indigenous people.
  • Another bill will be introduced to protect and preserve the heritage of the state. Encroachment lands of Satras, Monestry and other heritage centres will be considered as a criminal offence which will be punishable with imprisonment.
  • The state cabinet also decided that all six tribal autonomous councils — Mising, Rabha, Sonowal Kachari, Thengal Kachari, Deori, Tiwa — may be granted constitutional status so that they can receive fund from both Central and state governments including other rights and privileges. The chief executive member of all tribal autonomous councils will be ex-officio members of sub-divisions land advisory committee of sub-divisions within their territorial jurisdiction.
  • The state cabinet has also decided that a new autonomous council for Koch Rajbongshi community [Kamatapur Autonomous Council] residing in original Goalpara district excluding BTAD and Rabha Hasong area will be constituted. Similarly, two new autonomous councils for Moran and Matak communities will be created.
  • A special package worth Rs 500 crore was announced in the budget for Moran, Matak, Chutiya and Ahom communities. It will be divided equally among them and each community will get Rs 125 crore. In addition, Tai Ahom Development Council, Chutia Development Council and Koch Rajbongshi Development Councils will be restructured with substantial budget allocations.
  • Medical, Engineering, Agriculture and Veterinary Science and PG seats in general universities will be specifically reserved for Tai Ahom, Koch Rajbongshi and Chutia communities. Health and family welfare department, higher education department, agriculture department and animal husbandry and veterinary department will work out the number of seats according to population figures.
  • The state cabinet also decided that Bodo Peace Accord be concluded expeditiously and a request will be made to the government in this regard.
  • The allocation for tea tribe welfare department will be increased substantially and more development programmes will be taken up. For higher education of the community, seats will be reserved for tea tribe students in general colleges.The process for starting 100 new high schools in tea garden areas will be taken up in the next three months.
  • The Assam cabinet has also decided to increase the wages of the labourers of Assam Tea Corporation. The wages of the labourers of Assam Tea Corporation will be increased from Rs 137 to Rs 167 per day in Brahmaputra Valley and from Rs 115 to Rs 145 per day in Barak Valley and it will be implemented from January 1, 2020.
 Harsh Vardhan Shringla India’s new Foreign Secretary
  • Harsh Vardhan Shringla, Indian ambassador to the US and one of the senior-most diplomats, has been appointed as the new Foreign Secretary replacing Vijay Keshav Gokhale.
  • An order issued by the government said that Shringla will take over next month after the completion of Gokhale’s two-year term.
  • A 1984 batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer and a fluent French speaker, Shringla served as an ambassador to Bangkok from 2014 to 2016 and later as High Commissioner to Dhaka for two years.
Delhi Cabinet approves Electric Vehicle Policy
  • The Delhi Cabinet approved the Electric Vehicle Policy, 2019 with an aim to check vehicular pollution in the national capital.
  • Kejriwal said the goal is to ensure that 25 per cent of the new vehicles that will be registered by 2024 should be Electric Vehicles.
  • With the Delhi Electric Vehicle Policy, 2019, 25 per cent of all new vehicle registrations in Delhi to be EVs by 2024.
  • The policy has been made after receiving feedback from several expert bodies.
  • The Chief Minister said vehicles have been a major cause of pollution, “40 per cent of PM 2.5 and 80 per cent of NOx and Carbon Monoxide is due to vehicles”
  • He said the aim of this policy is to make Delhi the Electric Vehicle capital of India.
 DRDO successfully flight-tested indigenously developed Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missile
  • The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully flight-tested indigenously developed Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missile (QRSAM) system from Chandipur off the Odisha coast.
  • The missile was flight-tested with full configuration in deployment mode intercepting the target mid-air, meeting the mission objectives.
  • The entire event was monitored by Ground Telemetry Systems, Range Radar Systems and Electro Optical Tracking System.
  • The weapon system, which operates on the move, comprises fully automated command and control system, active array battery surveillance radar, active array battery multi-function radar and launcher.
  • Both radars are four-walled having 360-degree coverage with search-on-move and track-on-move capability.
  • The system is compact with a minimum number of vehicles for a firing unit.
  • The single stage solid propelled missile has midcourse inertial navigation system with two-way data link and terminal active seeker developed indigenously by DRDO.

