Current Affairs 26th June 2017

Current Affairs 26th June 2017 - Important Points

• Indian navy agreed to to institute Coordinated Patrol with navy of which country – Bangladesh
• International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking observed on – 26th June
• Saudi ARAMCO, ADNOC sign MoU for participating in - Ratnagiri Refinery project of Maharashtra
• Saudi Arabia lifts ban on - Female drivers
• India, Seychelles sign 6 MoUs for cooperation in various fields on - 25th June 2018
• Suryashakti Kisan Yojana launched by - Gujarat Government
• World Food Prize 2018 awarded to - Lawrence Haddad and Dr. David Nabarro

Current Affairs 26th June 2017 - Details

Indian navy agreed to to institute Coordinated Patrol with navy of which country – Bangladesh

India and Bangladesh have decided to organize Coordinated Patrol as an annual exercise among navies of both neighbouring nations. The 1st edition of Coordinated Patrol among both navies was initiated by Indian Navy’s Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba during his official visit to Bangladesh. The objective of the Navy Chief’s visit was to combine bilateral defence relationships among India and Bangladesh and to discover new paths for naval teamwork.

Key Points

The 1st edition of combined patrol exercise was organised under military collaboration of both nations. It witnessed participation of 4 maritime patrol aircraft, 2 from Bangladesh Navy and 2 from Indian navy, and 4 frigates, again 2 from Bangladesh Navy and rest 2 from Indian navy. During the combined patrol, naval forces of both the nations shared data via naval announcement and understanding. The warships and Patrol Aircraft mutually patrolled from Bangladesh’s sea territory and sailed towards the Indian territory in Bay.

Significance

The institution of Coordinated Patrol-CORPAT among India and Bangladesh is measured as major step towards improved operational collaboration between both naval forces. The combine patrol will assist to control maritime crimes and will restrict various sea smuggling and piracy in Bay of Bengal. Presently, both navies are patrolling their appreciated water territories 24-hour on individual bases.

International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking observed on – 26th June

By resolution 42/112 of 7th December 1987, the UN General Assembly finalised to celebrate 26th June as the “International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking” as an appearance of its willpower to reinforce action and collaboration to attain the goal of a drug abused free intercontinental society.

Reinforced every year by individuals, societies and various NGOs worldwide, this international celebration focuses to spread awareness of the major problem that illicit drugs represent to society.

Theme for 2018- Listen First

Building on the achievement of past year, the subject for 2018 is- “Listen First” because by listening to children and youth is the 1st step to benefit them grow healthy and protected. It is an ingenuity to raise support for prevention of drug usage that is an actual investment in the well-being of children, youth, their families and their societies.

The United Nations General Assembly organised a Special Session on drugs in April 2016. This Special Session highlighted an imperative milestone in attaining the goals set-up in the policy papers of 2009 "Political Declaration  and Plan of Action on International Cooperation towards an Integrated and Balanced Strategy to Counter the World Drug Problem", which demarcated action to be taken by member states and objectives to be attained by 2019.

Saudi ARAMCO, ADNOC sign MoU for participating in - Ratnagiri Refinery project of Maharashtra

Saudi Aramco and Abu Dhabi National Oil Company inked a MoU on June 25th, 2018, to mutually develop and shape a combined refinery and petrochemicals complex at Ratnagiri, Maharashtra. 

The Memorandum of Understanding was inked by Amin H. Nasser, Saudi Aramco President and CEO and Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of State and ADNOC Group CEO.

Importance 

The project will be executed by Ratnagiri Refinery & Petrochemicals Ltd. which is encouraged by an association of India firms IOCL, BPCL and HPCL will now will have Saudi Aramco & ADNOC as foreign strategic associates.

The project will be formed as a 50:50 combine partnership among the association from India and Saudi Aramco and ADNOC. This will be single major foreign investment in the Indian refining sector.

The strategic partnership brings close together crude supply, possessions, technologies, experience and specialists of these numerous oil establishments with a recognized profitable presence worldwide.

Ratnagiri Refinery project

The Ratnagiri refinery will have capacity of dispensing 1.2 million barrels of crude oil every day. 

It will generate a variety of refined petroleum outcoms, including petrol and diesel, thus, meeting BS-VI fuel efficiency guidelines. 

Saudi Arabia lifts ban on - Female drivers

In a first historic drive, females across Saudi Arabia were lawfully permitted to drive for the 1st time since 1957 on June 24th, 2018. Thus, it ends the world’s last restriction on female drivers which was recognised as a symbol of female’s repression in the strongly conservative Muslim kingdom.

After the removal of restrictions, females in Saudi Arabia started their engines and measured the roads, marking the moment they had waited since the issuance of the royal decree by King Salman on September 26th, 2017 to remove the driving prohibition on females.

