Assam Current Affairs – April 01 – 07, 2019

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Current Affairs Assam – April 1 - 7, 2019

( Covers all important Assam Current Affairs & GK topics for the week of April 1 – 7, 2019 )

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April 01, 2019

Reserve Bank of India to issue guidelines for setting up of a Regulatory Sandbox
  • The RBI will be issuing guidelines for the fintech companies to test their new products on a small group of users before scaling up. This Regulatory Sandbox will help fintech companies to launch innovative products at a lower cost and in less time and enable fintech companies to conduct live or virtual testing of their new products and services.
  • The RBI’s working group on FinTech and digital banking in 2017 had recommended that a regulatory sandbox be introduced to experiment with FinTech solutions, where the consequences of failure can be contained and reasons for failure analysed.
  • A Sandbox is a framework set up by a regulator that allows FinTech start-ups to conduct live experiments in a controlled environment under supervision.

Advantage of the Regulatory Sandbox

  • Regulatory Sandbox will provide a well-defined space for the companies to develop new products.
  • Regulatory Sandbox allows for experimenting with their products and fintech solutions. In case of failure, the consequences would be contained and the reasons will be analysed for betterment.
  • Regulatory Sandbox would benefit FinTech companies by way of reduced time to launch innovative products at a lower cost.
Indian rocket lifts off with Emisat satellite for DRDO
  • A new variant of the India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket carrying the electronic intelligence satellite, Emisat for the Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) and 28 other third party satellites lifted off from the second launch pad.
  • The PSLV has successfully injected the ISRO-made Emisat satellite and 28 customer satellites at a 504 km altitude. With this launch, India has successfully put into orbit 297 foreign satellites till date.
  • This space mission used a new variant of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), switching off and on the fourth stage engine couple of times and the use of the fourth stage as an orbital platform carrying three experimental payloads.

FACTFILE – Satellite Launch Vehicle development in India

  • The Satellite Launch Vehicle or SLV was a project started in the early 1970s by the Indian Space Research Organisation to develop the technology needed to launch satellites.
  • SLV was intended to reach a height of 400 kilometres and carry a payload of 40 kg.
  • The first experimental flight of SLV-3, in August 1979, was a failure.
  • The first successful launch took place on 18 July, 1980, which was a four-stage rocket with all solid-propellant motors.
  • The PSLV is a four-stage engine expendable rocket with alternating solid and liquid fuel. ISRO also has two more PSLV variants – Core Alone and the larger PSLV-XL.
Singapore to introduce new law to prevent spread of Fake News
  • Singapore is planning to introduce a law to halt the spread of “fake news,” asking websites to correct erroneous information or even remove articles in extreme cases.
  • The bill will give more power to the government to hold online outlets more accountable if they’re deemed to have deliberately delivered false news.
  • The measures will include requiring them to show corrections or display warnings about online falsehoods so that readers can see all sides and come to their own conclusions.
  • Singapore lashed out at social media giant Facebook Inc. last year, calling the company unreliable after it declined a request to remove an alleged post. The government said then that Facebook’s decision to not remove malicious information on the country shows the need for legislation. 
Vijaya Bank, Dena Bank and Bank of Baroda Merged
  • The amalgamation of Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank into the Bank of Baroda (BoB) will come into effect from April 1 and all branches of the former two will function as branches of Bank of Baroda (BoB).
  • Customers, including depositors of Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank will be treated as customers of Bank of Baroda with effect from April 1, 2019.
  • Union cabinet in January 2019, approved the merger of Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank with BoB. Post the merger, Bank of Baroda with a combined business of Rs 14.82 lakh crore, would be the third largest bank in the country, after State Bank of India (SBI) and ICICI Bank.
  • The merged entity would also receive Rs 5,042 crore fund infusion from the government. The infusion will be by way of preferential allotment of equity shares of the bank.

FACTFILE – Bank of Baroda (BOB)

  • BoB is the second largest public sector bank in India with a business mix of close to US$225 Billions.
  • Based on 2019 data, it is ranked 1145 on Forbes Global 2000 list. BoB has total assets in excess of ₹ 3.58 trillion (making it India’s 2nd biggest bank by assets), a network of 9583 branches in India and abroad, and 10441 ATMs as of July, 2017.
  • The Maharaja of Baroda, Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III, founded the bank on 20 July 1908 in the Princely State of Baroda, in Gujarat.
  • As many as 10 banks have been merged with Bank of Baroda to date.

