Current Affairs 15th November 2017

Current Affairs 15th November 2017 - Important Points

• 10th South Asia Economic Summit began in Kathmandu on - 14th November 2017
•  India’s 1st Tribal Entrepreneurship Summit began in Chhattisgarh on - 14th November 2017
•  India, Philippines sign four agreements to strengthen bilateral ties on - 13th November 2017
• National Power Portal for dissemination of power sector information launched by - Union Government
• Google Doodle celebrates 151st Birthday of Cornelia Sorabji, India's first female advocate on - 15th November 2017
• Joint Training Doctrine Indian Armed Forces 2017 released on - 14th November 2017
•  President Ram Nath Kovind gives away National Child Awards 2017 on - 14th November 2017
• Japan to relax visa rules for Indians from -  1st January 2018

Current Affairs 15th November 2017 - Details

10th South Asia Economic Summit begins in Kathmandu on - 14th November 2017

The tenth South Asia Economic Summit started in Kathmandu, Nepal on 14th November 2017 with the topic "Deepening Economic Integration for Inclusive and Sustainable Development in South Asia".
This  summit for 3 days  is being organized by National Planning Commission and Ministry of Commerce of Nepal and South Asia Watch on Trade, Economics and Environment, Nepal. It was initiated by Nepal’s Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba.
The summit objects to identify and priorities opportunities and dares in deepening regional economic integration to perform the goals of inclusive and sustainable development in South Asia.
It is supposed to witness participation from 200 leaders including ministers, researchers, government officials, former MPs, ambassadors, member of parliaments, eminent experts and thinkers.

More about South Asia Economic Summit

• It was accepted in 2008, as a regional platform for talks and analyzing economic and development topics and problems faced by South Asian countries and advancing the sources of regional integration and cooperation.
• It is a premier regional platform for analyzing trade business, economic and development issues.
  The conference brings together stakeholders from the government, private sector, civil society and research/academic community to produce innovative and actionable plans for consideration by the region’s policymakers and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation.
• The complete process is headed by a group of 5 eminent think tanks that take ways to plan the annual event in one of the SAARC nations.
• The ideas include Centre for Policy Dialogue, Bangladesh; Economics and Environment, Nepal; South Asia Watch on Trade, Research and Information System for Developing Countries, India; Sustainable Development Policy Institute, Pakistan and Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka.

 India’s 1st Tribal Entrepreneurship Summit began in Chhattisgarh on - 14th November 2017

India’s 1st Tribal Entrepreneurship Summit initiated in Dantewada, Bastar district of Chhattisgarh on 14th November 2017.
The event has been planned by NITI Aayog in partnership with the government of America. The event is a part of 8 Global Entrepreneurship Summit being organized in India.
The summit has been initiated mainly with the focus to inspire, nurture and promote the spirit of entrepreneurship in tribal youth. It confirms yet another step for the tribal-centric sustainable and its inclusive development.
The summit will look the participation of tribal entrepreneurs from different sectors across the nation and abroad. Several eminent spokes persons from NITI Aayog, health and agri-pharma areas will also be talking at the summit.
Overall, it not only supports a platform for the tribal youth but also mark the issues faced by the tribal community in practical and progressive styles.

 India, Philippines sign four agreements to strengthen bilateral ties on - 13th November 2017

India and the Philippines on 13th November 2017 agreed on 4 agreements to enhance cooperation in various sectors including defense and foreign services. The agreements were signed by the PM Narendra Modi bilateral meeting with the Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte.
These 4 agreements include areas of defense, agriculture, small and medium enterprises and tie-up between advisers of both the nations.
The accords were signed during PM Modi three-day visit to Manila, the Philippines to take part in the 15th India-Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit and the 12 East Asia Summit.
This is the 2nd visit by Indian PM to the Philippines in last 36 years after the visit of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1981. In the last 2007, then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had gone to Philippines for the ASEAN summit.
PM Modi visit to International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in Philippines

