Current Affairs 24th June 2017

Current Affairs 24th June 2017 - Important Points

• India to become most populated country in the world by 2024 as per - UN Report
• TB patients have to submit Aadhaar details to avail cash benefits announced by - Health Ministry
• Portal on weather information launched by - Power Minister Piyush Goyal
•  ‘My Plant’ app to create database on tree plantation to launch by - Maharashtra Government
• United Nations Public Service Award won by - Bengal's Kanyashree initiative
• Employees are urged to contribute a day's salary for farmers families by - Maharashtra government
• Protests and agitations erupted in - Darjeeling
• Bill seeks to revoke Pakistan's major non-NATO ally status in - US Congress
• Another 30 cities under Smart City Mission announced by - Union Government
• Amendment of Social Security Agreement between India and Netherlands approved by Union Cabinet on - 22nd June 2017
• VAJRA scheme to attract Indian scientists abroad launched by - Union Government
• International Widows’ Day observed globally on - 23rd June 2017

Current Affairs 24th June 2017 - Details

India to become most populated country in the world by 2024 as per - UN Report

In roughly seven years, around 2024, Indian population is expected to cross that of China, according to a UN report. As per the report, At present China with a population of about 1.41 billion and India with a population of 1.34 billion are two of the most populous countries  comprising 19 and 18 percent of the total global population respectively.
The 2017 Revision of World Population Prospects is the 25th round of official UN population projections and estimates. During its twenty fourth round of estimates which was released in 2015, it was projected that Indian population will be surpassing China’s by 2022.

Main Highlights

• China and India are expected to roughly have a population of about 1.44 billion each by 2024.
• India’s population is projected to continue growing and touching 1.5 billion in 2030 and approaching 1.66 billion by 2050, while China’s population is projected to  remain stable until the 2030s, after which it may begin to decline slowly.
• As forecasted, India’s population will eventually see a decline after 2050 and expected to come down to 1.51 billion by 2100 but it will still remain as the most populous country in the world.
• Life expectancy at the time of birth in India will be 71 years in 2025-2030, which is forecasted to grow to 74.2 years in 2045-2050.

TB patients have to submit Aadhaar details to avail cash benefits announced by - Health Ministry

Union health ministry stated that people suffering from tuberculosis need to submit their Aadhaar details to avail cash benefits from the government for their treatment, under the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Program.

Key Points

• The Health Ministry has given the deadline of 31st August 2017 to those who haven’t yet registered with the Aadhaar database or those who do not have the Aadhaar card.
• The Aadhaar number will be linked to Nikshay which is the government's database for the health program on tuberculosis.
• If in case, there is no Aadhaar enrollment center located in the respective block or tehsil, the department in the state government will provide enrollment facilities at the convenient locations in coordination with the Union Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).
• Till a patient gets the Aadhaar number, they can avail the benefits with the help of Aadhaar enrolment ID slip, or other government documents like bank passbook, PAN card,voter identity card and ration card.
• The notification is applicable in all the states and Union territories except Meghalaya, Assam and Jammu and Kashmir states.

Portal on weather information launched by - Power Minister Piyush Goyal

Piyush Goyal, the Union Minister of State (IC) for Coal, Power, New & Renewable Energy and Mines launched a weather portal for Power sector on 23rd June 2017 that will be helping all the Indian electricity distribution companies in managing power distribution.
The Ministry launched the portal in association with the Power System Operation Corporation Limited and the India Meteorological Department at the Forum of Regulators meeting in New Delhi.

Below is the information given which portal will provide

• Regional Weather Summary : Regional Weather Summary gives Weather Outlook for the Region for the current day and upto next 7 days. Weather stations of Meteorological department have been mapped to the nearest important Power Stations in each State.
• Nowcast: It forecasts weather for a short period ahead, updated after every 3 hours.
• Weather Forecast: It is given for the current day and next 6 days.
• Weather Warning: Special Nowcast warning is issued for the 3 hours ahead.
• Radar: It generates different derived products and displays for practical utility based on standard algorithms and these are updated after every 10 minutes.
• Satellite Images: INSAT 3D is being used to monitor Indian Origin weather. The image is updated every half an hour.
• Meteogram: It gives plots for meteorological variables such as wind, speed, sea level pressure, cloud cover,rainfall, temperature, humidity and indices for thunderstorm  for 10 days with a resolution time of three hours. Each Meteogram provides the information of 10 km radius.
• Region Specific Forecast - Metar, Bay Bulletin,Coastal Area Bulletin, Cyclone, Fog Forecast, Port Warning etc.

 ‘My Plant’ app to create database on tree plantation to launch by - Maharashtra Government

Maharashtra Forest Minister, Sudhir Mungantiwar announced on 23rd June 2017 that the government is planning to launch a mobile app named ‘My Plant’ on 1st July 2017.  The app would be helping in recording data regarding tree plantations in the state.
Mungantiwar also added that this app makes it possible to upload information of all the tasks given to the government departments in the tree plantation program including the name of the tree species being planted and their status.