April 02, 2019

Assam district develops App for first-time voters
  • The district administration of Bongaigaon has developed a ‘Sankalp’ mobile phone application to especially reach out to the first-time voters.
  • The NIC team has developed the app and it will be launched soon,” Khan, who is also the district election officer for Bongaigaon which falls under Barpeta Parliamentary constituency.
  • Messages will be sent to the first-time voters on their mobile phones, requesting them to download the ‘Sankalp’ app.
  • They will have to input a few details, like name and age, and the app will track their polling station and other details. They will also be able to sign a digital ‘sankalppatra’, promising to cast their votes on the day of polling.
Turing Award 2018 Awarded to Geoffrey Hinton, Yann LeCun and Yoshua Bengio
  • The Turing Award 2018 has been awarded to Geoffrey Hinton, Yann LeCun and Yoshua Bengio who have kickstarted an AI revolution by studying the learning abilities of large artificial neural networks.
  • The deep neural network uses layers of artificial neurons which mimics the structure of animal brains. Such AI is increasingly used in products that people use every day – from smart speakers to Facebook. This forms the backbone of Deep Learning.

FACTFILE – Deep Learning

  • Deep learning involves building computer programs which mimics the structure of animal brains, with many layers of artificial neurons used for processing the data.
  • When the network of neurons digests data, each neuron has individual responses within each layer.
  • These outputs are passed to the next layer until the network finally forms a decision or judgment about the input.
  • This deep learning technology can be used to transcribe human speech or recognise a person’s face in different photographs.

FACTFILE – The Turing Award

  • Turing Award is an annual prize given by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) for individuals who have contributed a lasting and major technical importance to the computer field.
  • The Turing award is accompanied by a prize of US $1 million, with financial support provided by Google.
  • Turing Award is recognized as the highest distinction in computer science and is often referred to as the “Nobel Prize of computing”.
ISRO opens 1st visitors gallery to watch rocket launches
  • The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), for the first time, opening its launch complex at Sriharikota to common people to view rocket launches live. People can now enjoy watching with their naked eyes the lift-off of the 44-metre-tall and 320-tonne heavy PSLV rocket into the sky from the coast of the Bay of Bengal at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.
  • The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is, for the first time, opening its launch complex at Sriharikota to common people to come and view rocket launches live.
  • A new stadium with a capacity to accommodate 5,000 people has been created on the island of Sriharikota inside Satish Dhawan Space Centre and a website where visitors can register has been opened.
  • The only requirement is a government-recognised photo identification document. Only Indians will be allowed to enter and the facility will soon be expanded to accommodate up to 10,000 people.
  • This is part of the space theme park being made at the space centre, which will include a space museum and large display of Indian rockets. 
Indian Navy inducts sixth indigenous transport ship LCU L56
  • The sixth indigenously designed and built transport ship has been inducted into the Indian Navy. LCU L56 is the sixth ship of Landing Craft Utility (LCU) Mk-IV class to be inducted into the Indian Navy.
  • Amphibious operations capability including transport of troops, tanks and equipment will get enhanced with the addition of this LCU which will be based at Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
  • The ship is commanded by Lt CdrGopinath Narayan and has a complement of five officers and 50 sailors.

