Daily Current Affairs from 15& 16th Dec 2017 (English)
1. The establishment of International Training Centre for
Operational Oceanography (ITCOO), as a Category-2 Centre (C2C) of UNESCO, in
Hyderabad, Telangana was approved by the Union
cabinet. The centre will provide opportunity for India to emerge as leading
country in Indian Ocean. It will forge cooperation and improve engagement
between India and counties of IOR( Indian Ocean Rim ), including South Asian
and African states bordering Indian Ocean. It will contribute to achieving
Sustainable Development Goal-14 related to building marine scientific research
capacity in geographical area.
2. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) imposed complete blanket ban
on use, sale, purchase and storage of plastic items such as carry bags, plates
and spoons in towns of Haridwar and Rishikesh till
upper areas of Uttarkashi along the Ganga River in Uttarakhand to tackle and
prevent pollution of the Ganga. The green panel order comes while it was
hearing a plea of environmentalist MC Mehta. The NGT also imposed Rs 5,000 fine
on those violating order and also held that action will be taken against erring
officials too
3.
National Medical
Commission Bill, 2017 that will replace the Medical Council, 1956 Act and
enable a forward movement in medical education reform was approved by the Union
Cabinet. The bill replaces existing apex medical
education regulator Medical Council of India (MCI) with National Medical
Council (NMC), a new body to ensure transparency. The bill aims at bringing
reforms in medical education sector of the country which has been under
scrutiny for corruption and unethical practices. The commission will have
25-members including Chairman and Member Secretary. It will have 12 ex-officio
members and 11-part-time members of which five will be doctors elected to the
commission. The selected members will be picked by a search committee headed by
Cabinet Secretary. The bill proposes a common entrance exam and national
licentiate examination which every candidate, who completes five years of MMBS
course need to clear to become medical practitioner or get entry into
post-graduation studies.
4.
EKUVERIN 2017- the eight
edition of India, Maldives bilateral military exercise was held in India in
Belagavi, Karnataka. The focus of exercise was to
acquaint both armies with each other’s operating procedures in backdrop of CICT
Ops(counter insurgency, counter terrorism operations) in urban or semi-urban
environment under United Nations charter .Ekuverin (meaning ‘friends’ in the
Maldivian language). Since 2009 this exercise was held on alternate years in
their countries. The last one was held at Kaddhoo in the Lammu Atol of Maldives.
5.
The Union Ministry of
Women and Child Development (WCD) have organized the National Workshop on Role
of Sakhi One Stop Centres (OSCs) in
Strengthening Multi Sectoral Response to Violence was inaugurated by WCD
Minister Maneka Sanjay Gandhi in New Delhi. The Sakhi OSC scheme is being
implemented by WCD Ministry since April 1, 2015. It aims to facilitate access
to integrated range of services including medical aid, police assistance, legal
aid and case management, psychosocial counselling and temporary support
services to women affected by violence. Around 400 Sakhi- One Stop Centre
Functionaries and nodal officials from State Department of Women and Child
Development from 33 States/UTs across the country had participated in workshop.
6.
Atal Tinkering Lab’s
Community Day in New Delhi was launched by the National Institute of
Transforming India (NITI) Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission. The initiative is aimed at maximizing impact of Atal Tinkering
Labs by extending innovation to children in community who do not have access to
formal educational institutions. The day marks Community Drive Initiative in
which 25 young Mentors engaged with more than 200 students who are not enrolled
in formal education system. NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission is among one
of flagship programs of Government to promote innovation and entrepreneurship
in country and to set up Atal Tinkering Labs across the country.
7.
