MEA and Thailand's Foreign Ministry Organise 6th Round Table of AINTT
Ministry of External Affairs in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand organized the 6th Round Table of ASEAN-India Network of Think Tanks (AINTT) through video conference on 20-21 August 2020. The ASEAN-India Centre (AIC) at the Research and Information System for Development Countries (RIS) and ASEAN Studies Centre (ASC) at Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok were the organizing partners of the Round Table. The theme of the Round Table was 'ASEAN-India: Strengthening Partnership in the Post COVID Era'.
The Round Table was jointly inaugurated by External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar and the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Thailand Mr. Don Pramudwinai. ASEAN Secretary General Mr. Lim Jock Hoi also addressed the inaugural session. SOM Leaders / their representatives from all ten ASEAN Member States were also present in the Session.
The Round Table had five thematic sessions spread over two days namely, Changing Landscape of Global Order and ASEAN-India relations in the post Covid-19 Era; Emerging Value Chains: Opportunities for ASEAN and India in the post Covid-19 Era; New Normal and Significance of 4IR on ASEAN-India Partnership and Future Collaborations; ASEAN Outlook on Indo-Pacific (AOIP) and Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI): Complementarities and Cooperation; and Way Forward. Each Session saw presentation of research papers by 4-5 panelists from prominent think-tanks, universities, institutes both from India and ASEAN, followed by Q&A.
More than 400 people from academia, industry, government and diplomatic community attended the Round Table.
The ASEAN-India Round Table comprising think tanks, policy makers, scholars, media and business representatives was established at the 7th ASEAN-India Summit in Thailand in 2009 to provide policy inputs to Governments on future direction of cooperation. The forum serves as a high quality research platform and provides long-term perspectives to further strengthen ASEAN-India Strategic Partnership.
Aug 21, 2020
IIT Roorkee and BIS Sign MoU to Cooperate in Standardisation and Conformity Assessment
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee and Bureau of India Standards (BIS) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for collaboration in areas of Standardisation and Conformity Assessment based on equality and reciprocity.
In Accordance with the agreement, the collaboration will include several fields like Civil, Electrical, Mechanical, Chemical, Earthquake Engineering, Development and Management of Water Resources and Renewable Energy Projects, Infrastructure Development, Medical Biotechnology and Nanotechnology biomaterials.
IIT Roorkee and BIS will participate in the standardisation activity through technical committees of BIS at the national and international levels.
Research and Development projects related to standardisation and conformity assessment will be undertaken.
Madhya Pradesh First State to Offer Govt. Jobs on Basis of NRA Test Score
Madhya Pradesh will become the first state in the country to offer government jobs on the basis of marks obtained in the National Recruitment Agency (NRA) test.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's announcement came a day after the Union cabinet approved the setting up of NRA to conduct a Common Eligibility Test (CET) for selecting candidates for a majority of central government jobs. Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar had said that the decision will allow job seekers to take one common test and save costs and time spent on writing multiple exams.
Madhya Pradesh is the first state in the country to take this unprecedented decision of giving government jobs to youths of the state on the basis of their NRA score. Other states can also emulate it to give relief to their sons and daughters.
NRA will conduct a separate CET each for graduates, higher secondary (Class 12) students and Class 10 candidates for non-technical posts to which recruitment is currently carried out by SSC, RRBs and IBPS. It will benefit around 25 million aspirants who apply for multiple government jobs every year and have to apply for each exam separately.
Three RJD MLAs Join the Ruling Janata Dal (United)
In a major development ahead of the Assembly poll in Bihar, three Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MLAs joined the ruling Janata Dal (United) in Patna.
The three MLAs Chandrika Rai, Faraz Fatmi and Jaivardhan Yadav joined the Nitish Kumar-led JDU in the presence of senior party leaders and ministers Bijendra Prasad Yadav and Sravan Kumar.
The Assembly Election in Bihar is scheduled to take place in October-November this year.
Aug 20, 2020
India in Talks with 13 Nations for Air Bubble Arrangement
According to Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, India is negotiating with 13 countries, including Australia, Japan and Singapore, to establish separate bilateral air bubble arrangements for international flight operations.
Under a bilateral air bubble pact, airlines of both the countries can operate international flights with certain restrictions.
Since July, India has established such bubbles with the following countries - the US, the UK, France, Germany, the UAE, Qatar and the Maldives.
Puri said that the government is taking these efforts forward and is negotiating with 13 more countries to establish such arrangements.
These countries include Australia, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Nigeria, Bahrain, Israel, Kenya, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand.