 DECEMBER 25, 2019

 Kumar Sanjay Krishna appointed new Chief Secretary of Assam
  • Kumar Sanjay Krishna, a 1985 batch Indian Administrative Service officer, has been appointed as the next Chief Secretary of Assam.
  • Sanjay Krishna served the Government as Deputy Commissioner in the districts of Kamrup and Sonitpur, Managing Director of the Assam Tea Corporation, Director in the Prime Minister’s Office, Director of the Tea Board in New York, Joint Secretary in the Finance Ministry and Principal Secretary in the Departments of Planning and Development, Education etc. Presently he is serving as the Additional Chief Secretary looking after crucial Departments like Home, Revenue and Disaster Management etc.
  • Jishnu Baruah, a 1988 batch IAS officer, has been posted as additional chief secretary in the home & political departments besides revenue and disaster management.

 FACTFILE – Chief Secretaries of state

  • Chief Secretaries of state are members of the IAS who are the administrative head of state governments.
  • A Chief Secretary functions as the central point of interdepartmental coordination at the departmental level and is classified as being in the Apex Grade.
  • Chief Secretary is considered to be the Chief Executive of the state government and considered to be ‘a linchpin’ in the administration.
  • Chief Secretary of the state also acts as the ex-officio Chairman of the State Civil Service Board, which recommends transfer/postings of officers of All India Services and State Civil Services in the state.
  • Chief Secretaries are assisted by Additional Chief Secretaries or Special Chief Secretaries, depending on the state, and Principal Secretaries, who are the administrative heads of departments they are assigned to.
  • Chief Secretaries are chosen by the state’s Chief Minister.
  • State Chief Secretaries are IAS officers generally equivalent in rank to a Secretary to Government of India and are placed 23rd on Indian Order of Precedence.
  • The post of Chief Secretary of a State Government is equivalent to Vice Chief of the Army Staff/Commanders and officers in the rank of full General and its equivalents in the Indian Armed Forces, and are listed as such in the Order of Precedence.
 Union cabinet approved the 4-star general post of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS)
  • The Union cabinet approved the post of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and its charter and duties. The CDS will be a 4-star general who will head the new Department of Military Affairs.
  • He will be drawing a salary equivalent to service chiefs, and will head the Department of Military Affairs to be created under the Ministry of Defence. He will function as its Secretary.
  • He will have all the powers like other secretaries, including financial.
  • The CDS will act as the Principal Military Adviser to the Defence Minister on tri-services matters. The three service chiefs will continue to advise the Defence Minister on matters exclusively concerning their respective forces.
  • The aim is to bring about jointness between the armed forces of the country in training, procurement, staffing and operations, to enhance the quality of military advice given to the political leadership through integration of service inputs, and to develop and foster expertise in military affairs.
 Rajasthan police to give self-defence training to women
  • The Rajasthan police will establish Mahila Shakti Self-Defence Centres in all the districts of the state from January 1 to ensure the safety of women and girls by training them in self-defence.
  • Necessary instructions have been issued by Director General of Police Bhupendra Singh to all the range Inspector Generals and district Superintendents of Police in this regard.
  • The police will open self-defencecentres from January 1 with the objective of ensuring the safety of women and girls in the state, while empowering them for self-defence. It will also make them aware of their rights and laws, and check crime against women.
  • Any working woman, housewife, girl student or any institute which wants the female staff of their organisation to be a part of this drive can enrol at the self-defence training centres.
  • This training programme will be of seven days duration during which training will be imparted by master trainers free of cost.
  • Registrations can be done at these centres before December 31, 2019. However, if someone misses the deadline, the registration can also be done during the training period which shall be looked into by the nodal officer of the district.
 Himachal Pradesh CM launches ‘EkButaBetiKeNaam’to gift saplings to parents of newborn girl
  • As a tribute to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his 95th birth anniversary, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur launched a statewide scheme in which five tree saplings would be presented to the family of a newly born girl child.
  • The Chief Minister formally launched ”EkButaBetiKeNaam” from the premises of Vajpayee”s house in Prini.
  • Under the scheme, five tree saplings would be presented to the family of a newly born girl child along with a kit comprising 20 kg vermi-compost, five tree guards and the name plate of the girl child.
PM Modi launches Atal Jal Yojana
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged farmers to opt for less water intensive crops and irrigation methods that will help conserve water, as he launched the Atal Jal Yojana, aimed at improving groundwater level in seven states.
  • He said by forming the Jal Shakti Ministry, the government has tried to free the subject of water from a compartmentalised approach to a more comprehensive and holistic one.
  • Modi said the Atal Jal Yojana will help improve groundwater level in 78 districts, more than 8,300 villages in the states of Maharashtra, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka.
  • He also urged every village to prepare a water action plan, water fund and make use of the funds through different related state and central schemes.
  • To incentivise village panchayats to perform better in water management, Modi said a provision has been made in the Atal Jal Yojana in which better performing village panchayats will be given more allocation.
  • Modi also said that both Union and state governments will spend Rs 3.5 lakh crore on water-related schemes in the next five years.
  • He also urged people of every village to make a water action plan and create a water fund.