Key Highlights

• The Forest Department has set a target of planting four crore saplings through public participation between 1st and 7th July.
• Many social,voluntary organisations, industry and trade representatives also plant trees on a large scale.
• After downloading the app, the people or organisations would be able to feed in the data about the number of saplings they have planted with the Forest Department.
• The plantation details include the number, the species and other details which would eventually help in creating a database of trees.
• App Information will be automatically recorded on the department’s website.
• Further, the Forest Minister has also asked his department officials to prepare a tree plantation drive database, which would assist them in achieving  their mission of planting 13 Crore trees by 2018.
• The data bank will help the Ministry to figure out different districts performance along with the innovative concepts implemented by them.
• The Ministry has finished the preparing 4 Crore tree plantations in 2017. Till date, 4.41 Crore pits have been dug and more than 16 Crore saplings have been made available by the ministry.

 United Nations Public Service Award won by - Bengal's Kanyashree initiative

The West Bengal Government's Kanyashree Prakalpa was awarded the first prize in United Nations Public Service Award for Asia Pacific on 23rd June 2017 at The Hague, Netherlands.
Among 552 initiatives from 62 different countries, West Bengal Government's initiative was chosen the best.

Kanyashree Prakalpa is a targeted conditional cash transfer scheme focused to retain girls in schools, other educational or skill development institutions and preventing child marriage.
More than four million adolescent girls have already been enrolled in this scheme and
The State Government has transferred about USD 500 million directly to the beneficiaries' bank account till date.
The scheme is being implemented through 16000 schools and institutes.
More about United Nations Public Service Award
The United Nations Public Service Awards are given across the world for their innovation and excellence in providing public services by the world body to institutions.
It is the most prestigious award in International recognition of excellence in public service.
The award highlights the vital role of public services in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.

United Nations Public Service Award won by - Bengal's Kanyashree initiative

The West Bengal Government's Kanyashree Prakalpa was awarded the first prize in United Nations Public Service Award for Asia Pacific on 23rd June 2017 at The Hague, Netherlands.
Among 552 initiatives from 62 different countries, West Bengal Government's initiative was chosen the best. Kanyashree Prakalpa is a targeted conditional cash transfer scheme focused to retain girls in schools, other educational or skill development institutions and preventing child marriage.
More than four million adolescent girls have already been enrolled in this scheme and The State  Government has transferred about USD 500 million directly to the beneficiaries' bank account till date.
The scheme is being implemented through 16000 schools and institutes.
More about United Nations Public Service Award

• The United Nations Public Service Awards are given globally to institutions for providing their excellence and innovation in public services by the world body.
• It is the most prestigious award in International recognition of excellence in public service.
• The award highlights the vital role of public services in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Employees are urged to contribute a day's salary for farmer's families by - Maharashtra government

The Maharashtra government issued a notification on 22nd June 2017 appealing its employees to contribute a day's salary to provide financial assistance to families of farmers in the suicide-prone regions of the state.
An official notification of the state government issued from Mumbai says, “Officials, including IPS, IAS, Forest officers, Chief Minister, his cabinet colleagues, MLAs, Ministers of state and MLCs and the state government workers, semi-government bodies, and corporations were asked to contribute a day's salary to the Chief Minister's Relief fund in July to help families of farmers. 

It also states that the money would also be used for educational purposes of farmer's children. The Vidarbha and Marathwada are also called the "suicide belts" due to a large number of suicides by farmers in these regions specifically as reported over the years. Earlier in the month, the cultivators in various parts of the state resorted to protests for a complete loan waiver and other demands linked to that. Following the unprecedented agitation by the farmers, the state government agreed to waive off the loans of small and marginalized farmers. At present, the government is in the process of laying down the criteria to determine the beneficiaries of the loan waiver.

Protests and agitations erupted in - Darjeeling

There is a new wave of agitations and protests erupted in Darjeeling lately.  The current wave of trouble started after 16th May when the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee, said that Bengali would be made compulsory for all students across the state. The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), which is popular among the Nepali-speaking Gorkhas in Darjeeling, objected to this proposal and called for a protest on 8th June.
The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) took it as a unilateral impose of Bengali culture, and an attempt to homogenize the demographic of the state. Things took a violent turn for the worse when the GJM supporters clashed with the police at the same day. Gradually, the situation got out of control and the Army was called in to restore law and order in the area. The situation improved by evening.
On June 9th, the GJM announced a 12-hour Bandh starting from 6 a.m to protest against the “in-discriminated police action on the peaceful demonstration”. The Bengal CM called the Bandh “illegal” and warned for “strict legal action” against those taking part in it.