As per Puri, air bubbles have also been proposed with Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Nepal and Bhutan.
Maharashtra Exempts All Serving and Retired Soldiers from Panchayat Property Tax
As per Rural Development Minister Hasan Mushrif, Maharashtra, all serving and retired soldiers in Maharashtra will be exempted from the Gram Panchayat property tax. A government resolution for this was issued.
The decision was taken following pursuance by Agriculture Minister Dadaji Bhuse.
Till now, the recipients of defence gallantry awards or their dependents were exempted from the Gram Panchayat property tax for one residential building.
Now, the relaxation has been widened to cover all serving and retired soldiers.
This decision was taken to honour the soldiers who protect the country by risking their lives.
President Accepts Ashok Lavasa's Resignation as Election Commissioner
President Ram Nath Kovind accepted the resignation of Ashok Lavasa as Election Commissioner.
Lavasa had sent his resignation as Election Commissioner to the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Lavasa was next in line to head the poll panel. He would soon be joining the Asian Development Bank as vice president, sources said. He would be joining the Philippines-based ADB sometime in September 2020.
The ADB had appointed Ashok Lavasa as Vice-President for Private Sector Operations and Public-Private Partnerships. He will succeed Diwakar Gupta, whose term will end on August 31.
Lavasa's term in the EC would have ended in October 2022 had he become the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC). He is the second election commissioner to step down from the poll panel before the completion of his term. In 1973, CEC Nagendra Singh resigned after he was appointed a judge in the International Court of Justice at The Hague.
National Recruitment Agency for Conducting Common Eligibility Test for Various Govt. Jobs
The Union Cabinet approved a proposal to set up National Recruitment Agency that will conduct a Common Eligibility Test (CET) for selection to non-gazetted posts in the central government and public sector banks. As per Narendra Modi, the National Recruitment Agency will prove to be a boon for crores of youngsters.
There will be single entrance examination for all non-gazetted posts — Group B and C posts. Candidates who qualify this Common Entrance Test (CET) can apply to any recruitment agencies for higher level of examination. The score will be valid for three years during which candidate can apply for jobs in different sectors depending upon his/her aptitude and preferences.
Through the Common Eligibility Test, it will eliminate multiple tests and save precious time as well as resources. This will also be a big boost to transparency.
Cabinet's decision to set up National Recruitment Agency (NRA) to conduct Common Eligibility Test (CET) for preliminary selection to various Government vacancies is a revolutionary reform.
National Recruitment Agency will conduct a common eligibility test for Staff Selection Commission (SSC), the Railway Recruitment Boards (RRBs) and the Institute of Banking Service Personnel (IBPS). "There are almost more than 20 recruitment agencies in central govt. At present the exams are only for three agencies common as of now.
Railways Procures Drones to Protect Assets
Railways Minister Piyush Goyal said that the Railways has procured unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) for monitoring its assets and ensure safety for passengers.
The Mumbai Division of Central Railway has procured two Ninja UAVs for better security and surveillance in railway areas like station premises, railway track sections, yards, workshops.
Eye in the Sky: Improving Surveillance System, Railways has procured Ninja Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. With real-time tracking, video streaming & automatic failsafe mode.
The Railway Protection Force (RPF) has planned extensive use of drones for the purpose of railway security.
Nine drones have been procured by RPF so far at a cost of Rs. 31.87 lakh at South Eastern Railway, Central Railway, Modern Coaching Factory, Raebareilli and South Western Railway.
It is further proposed to procure 17 more drones in future at a cost of Rs. 97.52 Lakh. Nineteen RPF personnel have so far been trained in operation and maintenance of drones out of which four have received licenses for flying drones.
Aug 19, 2020
India Ranks 1st in Number of Organic Farmers and 9th in Terms of Area under Organic Farming
In accordance with the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW), India ranked first in number of organic farmers and 9th in terms of area under organic farming. Notably, Sikkim was the first state in the world to become completely organic and other states including Tripura and Uttarakhand have set targets to be on the same line.
In 2015, two dedicated programs namely Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North East Region (MOVCD) and Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) were launched to encourage chemical free farming.
The major organic exports from India have been flax seeds, sesame, soybean, tea, medicinal plants, rice and pulses.
Home Ministry Approves Renaming of Manduadih Railway Station as Banaras
The Union Home Ministry approved the renaming of Manduadih railway station in Uttar Pradesh as 'Banaras'. The Uttar Pradesh government had sent a request for renaming the railway station in Varanasi district.
The home ministry considers proposals for name change according to the existing guidelines in consultations with agencies concerned.