 

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 DECEMBER 26, 2019

 Assam CM launches Abhinandanscheme for students’ higher studies
  • Chief Minister SarbanandaSonowal launched the ‘Abhinandan’ scheme with a view to helping students in pursuing higher studies by distributing subsidy sanction letters against education loans availed by them.
  • The Chief Minister distributed one-time subsidy sanction letters under this scheme for an amount of Rs 50,000 each to 1,546 students.
  • Sonowal urged the students to pursue their academic activities seriously to succeed in today’s competitive world.
  • He also urged parents and teachers to inspire and motivate the students to indulge in academic activities with seriousness and sincerity.
  • Sonowal said that the State government has taken up a number of initiatives to maximise academic opportunities for students through scholarships, free admission into educational institutions, distribution of free textbooks, among other things.
 Amitabh Bachchan honoured with 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”.
  • The award comprises a Swarna Kamal (Golden Lotus) medallion, a shawl, and a cash prize of ₹1,000,000.
  • The first recipient of the award was actress Devika Rani, who was honoured at the 17th National Film Awards.
  • Presented first in 1969, the award was introduced by the Government of India to commemorate Dadasaheb Phalke’s contribution to Indian cinema.

BIOGRAPHY – Dadasaheb Phalke

  • Dadasaheb 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 (1913).
 RBI to introduce new prepaid payment instrument
  • The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will introduce a new type of prepaid payment instrument (PPI) which could be used only for purchase of goods and services up to a limit of Rs 10,000.
  • Accordingly, the loading of such PPI will be only through a bank account and it could be used for making only digital payments such as bill payments and merchant payments, among others.
  • Such PPIs can be issued on the basis of essential minimum details sourced from the customer. Instructions in this regard will be issued by December 31, 2019.
  • PPIs are financial instruments that facilitate the purchase of goods and services against the value stored on such instruments.
 Union cabinet approved “Signing of Protocol” to amend air services agreement (ASA) with Switzerland
  • The signing of the ”Protocol to amend” the agreement between the Swiss Federal Council and the Government of India related to air services and to exchange ”Diplomatic Notes” with Switzerland for bringing the amendments in the air services agreement into force as per Article 17 thereof.
  • Accordingly, the amendments in the air services agreement between India and Switzerland will bring it in tune with the developments in the civil aviation sector.
  • It will provide enabling environment for enhanced and seamless connectivity while providing commercial opportunities to the carriers of both the sides ensuring greater safety and security.

