Current Affairs 1st May 2018

Current Affairs 1st May 2018 - Important Points

• India, Pakistan for first time to participate together in SCO counter-terror exercise for - Peace Mission

• India and Nepal agree to review bilateral trade treaty by - July 2018

• World Labor Day celebrated on - 1st May 2018

• India’s longest-serving Chief Minister - Sikkim’s Pawan Chamling
• Pilot scheme Procurement of Aggregate Power of 2500 MW for 3 years launched by - Government
• 15th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas to be held in Varanasi in - January 2019

Current Affairs 1st May 2018 - Details

India, Pakistan for first time to participate together in SCO counter-terror exercise for - Peace Mission

For first time, arch competitors India and Pakistan are participating in Peace Mission, a multi-country counter-terror workout in Russia to be organised in September 2018. The military exercise is going to complete under the outline of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. India’s participation at exercise was assured by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman during meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Defence Ministers’ meeting organised in Beijing, China in April 2018.
Peace Mission

• Peace Mission anti-terror military exercise will be organised in the Ural Mountains of Russia and almost all Shanghai Cooperation Organisation member nations are participating in it.  Its main objective is to improve counter-terror collaboration among the 8 Shanghai Cooperation Organisation member nations.
• It will be for 1st time since Independence that India and Pakistan both will participate in military
  programme, though forces of both nations have worked together in United Nations diplomacy missions.
  Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
• Shanghai Cooperation Organisation is political and safety grouping HQ in Beijing. It was originated in 2001.
• The full members of group are China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, India
  and Pakistan.
• They represent more than 40 per cent of humanity and about 20 per cent of the global
  GDP.
• Shanghai Cooperation Organisation is successor of grouping known as Shanghai Five, originated by
  China in 1996. It encompassed Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.
• In 2001 Uzbekistan was requested to join it and Shanghai Cooperation Organisation was formally born and has came out as a regional security organization

India and Nepal agree to review bilateral trade treaty by - July 2018

India and Nepal decided to review their bilateral trade treaty by July 2018, in last week of April 2018. The provision was grated during a meeting of India-Nepal Inter-Government Committee on Trade, Transit and Cooperation to Control Unauthorised Business in Kathmandu. 
Both nations decided to start a wide-ranging review of the agreement by July 2018. The agreement was
previously reviewed in 2009. 
Other decisions 

• Both the nations also deliberated amendments to the bilateral Agreement of Transit signed in 1999 to further facilitate movement of Nepal’s business with third nations. 
• The 2 nations also decided on synchronising development of border business infrastructure to make sure appropriate usage of investment in border infrastructure between India and Nepal. 
• In order to improve the trade volume, both the nations also focused on to the requirement for harmonisation of standards and expediting development on agreements between the related agencies including BIS and FSSAI from the Indian side.
• The two nations also decided to work towards communal recognition of each other's testing and certifications.
• In order to make sure regular inputs from trade and investors, both the countries decided to form India-Nepal Joint Business Forum containing of industry senates from the both sides that will act as an institutional B2B mechanism.

World Labor Day celebrated on - 1st May 2018

May Day ceremonies that stem from the traditional centuries-old May Day civilizations are observed
throughout the world. In Hawaii, May Day is called as “Lei Day” to observe the island’s ethos.
In the UK, May Day is still observed in many towns with the crowning of the May Queen. Maypoles can still be seen in few towns and May Day civilizations may have hobby horses and native people dressed-up in costumes. 
Labor Day shoots from the efforts of the labor union drive to observe the economic and social attainments of workers. In Mexico, it is mentioned to as “Primero de Mayo” and having a nationwide holiday honouring all the labors. Few groups held parades to promote and protect workers' rights.
More about May Day/Labor Day