• During his visit to the Philippines, PM Modi had gone to the International Rice Research Institute in Los Banos and interacted with various Indian scientists working there.
• The scientists at IRRI explained the PM on flood-tolerant rice varieties that can withstand  for14 to 18 days of water submerged and simultaneously provide 1 to 3 tones more yield per hectare in flood-affected parts.
• After this meeting with the scientists, a ‘Rice Field Laboratory’ called after PM Modi was also initiated by him at the institute. The laboratory is known as 'Narendra Modi Resilient Rice Field Laboratory'.
• PM Modi also donated 2 Indian rice seed varieties also have been donated by PM Modi to the gene bank of the international rice research centre in the Philippines with an objective to mitigate global poverty and hunger by enhancing the cultivation of the important grain.

National Power Portal for dissemination of power sector information launched by - Union Government

Minister of State for Power and New & Renewable Energy, RK Singh, on 14th November 2017 inaugurated the National Power web Portal for collation and dissemination of Indian power sector information. The web portal can be used at http://npp.gov.in.
The stakeholders of NPP are Ministry of Power, CEA, REC for Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana, PFC for Integrated Power Development Scheme, other power sector utilities in government and private sector and other government organizations.

Highlights of National Power Portal-

• NPP is a centralized system for Indian Power Sector that ease online data capture and input from transmission ,generation and distribution utilities.
• The Nodal Agency for execution of NPP and its operational control is Central Electricity Authority.
• The concept of this system has been, designed and developed by National Informatics Centre.
• It enables distribution of Power Sector Information related to operation, capacity, requirement, supply and utilization through analyzing reports, graphs, statistics for central, state and private sectors.
• It also smoothens various types of statutory reports required to be printed regularly.
• Its preface will also act as the single point interface for all power sector Apps launched earlier like TARANG, UJALA, GARV, URJA, VIDYUT PRAVAH, MERIT.
• NPP is joined with associated systems of Central Electricity Authority, Rural Electrification Corporation, Power Finance Corporation and other major utilities.
• It will work as single reliable source of power sector information for higher bodies, utilities for the purpose of analysis, planning, monitoring also for public users.
• Its availability will be 24x7 and will safeguard effective and timely collection of data.

 Google Doodle celebrates 151st Birthday of Cornelia Sorabji, India's first female advocate on - 15th November 2017

Google Doodle on 15th November 2017 honored Cornelia Sorabji, India's first female advocate, on her 151st Birthday. Sorabji was the first lady to graduate in law from India in 1892 and was the first Indian citizen to be present at a British University.

Important Highlights

• Jasjyot Singh Hans presented the Google doodle with Sorabji in front of the Allahabad High Court, where she kick-started her career as pleader.
• Journey of Cornelia Sorabji to become India's first female advocate Cornelia was born on 15th November 1866 in Nashik in the erstwhile Bombay Presidency of colonial India.
• Her parents were advocates of women's education and boosted her to go for higher studies.
• Cornelia applied for Law course at the Oxford University, which was not an easy task. It was a time when universities did not accept the female students.
• The National Indian Association came for Cornelia's help. Her English friends petitioned on behalf of her to allow her to sit for Civil Laws exam at Somerville College, Oxford.
• In 1894, she finished her course, but the University didn't grant her a degree. Oxford University started awarding degrees to women only after year 1922.
• Although she finished her education, she was not allowed to plead in courts both in England and India.
• Later on, after becoming a legal advisor in India, Cornelia took the reason of purdahnashins, the women who were told to cover their face and were prohibited to interact with men outside their families.
• She supported widowed purdahnashins in getting their property share and helped them in pursuing education and getting employment.
• Soon, she flourished in pursuing the government to nominate Lady Assistants to the courts to help women litigants.
• All over again, Cornelia appeared for LLB examination in Bombay University with an objective to get a law degree. She became the 1st woman graduate of Bombay University.
• She also passed the pleader examination in 1899 in Allahabad High Court but she was not recognized as a barrister.
• In 1923, colonial courts allowed women advocates to represent their cases. After this, Cornelia started practicing in Kolkata in 1924.
• Autobiographies 'India Calling: The Memories of Cornelia Sorabji' and 'India Recalled', a biography of her parents and various articles on Purdahnashins were also published by her.
• She passed away in London in 1954.