 DECEMBER 27, 2019

 4th ‘Dwijing Festival’ begins in Chirang district
  • BTC Chief Hagrama Mahilary inaugurated the fourth edition of 12-day ‘Dwijing Festival’ on the banks of the Aie river at Khagrabari in Chirang district today in the presence of dignitaries.
  • This time more arrangements have been done for the recreation of the visitors.
  • This festival will portray the unity and harmonious relationship between the different communities of the locality. Thisfestival will help promote tourism in the district.

 FACTFILE – The Dwijing Festival

  • The Dwijing Festival organized jointly by Assam tourism department, Assam Tourism Development Corporation (ATDC) and Bodoland Tourism is an annual river fest that takes place in Chirang, Assam from 27th December to 7th January.
  • The festival was initially started by the Bodo community in the year 2016-2017 with the title of “AIE RIVER WINTER FESTIVAL”.
  • The festival found a new identity and name “Dwijing Festival” originating from the fact that it occurs on the river bed of “AIE” with “Dwi” meaning “River” and “Zing” meaning “Bank”.
  • The magnanimous river “AIE” meaning “MOTHER” starts from the Himalayan Mountains of Bhutan flowing through the Chirang and Bongaigaon districts of Assam joining river Brahmaputra before falling into its final destination, the Bay of Bengal.
5th India-Japan Maritime Affairs Dialogue
  • The 5th Round of India-Japan Maritime Affairs Dialogue was held in Tokyo, India and Japan have vowed to deepen maritime cooperation and also held consultations on disarmament, non-proliferation and export control.
  • The Indian delegation led by Indra Mani Pandey, Additional Secretary (Disarmament and International Security Affairs), Ministry of External Affairs, while Japanese delegation was led by Ambassador Yamanaka A Osamu, Deputy Assistant Minister, Deputy Director-General in Foreign Policy Bureau.
  • The two sides exchanged views on various topics of mutual interest in maritime domain and identified the means for further strengthening their maritime cooperation.
  • Both sides reiterated the importance of the dialogue as an important mechanism between the two countries for consultations on issues of mutual interest in maritime affairs and agreed to hold the next round of talks on a mutually convenient date in India.
Kamareddy District of Telangana has secured the UNICEF-2019 Award
  • Kamareddy district of Telangana has secured the United Nations International Children’s and Education Fund (UNICEF)-2019 Award.
  • The district has won the award for effective implementation of Swachh Bharat Mission in water sanitation and hygiene sectors.
  • Kamareddy district was on top in the country among other districts in construction of individual sanitary lavatories, swachhdarpan wall paintings, swachhsurvekshan, swachhsundarshouchalay and many other activities.
 Bharat Heavy Electricals commissions India’s first lignite based 500 MW thermal unit
  • Bharat Heavy Electricals has successfully commissioned the first Lignite based 500 MW thermal unit of the 2×500 MW Neyveli New Thermal Power Project in Tamil Nadu.
  • The second unit of the project is also in an advanced stage of commissioning.
  • The order for Boiler, Turbine & Generator (BTG) package for two units of 500 MW Lignite based thermal plant at Neyveli was placed on BHEL by NLCIL.

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 DECEMBER 28, 2019

 World’s first experimental plantation of grafted Assam Lemon raised at HRS Kahikuchi
  • The world’s first experimental plantation of grafted Assam Lemon raised at the Horticultural Research Station (HRS) at Kahikuchi in the outskirts of Guwahati.
  • The research on development of Assam Lemon by grafting its scion wood on rough lemon rootstock was started at the HRS under Assam Agricultural University (AAU) for the first time in 2016 with the objectives of getting a proper tree framework with mono-trunk, good canopy architecture and a vigorous root system for better anchorage, water and nutrient uptake.
  • Conventionally, Assam Lemon is propagated through stem cutting, leaf-bud cutting and air layering, but plants developed with these techniques form adventitious root system which is less efficient than the tap root system of Rough Lemon used as rootstock in the grafting process.
  • The grafting technology was standardized by a team of HRS scientists comprising Dr S Saikia, Dr RK Das and Dr KK Deka.
  • In this technology, one-year-old seedling of Rough Lemon having pencil girth was used as rootstock on which the scion wood of Assam Lemon of the current season having equal thickness was grafted during the monsoon season under a protected environment. The grafted plant attained field plantable age in about a year.
  • Steps are being taken to transfer this novel technology to accredited nursery houses of the State for larger generation of Assam Lemon grafts and also to citrus growers with a plan to cover the pockets under Assam Lemon Producers Organisation in Anandabazar area of Baksa district.