It gives its approval to any proposal for change of name of any place after taking no-objections from the Ministry of Railways, Department of Posts and Survey of India.
For changing the name of a village or town or a city, an executive order is needed. The renaming of a state requires amendment of the Constitution with a simple majority in Parliament.
Satya Pal Malik New Governor of Meghalaya; Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari Gets Additi...
Ram Nath Kovind, President of India appointed Satya Pal Malik, Goa Governor as the Governor of Meghalaya. Meanwhile, Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari was given the additional charge as Governor of Goa. Satya Pal Malik replaced Tathagata Roy who completed his 5 year term by serving as governor of Tripura for 3 years and remaining in Meghalaya.
The appointments will be effective from the dates they assume charge of their respective offices.
Satya Pal Malik served as the Governor of Bihar. After this, he served as the Governor of the erstwhile state of Jammu & Kashmir from August 2018 to October 2019.
During his tenure the constitutional decision to abrogate Article 370, which gave special status to J&K, was taken in August 2019.
He was appointed as the Governor of Goa in October 2019.
Bhaghat Singh Koshyari was appointed Minister of Energy, Irrigation, Law, and Legislative Affairs of the newly created state of Uttaranchal in 2000.
He replaced Nityanand Swami as the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand in 2001.
He also has had a successful career as a teacher and journalist.
Aug 18, 2020
Gwalior Chambal Expressway will be Named Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Chambal Progressway
Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Shivraj Singh Chouhan, announced that the Gwalior Chambal Expressway will be named as Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Chambal Progressway. Chouhan also stated that a grand statue of Vajpayee will be set up in Bhopal.
The Gwalior Chambal Expressway is a 6 lane expressway connecting Madhya Pradesh with Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, through the ravines of Chambal region.
The expressway will go parallel to the Chambal river via Shivpuri, Bhind, Morena to Kota (Rajasthan).
Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the first BJP member to become the Prime Minister of India.
He served as the Prime Minister in 1996, from 1998 to 1999 and a term of five years from 1999 to 2004.
Under his leadership the 1998 nuclear tests were conducted in Pokhran, Rajasthan.
In honour of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, 25th December is celebrated as Good Governance Day.
Govt. Launches E-portal on Tribal Health & Nutrition
Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda inaugurated the e-portal on tribal health and nutrition named 'Swasthya'. The portal provides all health and nutrition related information of the tribal population of India on a single platform. Swasthya will also curate innovative practices, case studies, and best practices collected from different parts of India to facilitate the exchange of evidence, expertise and experiences.
Mr. Munda said that the launch of the portal is a first step towards the much bigger goal of serving the tribal population of the nation. He informed about the initiatives of the Ministry in partnership with Facebook through the Going Online as Leaders (GOAL) Programme. Mr Munda said, through the GOAL Programme, the Ministry aims to mentor five thousand tribal youth across India and enable them to become village-level digital young leaders for their communities.
UK Launches £3 Million Innovation Challenge Fund for India to Tackle Covid-19 Challenges & Clima...
The government of United Kingdom (UK) launched a £3 million "Innovation Challenge Fund 2020" in India to support scientists in academia and industry to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change.
In this regard, tech innovators with connections to the AI-Data cluster in Karnataka and the future mobility cluster in Maharashtra will submit research and development proposals for tackling COVID-19 or which promote a greener planet till August 31, 2020.
At least 6 grants up to £250,000 are expected to be awarded for projects lasting 12 months, with a proposed start in January 2021.
These grants are part of a wider initiative under the tech partnership known as 'Tech Clusters'.
The Innovation Challenge Fund 2020 of £3 million to India is provided to Maharashtra(£1.5 million) & Karnataka(£1.5 million).
U.K.'s Innovation Challenge Fund 2020 will fund £1.5 million for innovative research and development projects in Future Mobility in Maharashtra. The aim of the Innovation Challenge Fund is also to support the development of the Maharashtra Future Mobility Tech Cluster by promoting closer scientific collaboration between industry and academia.
Innovation Challenge Fund 2020 will fund £1.5 million for innovative research and development projects in AI. The aim of the Innovation Challenge Fund is also to support the development of the Karnataka AI / Data Science Tech Cluster by promoting closer scientific collaboration between industry and academia, and by promoting links with international counterparts and centres of excellence, including in the UK.
This initiative is on the lines of the Indian and British Prime Ministers' commitment to bring together the best minds from both countries under the UK-India Tech Partnership, which was initiated in 2018 to deliver high-skilled jobs and economic growth as well as to collaborate on some of the world's biggest challenges.
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