Joint Training Doctrine Indian Armed Forces 2017 released on - 14th November 2017

The Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Sunil Lanba on 14th November 2017 announced ‘Joint Training Doctrine Indian Armed Forces 2017’.
It is for the 1st time in the history of the Armed Forces that Joint Training Doctrine has been disclosed.

Key Highlights-

• The main motto of the Doctrine is to support synergy and integration amongst the three Services- Army, Air force and Navy for enhanced efficiency and ideal utilization of resources.
• It brings out the approach towards joint training at macro-level, fundamentals, intentions, joint structures, planning, and organization among other aspects currently in use in the Armed Forces.
• It contains ‘Joint Training’ as leverage for encourage diplomacy and for highlighting Civil - Military interface issues.
• It will basically serve as a foundation and knowledge base from which specific instructions and strategies will be released by the Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee to the Headquarters Integrated Defense Staff (HQ IDS) and Service HQs.
• This Doctrine will be further elaborated in due course as Doctrines are always evolving in for the policy makers, armed forces personnel, academia, etc.

 President Ram Nath Kovind gives away National Child Awards 2017 on - 14th November 2017

The President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, presented away the National Child Awards at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi on 14th November 2017, on Children’s Day. The awards incorporate the National Child Awards for Exceptional Achievement, National Awards for Child Welfare and Rajiv Gandhi Manav Seva Awards.
National Child Awards for Exceptional Achievement give identification to children who have shown exceptional abilities and exceptional achievements in the fields of innovation, scholastic achievements, culture, social service, sports, arts, and music. National Awards for Child Welfare recognize the exceptional work of institutions and individuals in the field of child development and welfare.
Rajiv Gandhi Manav Seva Awards are grant to individuals for their outstanding contribution towards service for children, including children with disabilities.

Key Highlights

• This year, the President honored 16 children with the National Child Awards, among whom 1 child awarded with a gold medal and 15 children were given silver medals.
• The gold medal was presented to the child with the most exceptional achievement. The child was also awarded with a cash prize of Rs 20000 and a certificate.
• The silver medal winners were honored with a cash prize of Rs 10000 and a certificate.
• The gold and silver medal winners were also given a book coupon worth Rs 10,000 and Rs 3, 000 respectively.
• The eligibility conditions for the awards are that the children should be between age group of 5 to 18 years.

Japan to relax visa rules for Indians from -  1st January 2018

Japan will ease its visa rules for Indians from 1st January 2018 and give multiple- entry-visa for short-term stay.
The move is look forward to benefit tourists and business persons as well as increase visitors. The relaxed visa regime won't only have visa application simplification but also an increase in scope of eligible applicants.
Under the simplification of visa application documentations, the applicant’s employment proofs and explanation letter explaining the reason will be free from in cases of applying for multiple-entry-visas.
Applicants will be able to apply for multiple-entry-visa with only three documents –

• Passport visa application form with photograph
• Papers to support the financial capability-for tourism purpose
• Documents to support the applicant’s affiliation to certain enterprises (for business purpose)
• The multiple entry visas would be given for 5 years maximum and stay of 90 days maximum will be allowed to applicants who have travel records to Japan for 2 or more in the past one year. In such cases, the qualified applicants would only need to deposit their passports and visa application form.
• These reliefs are expected to further help  and encourage people-to-people exchanges between Japan and India by increasing convenience for Indian tourists and business persons as well as repeat guests.

Did you know?
In February, Japan had initiated the simplification of visa application process for single entry visa for Indian students to encourage visit of Indian youths to Japan.