Tripura Current Affairs & Recent GK ( July – December 2019 )

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Tripura (North-East) Current Affairs, recent GK and important news / events during the period of July 2019 to December 2019 for Civil Service/ other competitive exams

Go to Current Affairs Tripura site  |  Current Affairs Assam/ North-East

 

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.
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.
November 26, 2019
Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry signs MoAs with Tripura and 5 other states on Light House Projects
  • Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri signed the memoranda of agreement (MoAs) for Light House Projects (LHPs) with Gujarat, Jharkhand, MP, Tamil Nadu, Tripura and UP government.
  • Puri also launched a web portal for the CLSS (credit-linked subsidy scheme) Awas Portal (CLAP), saying it would help stakeholders to work in synergy for on-time release of subsidy to beneficiaries.
  • To meet the demand for over 10 million houses by 2022, the central government had launched the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban in June 2015.
  • For LHPs, the Ministry has introduced a Rs 2 lakh per house technology innovation grant, which is over and above the existing Rs 1.5 lakh per house under PMAY(U).
  • The Ministry developed a web-based real-time monitoring system called CLAP in which all stakeholders, like MoHUA, CNAs, PLIs and beneficiaries, had been integrated.
November 09, 2019
Akil Kureshi appointed as Chief Justice of Tripura High Court
  • Centre has appointed Justice Akil Kureshi, the judge of Bombay High Court, as the Chief Justice of Tripura High Court.
  • The Centre’s counsel had told the Supreme Court that nearly all administrative formalities in connection with the appointment had been completed, except the last signature.
  • A senior judge from the Gujarat High Court, Justice Akil Kureshi is serving as a judge of the Bombay High Court at present following a transfer.

FACTFILE – Tripura High Court

  • The Tripura High Court is the High Court of the state of Tripura, established on 23 March 2013, after making suitable amendments in the Constitution of India and North-Eastern Areas (Re-organisation) Act, 1971.
  • The seat of the High Court is at Agartala, the capital of Tripura. The first Chief Justice is Justice Deepak Gupta.
  • Earlier, the state of Tripura along with the other six states of the North – East of India was under the Gauhati High Court, a permanent bench of the Gauhati High Court was established in Agartala in the year 1992 having territorial jurisdiction of the state of Tripura.

 