 FACTFILE – Assam Lemon

  • Assam Lemon refers to the lemons namely ‘Gol Nemu’ and ‘Kaji Nemu’ which are found and cultivated in the Indian state of Assam. These lemons are an important part of Assamese cuisine. The botanical name of Assam Lemon is Citrus limon.
  • Assam lemon contains high level of Vitamin C and are used for preparing refreshing drinks and pickles as well as garnishing curry and other dishes.
  • Varieties
    • Gol Nemu is a lemon which is similar to the other lemons found in India. It is round in shape but is larger. The taste of the lemon is sweeter than other lemons and Kaji Nemu. When the lemon ripes, its colour changes to yellow and become more sweeter.
    • Kaji Nemu is other variety of this lemon and is elongated and oblong compared to other lemons. This lemon has higher juice content than Gol Nemu. It is a popular lemon in Assam and is associated with Assamese cuisine. This lemon is large as Gol Nemu and also turns yellow during ripening.
 India’s Koneru Humpy has won the FIDE World Rapid Championship 2019
  • She defeated Lei Tingjie of China in the Women’s World Rapid Chess Championship in the tiebreaker series and won the title.
  • Magnus Carlsen of Norway won this title for the third time among men’s championship.

BIOGRAPHY – Koneru Humpy

  • Koneru Humpy was born on 31 March 1987 in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh.
  • She is India’s youngest woman chess grandmaster player.
  • In January 2010, her FIDE score was 2614 that gave her the second position (after Judget Polgar) in the world female chess player rankings.
  • In 2003, she was awarded Arjuna Award while in 2007, she was awarded Padma Shri.
  • In 2015, she won a bronze medal in Women’s World Team Chess Championship.
  • In 2009-2011, 2011-12, 2013-14, and 2015-16 Koneru Humpy finished runner-up in the FIDE Women’s Grand Prix series.
Platform for e-auction of PSB attached assets launched
  • Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman launched a common e-auction platform for assets attached by the public sector banks (PSBs).
  • The platform, equipped with property search features and navigational links to all PSB e-auction sites, provides single-window access to information on properties up for e-auction as well as facility for comparison of properties.
  • It also contains photographs and videos of uploaded properties, according to an official statement.
  • The PSBs have attached Rs 2.3 lakh crore plus assets over the last three financial years and to enable online auction by banks of attached assets for improved realisation, the platform has been launched.
  • The Ministry has also decided that the Department of Revenue (DoR) will notify RuPay and UPI as the prescribed mode of payment for undertaking digital transactions without any charge or merchant discount rates (MDR).
  • All companies with Rs 50 crore or more turnover should be mandated by the DoR to provide the payment facility through RuPay debit card and UPI QR code to customers.

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Assam Current Affairs – November 29 – 30, 2019

Posted on by admin 
Current Affairs Assam – November 29 - 30, 2019

( Covers all important Assam Current Affairs & GK topics for the week of November 29 – 30, 2019 )

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November 29, 2019

Manoj Kumar takes over as new Tripura Chief Secretary
  • The Tripura government appointed senior IAS officer Manoj Kumar as the new Chief Secretary.
  • A 1990 batch Tripura cadre IAS officer, and currently Additional Chief Secretary, Electricity, Finance and Forest Departments, Manoj Kumar would succeed Usurupati Venkateswarlu, who is retiring from service on November 30.
  • Manoj Kumar would look after the General Administration (Confidential and Cabinet, Personnel and training), Finance and Home (excluding Jail and Fire Service) Departments.

