Current Affairs 14th December 2018

Current Affairs 14th December 2018 - Important Points

• Government inks $31 million loan agreement with ADB to develop tourism and boost jobs in Tamil Nadu
• First ever Agriculture Export Policy 2018 launched by Commerce Ministry in its Year End report
• Assam NRC: Supreme Court extends NRC claims submission deadline to December 31
• Partners Forum 2018
• Indian Navy inducts first Deep Submergence Rescue Vessel
• Dam Safety Bill 2018 introduced in Lok Sabha
• Uttar Pradesh’s Startup HelpUsGreen honoured by UN

Current Affairs 14th December 2018 - Details

Government inks $31 million loan agreement with ADB to develop tourism and boost jobs in Tamil Nadu

Union Government has signed $31 million loan contract with Asian Development Bank for Tamil Nadu Government’s Infrastructure Development Investment Program for Tourism. It is 4th loan tranche for this programme intended at building-up tourism industry and increase visitor arrivals in Tamil Nadu.

Infrastructure Development Investment Program for Tourism

It is $250 million project sanctioned in September 2010. It goals to develop opportunities for local communities and improve local economy by enhancing tourism in 3 other states including Punjab, HP and Uttarakhand, besides Tamil Nadu. This will be accomplished via developing & preserving sites of natural as well as cultural heritage, and building better connectivity, capacity, and infrastructure around State tourist locations.

It will be backing conservation and restoration of 8 heritage monuments, 1 museum, 3 temples and pond. It will develop various facilities at the sites, including tourist information centres, rest houses and toilet blocks with amenities served by solar-powered lighting & energy efficient lighting. The projected completion date is June 2020.

The project is supposed to improve tourism infrastructure in Tamil Nadu and also benefit state in preserving natural as well as cultural heritage. The activities under the project will also improve economic opportunities for the local population. It will also produce added jobs in Tamil Nadu, especially via skills training and community-based activities precisely for poor and women.

First ever Agriculture Export Policy 2018 launched by Commerce Ministry in its Year End report

On December 11th, 2018, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry published the Year End review of the policies to foresee the creation of a “Vision of New India” which would propel the India to become a USD 5 trillion economy by the end of year 2025.

Important Points

• Out of the USD Five trillion, the intensive plans will be on boosting
• Services sector contribution to USD Three trillion,
• Manufacturing to USD One trillion and
• Agriculture to USD One trillion.

About India’s first ever Agriculture Export Policy

As on December 6th, 2018, the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi sanctioned the creation of 1st Agriculture Export Policy.

The Department of Commerce in its objective to enable India to become a USD 5 trillion economy, published India’s first Agriculture Export Policy 2018.

Highlights of the Agricultural Export Policy 2018

According to the policy, a corpus of USD One billion has been formed to enhance 12 champion sectors in services.

It would enhance India’s agricultural exports to USD 60 billion by 2022 and to attain Agriculture Ministries’ objective of USD 100 billion.

The 12 identified Champion Services Sectors

1. Information Technology & Information Technology enabled Services
2. Tourism and Hospitality Services
3. Medical Value Travel
4. Transport and Logistics Services
5. Accounting and Finance Services
6. Audio Visual Services
7. Legal Services
8. Communication Services
9. Construction and Related Engineering Services
10. Environmental Services
11. Financial Services
12. Education Services.

Assam NRC: Supreme Court extends NRC claims submission deadline to December 31

The Supreme Court on December 12th, 2018 prolonged the target for the submission of claims & objections by entities excluded from the 1st draft of the Assam National Register of Citizens to December 31st, 2018. Earlier, the previous date for submission was December 15th.

Subsequently, the procedure of inauguration of verification has been shifted to February 15th, 2019 from February 1st.

Copies of draft NRC to be made available for inspection

A bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Rohinton Nariman instructed that the copies of the draft National Register of Citizens shall be made accessible for inspection to District Magistrate, Deputy Commissioner, Sub-Divisional Offices, Circle Offices & Gram Panchayats to enable filing of oppositions against wrongful enclosures.

The National Register of Citizens Authority was well-ordered to receive List-B documents that are initiate to be lawfully valid, regardless of the date of issuance of the same.

November 2018 ruling

The Supreme Court on November 1st, 2018 fixed December 15th as the time limit for filing of claims and objections by people excluded from the National Register of Citizens Draft.

The bench permitted claimants for Assam National Register of Citizens to rely on 5 documents, which were earlier protested to by National Register of Citizens coordinator, to prove their nationality.

Required five documents are:

1) Names in National Register of Citizens, 1951

2) Names in Electoral Roll up to March 24th, 1971

3) Nationality Certificate and Refugee Registration Certificate

4) Certified copies of pre-1971 Electoral Roll, mainly, those allotted by Tripura

5) Valid Ration Card

Partners Forum 2018

4th edition of Partners’ Forum will be initiated by PM Narendra Modi on December 12th in New Delhi. The 2 days international conference will be presented by Indian Government in connotation with Partnership for Maternal, New-born and Child Health- PMNCH. Over-all 1500 partakers from around 8 nations will be taking part to talk about the development in the health and wellbeing of females, children and adolescents.