October 12, 2019
Asian Development Bank approved the first installment of Rs 1,650 crore for Tripura
  • The first instalment of Asian Development Bank”s (ADB) Rs 1,650 crore loan for infrastructure development in seven of the eight district headquarter towns in Tripura, has been approved.
  • The Department of Economic Affairs, under the Finance Ministry of the Indian government has approved the first instalment of Rs 17.75 crore ($2.5 million) of the ADB loan to take up development of seven district headquarters through Urban Development Department of the state government.
  • The first instalment of Rs 17.75 crore would be spent mainly for conducting engineering survey, preparing estimates and DPRs (Detailed Project Reports) for roads, water supply, drainage, sewerage and major urban infrastructure works in these seven district towns.
October 09, 2019
National Health Mission index: Assam among top 5 performers, Tripura  tops for implementation of Human Resource Information System (HRIS)
  • Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Haryana, Assam, Kerala and Punjab have emerged as the top five states or Union Territories in the first ever exercise to rate their performance on several parameters of the National Health Mission.
  • Twenty per cent of NHM funds are based on the states’ performance, which means better performing states received a financial incentive — Rs 3,000 crore is set aside for incentive-based payments.
  • West Bengal, Jammu and Kashmir, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Bihar were penalised as they didn’t achieve the set benchmarks for mental health services.
  • Twenty-three states earned an incentive for screening of 30-plus population for non-communicable diseases, including 11 states that earned full points for screening more than 15 per cent of the 30-plus population.
  • Tamil Nadu reported 100 per cent screening, followed by Goa (68 per cent) and Daman and Diu (57 per cent).
  • Only six states — Assam, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Kerala, Punjab and Tripura — earned full incentive for implementation of the Human Resource Information System (HRIS). Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and UP were able to partially achieve the target in terms of HRIS implementation.
  • Among the parameters, the highest weightage was given to incremental improvement as per the NITI Aayog ranking of states on ‘Performance on Health Outcomes’. Other parameters include operationalisation of Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs), provisioning of mental health services in districts covered under the National Mental Health Programme, screening of 30-plus population for non-communicable diseases, implementation of HRIS and grading of Primary Health Centres (both urban and rural).
  • Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Sikkim did not make the cut for assessment.
October 06, 2019
India, Bangladesh sign 7 pacts, inaugurated partnership projects for import of bulk LPG from Bangladesh to Tripura 
  • India and Bangladesh marked the “sonali adhyay” (golden era) in bilateral ties with the inking of seven agreements, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with visiting Bangladesh Premier Sheikh Hasina.
  • During the talks, the Bangladesh PM voiced concerns over Assam’s National Register of Citizens (NRC) and raised the Teesta water and the Rohingya refugee issues.
  • The two sides hailed the bilateral ties. The agreements, included pact for a joint coastal surveillance system.
  • Through video link, the two leaders inaugurated three development partnership projects — import of bulk LPG from Bangladesh to Tripura through trucks, Vivekananda Bhaban (student’s hostel) at Ramakrishna Mission, Dhaka, and the Bangladesh-India Professional Skill Development Institute (BIPSDI) at the Institution of Diploma Engineers Bangladesh (IDEB), Khulna.
  • The two leaders emphasised on initiatives for development of closer maritime security partnership, and noted the progress made in the finalisation of an MoU for establishment of a coastal surveillance radar system in Bangladesh.
  • Both sides agreed to expedite commissioning of a joint study on prospects of signing a bilateral comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA).
  • Modi and Sheikh Hasina also agreed to expedite work towards drawing upon a $500 million defence line of credit, extended by India to Bangladesh. The implementation arrangements for this was finalised in April.
  • They also signed an MoU on withdrawal of 1.82 cusec of water from the Feni river by India for the drinking water scheme for Sabroom town in Tripura.
  • The two leaders agreed that the loss of civilian lives at the border was a matter of concern and asked border forces to enhance coordinated measures to bring such border incidents down to zero.

 

Go to Current Affairs Tripura site  |  Current Affairs Assam/ North-East

August 21, 2019

Tripura to build IT hub
  • Tripura will soon have an IT hub at the Old Central Jail land to ease the unemployment problem in the State, said the Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb in his speech on the occasion of Independence Day celebrations.
  • The State has a population of 37 lakh and over 7 lakh registered unemployed youths. He said the tender process for setting up the IT hub has already started and the Government is determined to build the project at the earliest.
  • “Once the project is completed, youths need not rush to Bengaluru, Hyderabad or Chennai to get jobs in the IT sector. There will a lot of jobs for local IT professionals,” Deb claimed.
  • The Chief Minister said that the Government has been giving due importance to the development of the transport sector in the State.

August 16, 2019

Centre to fund model tribal villages in Tripura
  • The Centre will provide financial assistance to the Tripura Government to raise ten tribal model villages covering eight districts of the State, said Tribal Welfare Minister Mever Kumar Jamtia.
  • The proposed model villages will have all modern facilities – all-weather roads, pucca houses, toilets, electricity, drinking water supply, community halls, market sheds, Internet and mobile telephone network. A sum of Rs 10 crore will be spent on each model village.
  • Once the project is implemented, all the model villages will be transformed into a mini township with all modern facilities available.
  • The project will also lay emphasis on socio-economic development of the villagers. Special focus will be given on agriculture, animal resources and vocational training to upgrade skills of the villagers.
  • The Ministry of Home Affairs has set up a high-powered modality committee to look into aspects of socio-economic and linguistic development of the indigenous people of the State.
  • The committee is learnt to have recommended establishment of 10 model villages to ensure welfare of the indigenous people.