• Conventionally, May Day is characterized by the congregation of flowers and the fertility rite of dancing around the maypole.
• In current few years, May Day has become a labor festival honoring the military and industrial actions of the nation precisely in socialist and Communist nations.
• The 8-hour movement to decrease the working day from ten to 8 hours started after the Civil War.
• It was a mega focus of the National Labor Union, whose 1st meeting was held in 1866.
• By 1868 senate and 6 states approved an 8-hour legislation. In 1884 the National Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Assemblies decided to have an over-all strike on May 1 st , 1886, to impose demands for employers to observe the 8-hour day.
• In 1947, amidst the anti-Communist Cold War hysteria, the United States Veterans of Foreign Wars retitled May 1st as 'Loyalty Day' and a combine session of senates later made the statement authorized.
• In many nations, the May 1st holiday was obtained by trade unions backed by socialist parties. In the UK, a May Day Bank Holiday was introduced in 1978 for trade workers to observe same but was organised on the 1st Monday in May to diminish the business damage.
• In China, Labor Day was stretched to three days during the 1990s. The Chinese government made it a 7 days holiday by moving the previous and upcoming weekends collectively with these 3 days. This holiday permitted Chinese people to enjoy travels during this time period.
• The Chinese government decreased this holiday time period less to single day in 2008, while concurrently stimulating 3 traditional Chinese holidays i.e. The Dragon Boat Festival, Tomb-Sweeping Day and the Mid-Autumn Festival.

India’s longest-serving Chief Minister - Sikkim’s Pawan Chamling

68 years Sikkim’s Pawan Chamling formed history by becoming lengthiest-serving CM in India. He has
accomplished 23 years, 4 months and seventeen days of continuous service in office. He exceeded earlier record captured by Jyoti Basu, five-term West Bengal Chief Minister who grabbed office position for 23 years. Basu was in office from June 21st, 1977-November 6th, 2000.

Important Highllights

• Pawan Chamling Pawan Chamling was born on September 22nd, 1950, at Yangang, South Sikkim.
• After completing his matriculation, he had dropped out of school. He took his drop into politics at an age of twenty-two during the time when discussions were under path for union of the kingdom of Sikkim with India. He began his political career at age of 32.
• He was selected as President of Yangang Gram Panchayat in 1982.
• In 1985, he was nominated to the Sikkim Legislative Assembly for the 1st time. He had worked as Minister for Industries, Information and Public Relations from 1989-1992 in Nar Bahadur Bhandari cabinet in the state.
• Following a sequence of political disturbances in Sikkim, he shaped Sikkim Democratic Front in 1993.
• He took oath as CM of Sikkim for the 1st time on December 12th, 1994 and now has been in office for 5th successive term.

Pilot scheme Procurement of Aggregate Power of 2500 MW for 3 years launched by - Government

Ministry of Power has initiated Pilot Scheme for Procurement of Aggregate Power of 2500 megawatts
on competitive basis for three years. The chief motive of scheme is to recover commissioned power
plants which are not able to trade electricity in nonappearance of valid power purchase agreements.
Key Points

• Under this scheme, these stations will be permitted to bid for electricity supply. Under it, electricity will be obtained from generators with commissioned projects under medium-term but without Power Purchase Agreement.
• Power Finance Corporation Consulting Limited has been designated as Nodal Agency and PTC India Limited as aggregator.
• PTC India will ink 3-year Agreement for power procurement with positive bidders and Power Supply Agreement with Discoms. In pilot scheme, a solitary entity can be fixed extreme capacity of 600 megawatts.
• The scheme will make sure least off-take of 55 per cent contracted volume. 
• The Tariff will be immovable for three years without any appreciation. This plan is believed to revive power need which has affected producers not having Power Purchase Agreements.
  Significance
• The scheme will assist about 12 Giga-Watt commissioned thermal power plants obtain medium-term power purchase agreement which is pre-requisite for obtaining coal associations.
• Currently out of 40 Giga-Watts worried coal-based electricity generation capacity, 28 power-plants of 24 Giga-Watts worth Rupees 1.44 lakh crore are commissioned.
• Approximately half of these capacities do not have coal associations due to no Power Purchase Agreements.

15th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas to be held in Varanasi in - January 2019

The 15 th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas will be organised in holly city of Varanasi in UP from January 21 st -
January 23rd, 2019. Its subject will be ‘Role of Indian Diaspora in building a New India’.  The jumbo
programme will be held by Ministry of External Affairs in connotation with UP government. It will be
initiated by PM Narendra Modi and his Mauritian counterpart Pravind Jugnauth.
More about Pravasi Bharatiya Divas

• Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is observed annually in India on 9th January. The day also honours return of
  father of nation Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa in Mumbai on January 9th, 1915.
• The day is observed to spot contribution of foreign Indian community to the progress of India.
• The day was officially recognized in 2003. Celebrations of this day are supported by Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Confederation of Indian Industry.
• The 14th Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas was organised in Bengaluru with theme of “Redefining Engagement with the Indian Diaspora”.