The Union Government is
planning to club phase I and phase II of its ambitious Ken-Betwa inter linking
river (ILR) project. The Ken-Betwa ILR project aims
to transfer surplus water from the Ken River to the Betwa basin through
concrete canal to irrigate India’s worst drought-prone Bundelkhand region. On
completion, the multipurpose project will benefit Uttar Pradesh and Madhya
Pradesh in terms of meeting irrigation, drinking water and electricity needs of
people across 6 districts in the two states. The phases will be clubbed after
Madhya Pradesh, one of the two beneficiary states (Uttar Pradesh in another),
demanded so. It will result in revision of project’s cost. The costs for first
phase was estimated at Rs. 18,000 crore and second phase was Rs. 8000 crore.
8.
The 4th
India-Australia-Japan Trilateral Dialogue was hosted by India in New Delhi. It was hosted by India’s Foreign Secretary Dr. S. Jaishankar,
Australia’s Secretary of Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Frances
Adamson and Japan’s Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Shinsuke J.Sugiyama. The
three sides highlighted the growing convergence of their respective countries’
interests in Indo-Pacific region. They underscored their shared commitment to
peace, democracy, economic growth and rules-based order in region.
9.
A novel way to induce
plants to give off dim light by embedding specialised nanoparticles into their
leaves have been found out by the Scientists from Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (MIT), US. The purpose of this
experiment was to make plant function as a desk lamp, powered by the energy
metabolism of the plant itself and not by electricity connection. To create the
glowing plants, scientists has used to luciferase, an enzyme that gives fireflies
their glow. Luciferase acts on molecule called lucifern, causing it to emit
light. Moreover, they had used another molecule called co-enzyme A which helps
process along by removing reaction by-product that can inhibit luciferase
activity.
10.
A Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) was signed between India and Morocco for enhanced cooperation in health sector.
11.
India and Morocco have
signed four agreements for cooperation in Water Resources, Road and Marine Sectors. They were signed after Morocco’s
Minister for Equipment, Transport, Logistics and Water meet Nitin Gadkari,
Minister of Road Transport & Highways, Shipping in New Delhi..
12.
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi has commissioned scorpene-class submarine INS Kalvari into the Indian Navy
in Mumbai, Maharashtra. INS Kalvari will be the
first conventional submarine to be inducted into India Navy after more than 17
years. It is first of the six
Scorpene-class submarines built under the strategic Project 75 built by Mazagon
Dock Limited (MDL) with assistance and technology transfer from France’s DCNS. INS
Sindhushastra was last inducted conventional diesel-electric submarine in July
2000 which was procured from Russia. ‘Kalvari’ is Malayalam word that means
deep-sea tiger shark. It reflects its agility, strength and predatory prowess.
The length of INS Kalvari is 67.5 metres and height of 12.3 metres and weighs
1,565-tonn and displacement capacity of 1,600 tonnes.
13.
India was ranked 100th
among 149 countries on the list of prosperous countries released as part of The
Legatum Prosperity Index 2017. It is
world’s leading global measure of economic and social wellbeing that studies
104 indicators under these categories: Economic Quality, Governance, Business
Environment, Personal Freedom, Safety and Security, Social Capital, Education,
Health and Natural Environment. Legatum Prosperity Index is an annual ranking
developed by the London-based Legatum Institute.
14.
India’s economic growth
forecast for current fiscal i.e. FY 2017-18 has been lowered by 0.3% to 6.7%
from earlier 7%. According to the Asian
Development Bank (ADB) in its Asian Development Outlook Supplement. The reasons
cited for this downward revision of growth forecast of largest economy South
Asia are lingering effect of demonetisation, transitory challenges to Goods and
Services Tax (GST) and weather-related risks to agriculture.
15.
The Union Government has
framed a scheme to set up 12 Special Courts for a year to fast-track the trial
of criminal cases against 1,581 MPs and MLAs. Initially,
12 courts would be constituted. Two special courts will handle cases against
228 MPs and remaining 10 courts will be set up in 10 states viz. Andhra
Pradesh, Bihar, Kerala, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu,
Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. This decision was conveyed by
Government to Supreme Court and is intended to end inordinate delay in
prosecution of politicians in criminal cases.
Announcement !
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