August 12, 2019

Government signs peace pact with Tripura terror outfit National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT)
  • A tripartite Memorandum of Settlement (MoS) was signed in New Delhi between the Central and Tripura governments and National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) facilitating to surrender of 88 terrorists of the banned outfit.
  • After the signing of the MoS, the NLFT (SD) representatives called on Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi.
  • the MoS was signed by Union Home Ministry’s Joint Secretary (North-East) Satyendra Garg, Tripura government’s Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Kumar Alok and Sabir Kumar Debbarma and Kajal Debbarma on behalf of the NLFT (SD faction). 
  • NLFT (SD faction) has agreed to abjure the path of violence, join the mainstream and abide by the Indian Constitution.
  • It was agreed that the 88 NLFT cadres would surrender soon with their arms and ammunition.
  • The government also told the NLFT (SD) leaders that surrendered members of the outfit would be given surrender benefits as per the Surrender-cum-Rehabilitation Scheme, 2018 of the Union Home Ministry. 

FACTFILE – National Liberation Front of Tripura

  • The National Liberation Front of Tripura (abbreviated NLFT) is a Tripuri nationalist militant organisation based in Tripura, India. It has an estimated 550 to 850 members.
  • The NLFT seeks to secede from India and establish an independent Tripuri state, and is an active participant in the Insurgency in Northeast India.
  • The NLFT is currently designated as a terrorist organisation in India.
  • T he Baptist Church of Tripura was initially set up by missionaries from New Zealand in the 1940s. Despite their efforts, even until the 1980s, only a few thousand people in Tripura had converted to Christianity. In the aftermath of one of the worst ethnic riots, the NLFT was born in 1989 with the backing of the Baptist Church of Tripura.

FACTIFLE – Tripura Peace Accord

  • Tripura Peace Accord is the tripartite accord signed-in on 10 August 2019 by the Government of India, Government of Tripura and the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) to end the insurgency.
  • The tripartite memorandum of understanding was signed by Satyendra Garg, Joint Secretary (Northeast) of Ministry of Home Affairs, Kumar Alok, Additional Chief Secretary (Home), Tripura and Sabir Kumar Debbarma and Kajal Debbarma of NLFT.

August 03, 2019

North East gets 49 projects worth Rs 1,232 crore, including eco-tourism centre connectivity to Tripura’s Chabimura
  • The Centre has sanctioned 49 development projects worth Rs 1,232 crore for the northeastern region in the first 50 days of the Modi government.
  • The projects include construction and renovation of roads, bridges and upgrading of tourist spots. The Ministry of Development of North-East Region (DoNER) has sanctioned 49 projects worth Rs 1,232 crore in the first 50 days of Narendra Modi government’s second term which began on May 30.
  • While eight new projects have been sanctioned for Rs 586.3 crore under the North East Road Sector Development Scheme (NERSDS) and the North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme (NESIDS), some other projects are upgrade of the AT Road from Tsusangra to Input Junction (26 km) with three bridges, Tenning-Lekie Road (37 km) in Nagaland, and the Dikhow Bridge-Amguri road leading to Nagaland.
  • Upgrade of the Tuensang- Longleng road in Nagaland, construction of the Mukroh-Umspar road linking Jrikyndeng in Meghalaya, improvement of eco-tourism centre connectivity from Amarpur (Fatiksagar) to Chabimura in Tripura, improvement of Gandacherra-Raishyabari road for easy access for the tourists from Dhalai to Narikel Kunja Island in Tripura are also part of the projects.
  • In addition, 36 ongoing projects under various schemes like the Non Lapsable Central Pool of Resources (NLCPR) scheme, special packages and schemes of the North Eastern Council were completed at an approved cost of Rs 529.18 crore.