Following the royal decree, driving schools for females were started in the Saudi Arabia. Female driving instructors, who got driving licences abroad were presented with the teaching posts. As approximated, three million females are believed to drive in the nation by 2020. 

Royal Decree ending the driving ban on females

Saudi Arabia King Salman on September 16th, 2017 ordered a royal decree that permits females to drive cars. The end of the restriction was ordered as part of the reforms forced by King’s young son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. 

The Royal Decree ordered the set-up of a ministerial group to advice within 30 days and then execute the order by June 24th, 2018.

The Royal Decree finished an old-fashioned tradition perceived by rights activists as an insignia of the Islamic kingdom's repression of females.

India, Seychelles sign 6 MoUs for cooperation in various fields on - 25th June 2018

India and Seychelles inked 6 MoUs on June 25th , 2018 to further increase bilateral relations among the 2 nations in various fields. These include areas of naval cooperation for sharing White Shipping Information among the Indian Naval Forces and the National Information Sharing and Coordination Center Seychelles, in cybersecurity between the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team and the Department of ICT Seychelles on collaboration in this area, culture Agreement for planning a Cultural Exchange Programme between the India and Seychelles for the years 2018-2022, development Memorandums of Understanding between India and Seychelles regarding Indian Grant Assistance for implementation of small development projects via native bodies, educational and vocational institutions projects among others.
The Memorandums of Understanding inked were witnessed by PM Narendra Modi and Seychelles
President Danny Antoine Rollen Faure after the both leaders organised bilateral talks in Hyderabad House, New Delhi.
Line of Credit for Seychelles’ Defence Sector

• On the same eve, Prime Minister Modi proclaimed a line of credit worth USD 100 million for Seychelles for acquisition of defence hardware.
• The PM also presented Dornier Aircraft to President of Seychelles, which is marked as a significant step towards India's pledge to expand Seychelles defence assets and capability.
• Both the sides would also work to strengthen collaboration to carry out hydrographical trainings of the naval region and acknowledged exchange of essential oceanic maps between two sides.
• India also settled to finance 3 civilian infrastructure plans in Seychelles under Special Grant. These are Government House, New Police Headquarters and the Office of the Attorney General.

Suryashakti Kisan Yojana launched by - Gujarat Government

The government of Gujrat has initiated Suryashakti Kisan Yojana, which is a solar-power plan for farmers making them capable to produce electricity for their confined consumption and trade extra power to grid and produce extra money. It is 1st such scheme in the nation, where farmer will generate his electricity and will trade extra power to State power utility.
The pilot project of the scheme will start from July 2018 and approximately 137 feeders will be formed. It will cover about 12,400 farmers from 33 different districts. The estimated cost of the project is
approximately Rupees 870 crores and it will produce 175 megawatts electricity.
More about Suryashakti Kisan Yojana

• The scheme intentions at empowering farmers of state to produce their own electricity with the help of solar energy and benefit replication of their income.
• Under it, farmers of state having present electricity connection will be issued solar panels according to their consumption needs. It envisions formation of distinct feeders for agricultural solar energy utilisation.
• The State and Central governments will issue 60 percent funding on cost of project. The farmer is needed to take 5 percent cost, while 35 percent will be issued to him as inexpensive loan with rate of interest 4.5 to 6 percent.
• This is a 25 years plan, which is fragmented between 7 years period and 18 years’ time period. For first 7-year, farmers will get per unit proportion of Rupees 7. For the succeeding 18 years they will get amount of Rs 3.5 for each unit traded.

World Food Prize 2018 awarded to - Lawrence Haddad and Dr. David Nabarro

The World Food Prize-2018 was bestowed to Lawrence Haddad and Dr.David Nabarro for their distinct but harmonizing Global leadership in elevating maternal and child malnutrition within food safety. The World Food Prize is maximum protruding global award for persons whose innovation achievements ease hunger and encourage global food security. Present year’s $250,000 award will be equally distributed among both recipients.
Key Facts

• Lawrence Haddad is British Economist and Food Policy scholar and Dr. David Nabarro has served the WHO and UN on health and hunger matters.
• Both have devoted their occupations for reducing hunger and malnutrition. Their work has excavated understanding of nutritional impression on person’s health, therefore, captivating world leaders to participate in evidence-based results.
• Their work has caused in decreasing number of stunted children worldwide by ten million between 2012 to 2017.
  World Food Prize
• The award identifies achievements of persons who have innovative human development by civilizing the quality, and quantity of food in the world. It was perceived in 1986 by Nobel laureate Norman Borlaug.
• Since its creation, seven Indians have won this award. These Indian winners are Prof. M.S.Swaminathan in 1987, Dr.Verghese Kurien in 1989, Dr.Gurdev Khush in 1996, Dr.B.R.Barwale in 1998, Dr.Surinder K.Vasal in 2000, Dr.Modadugu Vijay Gupta in 2005 and Dr.Sanjaya Rajaram in 2014.