Bill seeks to revoke Pakistan's major non-NATO ally status in - US Congress

Two lawmakers introduced A bipartisan bill in the US House of Representatives that seeks to revoke Pakistan's status as a major non-NATO ally (MNNA) to the US with the reason that it has failed to effectively fight terrorism. The bill has been introduced by Democratic lawmaker Rick Nolan and Republican Congressman Ted Poe.
The legislation calls to revoke the MNNA status of Pakistan that was granted to it in 2004  by the US President George Bush, in an effort to have the mutual cooperation between both the countries to fight terror outfits -Al-Qaeda and the Taliban.
Ted Poe, who is a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and serves as chairman of the Subcommittee on Terrorism, Non-proliferation and Trade said that Pakistan must be made responsible for spreading terrorism and the American blood on its hands.
He further stated that Pakistan has acted as a Benedict Arnold ally of the United States for years from supporting Taliban and keeping Osama bin laden, Pakistan had stubbornly refused to go after terrorists in any meaningful way that actively seek to harm opposing ideologies.
Lawmaker Nolan also stated that the legislation will protect American taxpayer dollars and make the United States and the world a much safer place by implementing the Bill.

Do you know?

Benedict Arnold ally refers to treason and betrayal in the US.

Another 30 cities under Smart City Mission announced by - Union Government

The Union government announced another list of 30 cities for development as smart cities under Smart City Mission, taking the total tally of cities picked up so far to 90 on 23rd June 2017.
Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu made this announcement at a National Workshop on Urban Transformation, held in New Delhi. On the occasion, the minister added that 45 cities contested for 40 available smart city slots but only 30 were selected.
A announcement has been made for the total investment of Rs. 57,393 Crore for this development project.

Amendment of Social Security Agreement between India and Netherlands approved by Union Cabinet on - 22nd June 2017

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved amendment of the bilateral Social Security Agreement (SSA) between
India and the Netherlands by incorporating the 'Country of Residence' Principle into the SSA on 22nd June 2017.

The amended SSA between India and the Netherlands will also strengthen the ties between both the countries, and will continue to favourably impact competitive position of Indian and Dutch companies with foreign operations and their profitability by minimizing their cost of doing business abroad. The SSA will also help to promote more investment flows between both the countries.
Key Highlights

• The amendment in the SSA has come into picture following the introduction of new rules on export of social security benefits to countries outside the European Union by the Netherlands in January 2013.
• Under the new Social Security (Country of Residence) Act, benefit amount or allowance paid to a qualified beneficiary (Dutch national) is to be adjusted to the cost of living of the country where the beneficiary is residing currently.
• Social security benefits when remitted or exported would be indexed to the cost of living of the host country where the Dutch citizen resides, as per the new Dutch legislation.

Do you know?

A bilateral Social Security Agreement (SSA) was signed between India and the Netherlands on 22nd October 2009 and came into force on 15th June 2010.

VAJRA scheme to attract Indian scientists abroad launched by - Union Government

On 22nd June 2017, The Department of Science and Technology (DST) under Ministry of Science and Technology launched the Visiting Advanced Joint Research Faculty (VAJRA) scheme in order to bring together the Indian scientists settled in foreign and India-based researchers to conduct joint researches in India. Union Minister of Science and Technology Harsh Vardhan launched the web portal of VAJRA Scheme.
Important Highlights

• Scientists or senior researchers who are in abroad of Indian origin can collaborate with faculties here in India under this scheme.
• Foreign researchers will be receiving endowments at par with those in their own countries.
• The endowments for faculties would be USD 15000 in the first month of residency and USD 10000, for the rest of the months.
• The broad areas of research like health, energy, advance material and others will be promoted under the scheme only.
• These area of research undertaken by the Faculty should be of interest to India including translation of science to practice.
• Teaching or mentoring can also be done by the faculty during the period of stay in India. They could also act as start-ups mentor to be housed at the Institution.
• The motive behind the launching of VAJRA scheme is to bring the best of the world to India and conduct research here aiming to convert brain-drain into brain-gain.

International Widows’ Day observed globally on - 23rd June 2017

The International Widows’ Day was observed globally on 23rd June 2017 with an opportunity for action towards achieving full rights and recognition for widows, who have been living with an invisible status for too long invisible.
The lack of reliable data remains one of the main obstacles to develop the policies and programs to address the violence, poverty and discrimination faced by widows. Hence, there is a need for more statistics and research separated by age, marital status and sex in order to help reveal the incidence of widow abuse and illustrate the situation of widows.
Key Points

• Governments need to take action to uphold their commitments to ensure the widow rights as enshrined in international law, including the Convention on the elimination of all discrimination forms against women and the Convention on the rights of the child.
• States need to sensitize the judicial officials in order to defend widows’ rights and address their issues.