FACTFILE – Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region

  • The Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region is a Government of India ministry, established in September 2001, which functions as the nodal Department of the Central Government to deal with matters related to the socio-economic development of the eight States of Northeast India: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim.
  • It acts as a facilitator between the Central Ministries/ Departments and the State Governments of the North Eastern Region in the economic development including removal of infrastructural bottlenecks, provision of basic minimum services, creating an environment for private investment and to remove impediments to lasting peace and security in the North Eastern Region.
  • Jitendra Singh is the current Minister of Development of North Eastern Region (Minister of state, Independent Charge).

July 29, 2019

 7th Economic Census begun from Tripura
  • The 7th Economic census has begun from 29th July from Tripura. The census will be conducted by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) in partnership with CSC e-governance Services India Ltd. (CSC SPV) after a gap of 5 years.
  • The officials will collect the data through the door to door household survey under the provision of Collection of Statistics Act 2008.
  • The economic census gives an idea about the economic activities being carried out across the country, types of ownership and source of finance, their geographical distribution, the number and distribution of workers etc.
  • It covers all residential and commercial structures across the country but excludes some economic activities such as plantation activities, crop-production, extra-territorial organisation, illegal activities and public administration and defence.
  • Shelter-less and nomadic population establishments and people living in open are also not covered in this census.

FACTFILE – Indian Economic Census

  • Indian economic census is the census of the Indian economy through counting all entrepreneurial units in the country which involved in any economic activities of either agricultural or non-agricultural sector which engaged in production and/or distribution of goods and/or services not for the sole purpose of own consumption.
  • The economic census provides detailed information on operational and other characteristics such as number of establishments, number of persons employed, source of finance, type of ownership etc.
  • These informations are used for micro level/ decentralized planning and to assess contribution of various sectors of the economy in the gross domestic product (GDP).
  • In 1976, Government of India launched a plan scheme called Economic Census and Surveys.
  • In 1977 Central Statistical Organisation conducted First economic census in collaboration with the Directorate of Economics & Statistics (DES) in the States/Union Territories.

July 22, 2019

  Tripura set to scale up white tea production
  • The successful completion of pilot projects on white tea has paved the way for planters in Tripura to go for full-scale production of the ‘costly and delicate’ variety.
  • Earlier this year, the 95-year-old Golokpur tea estate in Unakoti district of the State set a record when it sold its white tea for Rs 10,000 a kg to a Banglore-based retailer.
  • White tea is minimally processed. It is harvested even before the plant leaves unfurl fully with the buds still covered by fine white hairs, hence, the name white tea.
  • Besides fetching good money, white tea will also earn the tea estate a good name, as people in the industry know that the production process is difficult. We have been getting more orders for this special variety, De said.
  • Fatikcherra, another 101-year old tea estate in the hill State, has produced 6.8 kg white tea this year, which fetched Rs 5,500 per kg.
  • Around one quintal of white tea has been produced in the State this year. Tripura annually produces nine million kg of tea in 58 gardens.
  • The agro-climatic condition is favourable for tea production in Tripura. Now we have got a logo approved for Tripura tea, and even convinced the tribal villagers to grow wild tea near the Tripura-Mizoram boundary.
  • The Tea Board of India is now trying to convince planters to turn to organic brew, besides encouraging white tea production, he said.
  • Tripura has always had a problem of auctioning tea as there is no auction centre in the State. The Bangladesh Government has, however, agreed to allow planters from Tripura to auction their produce at Sreemangal subdivision of Moulavibazar district, which is near the Tripura border.
July 21, 2019
President of India appoints new Governors for six states, including Tripura
  • President of India Ramnath Kovind appointed Ramesh Bais as the new Governor of Tripura.
  • Anandiben Patel is transferred from Madhya Pradesh and appointed as the Governor of Uttar Pradesh. She has been replaced by Lalji Tandon in Madhya Pradesh, who was so far the Governor of Bihar.
  • Fagu Chauhan replaces Lalji Tandon as the new Governor of Bihar.
  • JagdeepDhankar as the Governor of West Bengal.
  • N. Ravi has been appointed the Governor of Nagaland.

 

Go to Current Affairs Tripura site  |  Current Affairs Assam/ North-East