FACTFILE – Chief Secretary in States/UTs

  • The post of Chief Secretary is the senior-most position held in the civil services of the states and union territories of India. The position is a cadre post for the Indian Administrative Service.
  • Chief Secretaries are members of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) who are the administrative head of state governments. A Chief Secretary functions as the central point of interdepartmental coordination at the departmental level and is classified as being in the Apex Grade.
  • Chief Secretary is considered to be the Chief Executive of the state government and considered to be ‘a linchpin’ in the administration.
  • Chief Secretary of the state also acts as the ex-officio Chairman of the State Civil Service Board, which recommends transfer/postings of officers of All India Services and State Civil Services in the state.
  • Chief Secretaries are chosen by the state’s Chief Minister.
  • State Chief Secretaries are IAS officers generally equivalent in rank to a Secretary to Government of India and are placed 23rd on Indian Order of Precedence.
 Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan introduced the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Bill, 2019
  • Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan introduced the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes (Production, Manufacture, Import, Export, Transport, Sale, Distribution, Storage and Advertisement) Bill, 2019 in the Rajya Sabha.
  • The Bill, which will replace the ordinance promulgated in September, has already received the Lok Sabha”s approval.
  • Moving the the Health Minister said it would also ban online sales and advertising of e-cigarettes.
  • The Bill is about prohibiting all commercial operations for the trade of e-cigarettes, which includes manufacturing, production, import, export, distribution, sale and advertising including online sales and advertising.
Uddhav Thackeray sworn-in as the CM of Maharashtra
  • Shiv Sena President Uddhav B. Thackeray sworn-in as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra at a function held in Shivaji Park. Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari administered the oath of office and secrecy to Thackeray.
  • Thackeray is the third from the Shiv Sena to be Chief Minister after Manohar Joshi and Narayan Rane in the late 1990s.
Bill to regularise unauthorized colonies in Delhi passed in LS
  • A Bill to regularize Delhi’s 1,731 unauthorised colonies was passed in the Lok Sabha with voice vote to benefit over 40 lakh residents who have been residing in such colonies for years.
  • The Bill will provide special provision for the national capital by recognising the property rights of ownership or transfer or mortgage in favour of residents of such colonies who are possessing properties on the basis of power of attorney, agreement to sale, will, possession letter, or any other documents, including documents evidencing payment of consideration.
  • The Bill seeks to levy stamp duty and registration charges on the amount mentioned in the conveyance deed or authorisation slip issued by the Delhi Development Authority and non-payment of any stamp duty and registration charges on any previous sale transactions made prior to the last transaction.
The Rajya Sabha passed the Chit Funds (Amendment) Bill, 2019
  • The Rajya Sabha passed the Chit Funds (Amendment) Bill, 2019 by voice vote. Besides raising the monetary limit in collections, the Bill also provides for increasing commission for the person managing the fund to 7 per cent from 5 per cent.
  • As per the bill, the collection limit for individuals has been raised to Rs 3 lakh, up from the present Rs 1 lakh. For firms, the limit would be 18 lakhs from Rs 6 lakh now.
  • Introducing the bill Minister of State for Finance Anurag Thakur said that the collection limit has been raised in view of inflation rate since 2001.
  • The Chit Fund Act, 1982 was enacted to provide for regulation of chit funds which have conventionally satisfied the financial needs of the low income households.
Industrial Relations Code bill introduced in LS
  • The Central government introduced the Industrial Relations Code Bill 2019 in the Lok Sabha. The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier had approved the Industrial Relations Code Bill, which is the third code under labour reforms.
  • The Bill provides for setting up of a two-member tribunal (in place of one-member), thus introducing a concept that some of the important cases will be adjudicated jointly and the rest by a single-member resulting in speedier disposal of cases.
  • It also provides for imparting flexibility to the exit provisions relating to retrenchment and others, for which the threshold for prior approval of appropriate government has been kept unchanged at 100 employees, but added a provision for changing such number of employees through notification.
  • The Bill also provides for definition of Fixed Term Employment and that it would not lead to any notice period and payment of compensation on retrenchment excluded.
  • It also provides for vesting of powers with the government officers for adjudication of disputes involving penalty as fines thereby lessening the burden on tribunals.