Important Points

The program will be designed on the aim of Survive, Thrive, Transform. The forum is focused to explore the conclusions of 12 success features case studies which demonstrate how the nations are working towards the improvement of both women and children’s health. The forum will represent learnings from 6 regions on 6 thematic areas:

• Early childhood Development– Germany & Chile
• Adolescent Health & Well-being– USA & Indonesia
• Quality, Equity & Dignity in services– India & Cambodia
• Sexual & Reproductive Health – Malawi & Malaysia
• Empowerment of females, Girls and communities – South Africa & Guatemala
• Humanitarian & fragile settings– Sierra Leone & Afghanistan

PMNCH’s mission

The mission supports the global health community to effort towards attaining the Sustainable Development Goals. Goal three of Sustainable Development Goal is to attain good health and wellbeing for people.

Indian Navy inducts first Deep Submergence Rescue Vessel

Indian Navy inducted its 1st Submarine Rescue System with Deep Submergence Rescue Vessel along with related equipment at western naval dockyard in Mumbai, (west coast of India). It is 1st of the 2 non-tethered Deep Submergence Rescue Vessels ordered by Indian Navy. With this, India joined selected list of International navies including United States, Russia, Japan, South Korea, China, Singapore, United Kingdom, Sweden and Australia. Its introduction will enhance Indian Navy’s operational competences for search, locate and deliver assistance to downed/disaster-struck/distressed submarines at high sea.

Deep Submergence Rescue Vessel

The Deep Submergence Rescue vehicles are produced by Scotland-based JFD, a part of James Fisher and Sons Plc in March, 2016. JFD had secured the contract of 193 million pounds for supply of 2 sets of non-tethered Deep Submergence Rescue Vessel and 25 years of taking-care.

These Deep Submergence Rescue Vessels are 3rd-generation system, considered to be most advanced system presently in operation internationally. It is proficient of undertaking rescue from a disabled submarine up to the 650m depth. It is functioned by a crew of 3 people, and can rescue 14 peoples at a time.

Deep Submergence Rescue Vessels complete with related kit in fly away configuration, can be vital in quickly locating submarines via vast expanse of sea and can be mobilised by air & water for quick rescue.  It can be deployed at short interval of time for providing assistance to distressed submarines.

2 Indian Navy Deep Submergence Rescue Vessels will be based on West and East Coast of India individually. The 1st Deep Submergence Rescue Vessel will be operated and deployed by Indian Navy’s crew newly formed Submarine Rescue Unit (West) from its base in Mumbai. The 2nd Deep Submergence Rescue Vessel is in transit & is anticipated to reach Visakhapatnam soon. It will be functioning by April 2019.

Dam Safety Bill 2018 introduced in Lok Sabha

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal, initiated Dam Safety Bill 2018 in Lok Sabha. The bill delivers a uniform process for the safety of dams in nation. The bill makes sure surveillance, inspection, working and maintenance of dams as well as prevention of dam failure from calamity. As per to bill, dam owner is accountable for dam safety and has penal provisions for not obeying the certain acts of bill.

Key Features of Bill

• The bill delivers legal and institutional safety to ensure the safe operations of dams.
• The bill addresses all the matters related to dam safety, comprehensive dam safety review, Emergency Action plan & maintenance of funds for various dam repairs.
• Owner of dam have to make Emergency action plan within Five year and for new dams it has to form prior to filling.
• Owner of the dam is needed to begin hydro-meteorological network and Emergency Flood Warning System.
• There is a facility for comprehensive safety evaluation by independent panel of experts and every state will create a State Dam Safety Organization for the safety of Dam.

Uttar Pradesh’s Startup HelpUsGreen honoured by UN

UP based start-up HelpUsGreen has been honoured by United Nations for its efforts to clean River Ganga by recycling tonnes of flower waste. United Nations bestowed the award to the 14 other nations along with India at the Nations Climate Action award ceremony during the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Katowice.

Working

The start-up gathers the floral waste daily from the temples and these flowers are then reused to generate charcoal free incense, organic vermicompost and recyclable packaging material via Flowercycling technology.

As per to United Nations the start-up recycled 11060 metric tonnes of temple flower waste by the females working with the start-up. As per to information, above 800 MMT of flowers are utilised in temple and these flowers are further disposed into the river Ganga. This ultimately leads to water pollution and water borne diseases.

HelpUsGreen

HelpUsGreen initiated as world’s 1st lucrative solution to the waste problem formed by flowers in monumental temple. About 8.4 tons of flower waste is gathered by the start-up every day from the temples in UP. The start-up assisted 1260 females who have been backing the start-up and with this support, 19 children whose mothers work at manual scavengers, began going to school.