November 30, 2019 

 Water conservation projects commissioned in Hailakandi
  • Under the Jal Shakti Abhiyan, water conservation projects will be set up in several schools in Hailakandi district of Barak Valley.
  • Deputy Commissioner, Keerthi Jalli commissioned such projects in two educational institutions under the Katlicherra education block.
  • Inaugurating the first water conservation project at Sahabad ME Madrassa, Deputy Commissioner Jalli called upon the students to conserve water and make judicious use of the precious resource at school and at home.
Biren Singha gets Guruji Adya Sarma award
  • The Guruji Adya Sarma Award 2019 was presented to renowned sculptor Biren Singha at a function held at the Nalbari Harimandir premises.
  • The award comprising Rs 25,000 in cash, a memento, citation, sarai, cheleng sador, japi, etc.was presented by Nalbari Deputy Commissioner Bharat Bhusan Dev Choudhury.
  • Mobile theatre group Brindaban Theatre in collaboration with Nalbari Harimandir Committee presents the award every year.
The Arms (Amendment) Bill, 2019 moved in Lok Sabha
  • The government in the Lok Sabha moved a Bill for rationalising and facilitating the licensing procedures for use of firearms by individuals as well as to curb crimes committed by using illegal firearms and provide effective deterrence against violation of law.
  • The Arms (Amendment) Bill, 2019, which seeks amendment to the Arms Act, 1959, provides for enhancement of period of arms licence from three years to five years and also to issue arms licence in electronic form.
  • Union Minister of State for Home G. Kishan Reddy, while introducing the Bill, said the move is to deal with the future issues as the fire power and sophistication of illegal firearms have increased over the years.
  • The trans-border dimensions of illegal arms trafficking are causing threat to internal security.
  • To prevent the usage of illicit firearms so trafficked has also become a prime concern.
  • To effectively curb crimes related to or committed by using illegal firearms and to provide effective deterrence against violation of law, there is an urgent need to strengthen the existing legislative framework by making appropriate amendments in the Arms Act, 1959.
  • The Bill seeks to enhance punishment for existing offences such as illegal manufacture, sale, transfer; illegal acquiring, possessing or carrying prohibited arms or prohibited ammunition; and illegal manufacture, sale, transfer, conversion, import, export, of firearms.
  • The Arms Act, 1959, which was enacted to consolidate and amend the law relating to arms and ammunition, and the rules made thereunder regulate the acquisition, possession, use, manufacture, transfer, sale, transport, export and import of arms and ammunition and punishment for contravention in order to curb illegal weapons and violence stemming from them.
Indian-Origin Researcher turns banana plant into packaging material
  • An Indian-origin researcher-led team at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) announced it has discovered a novel way to turn banana plantation waste into packaging material that is not only biodegradable but also recyclable.
  • Associate Professor Jayashree Arcot and Professor Martina Stenzel looked at ways to convert agricultural waste into something that could value-add to the industry it came from, while potentially solving problems for another.
  • Using a reliable supply of pseudostem material from banana plants grown at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, the duo set to work in extracting cellulose to test its suitability as a packaging alternative.
  • The team brought the pseudostem into the lab and chopped it into pieces, dried it at very low temperatures in a drying oven, and then milled it into a very fine powder.
  • The team then took this powder and washed it with a very soft chemical treatment.
  • When processed, the material has a consistency similar to baking paper.
  • Depending on the intended thickness, the material could be used in a number of different formats in food packaging.
  • The material is also recyclable. Tests with food have proved that it poses no contamination risks.
Toshiba ink EoI with Kerala Govt for making lithium-ion batteries
  • The Toshiba Group signed an Expression of Interest with the Kerala government for technology transfer and manufacturing lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries for electric vehicles.
  • The agreement is an outcome of the Japan visit by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at the head of a high-level state delegation and was signed in Tokyo at the investment seminar organised in the Japanese capital.
  • Vijayan addressed the Kerala State Investment Promotion Seminar organised with the participation of 150 major Japanese investors at the Indian Embassy, Tokyo.

 

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