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April 03, 2019

North East People’s Conference 2019 held in Manipur
  • In an effort to create a common political platform for the Northeastern region to fight the challenges, a day-long North East People’s Conference 2019 was held at the City Convention Centre.
  • Hosted by Manipur People against Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (MANPAC), the conference was jointly organised by the civil society organisations of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura.
  • Representatives of many civil society organisations such as Joint Committee on Prevention of Illegal Immigrants (JCPI) of Nagaland, Coordination Committee of Tribal Organisations of Assam, Confederation of Meghalaya Social Organisations and North East Indigenous Peoples’ Parliament, social activists, intellectuals and others participated in the conference.
  • The representatives of other bodies such as CCTOA of Assam and CoMSO of Meghalaya also dwelt on CAB and others issues that threaten the existence of the indigenous population of the region.
  • The Conference is likely to come up with a declaration and formation of a common political platform for NE people to face the challenges in future.
Wipro partners with IIT-Kharagpur for Advanced 5G Research
  • IT services major Wipro and IIT Kharagpur will jointly take up applied research projects on industry challenges related to the design, planning and operations of 5G networks and cognitive information processing for the automation of these processes and 5G use cases.
  • The research will focus on AI research applicable in the healthcare, education and retail sectors as well as in domains such as climate change and cybersecurity.
  • Research outcomes from this partnership will be leveraged by Wipro to develop solutions for its customers, across industry verticals. And IIT Kharagpur will benefit from the commercialisation of the joint research insights and Wipro’s industry expertise.
  • Subject matter experts from Wipro and IIT-Kharagpur will promote knowledge sharing through guest lectures, workshops and seminars on 5G and AI.
Centre pays sovereign guarantees to ADB
  • Central government has paid up on sovereign guarantees to Asian Development Bank (ADB) and KfW, a state-run bank of Germany.
  • Payment of around $2 million or Rs 13.84 crore has been made to ADB at the least in the last couple of months and around Rs 5 crore has been paid to KfW.
  • In 2009, the government of India had issued a sovereign guarantee on behalf of Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services (IL&FS).

FACTFILE – ADB

  • The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is a regional development bank established on 19 December 1966, which is headquartered in the Ortigas Center located in the city of Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Philippines.
  • The company also maintains 31 field offices around the world to promote social and economic development in Asia.
  • Japan and United States hold the largest proportion of shares at 15.607%. China holds 6.444%, India holds 6.331%, and Australia holds 5.786%.
  • The bank admits the members of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP, formerly the Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East or ECAFE) and non-regional developed countries.
  • Membership – 68 countries
  • President – Takehiko Nakao
US approves sale of submarine-hunting copters to India
  • The US has approved the sale of 24 submarine-hunting MH-60R Seahawk Multi-Mission helicopters to India in a $2.6 billion deal aimed at strengthening their strategic relationship.
  • The DSCA said that it received the approval from the State Department for the sale and it has notified the Congress about it.
  • The helicopters, nicknamed “Romeo”, will give India the capability to perform anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare missions and also perform peacetime operations like search and rescue.
  • The approval for the sale comes as India and the US strengthen their strategic cooperation, with President Donald Trump raising India to the status of a major defence partner in his administration’s vision for a secure Indo-Pacific region buttressed by the two major democracies at either end.

FACTFILE – Defense Security Cooperation Agency

  • The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), as part of the United States Department of Defense (DoD), provides financial and technical assistance, transfer of defense materiel, training and services to allies, and promotes military-to-military contacts.
  • Security Cooperation (SC) is founded on a tradition of cooperation between the United States and other sovereign nations with similar values and interests in order to meet common defense goals.
  • It consists of a group of programs authorized by the U.S. Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended, and the Arms Export Control Act, as amended, and related statutes by which the DoD or commercial contractor provide defense articles and services in furtherance of national policies and objectives.

 April 04, 2019

Guwahati is fast becoming a favourite healthcare destination for Myanmar patients
  • According to Dr Gitartha Roymedhi, a healthcare management specialist and chief operating officer at the North East Cancer Hospital and Research Institute (NECHRI), Jorabat, patients from Myanmar, particularly cancer patients, nowadays prefer the hospitals of Guwahati for quality healthcare.
  • Last month a number of cancer patients had travelled to the city from Mandalay, Myanmar searching for better and upgraded cancer care. Many other patients from the neighbouring country are trying to contact NECHRI through email and social media.
  • The Myanmarese Gorkha community prefer North East India as their healthcare destination. They can easily travel to Moreh in Manipur. They can acquire the medical visa in a short time from the Indian Embassy in Mandalay after submitting all the required documents along with the invitation letter issued by the hospital.
  • Many Myanmarese patients travel to countries like Malaysia and Singapore for better and quality treatment. But for the middle-class Myanmarese citizens Guwahati is turning into the best choice as they can have quality treatment and services at cheaper rates.
  • Myanmar has a large Gorkha population who have been living in that country for centuries. During the British rule in Myanmar (then Burma) and World War II, a large number of Gorkhas migrated to that country.
Odisha’s Kandhamal Haldi gets GI Tag
  • Southern Odisha’s Kandhamal Haldi gets Geographical indication (GI) tag.
  • Kandhamal in Odisha’s southern hinterland is famous for its turmeric cultivation, a spice that enjoys its pride of place in an array of cuisines.
  • Kandhamal Haldi has more oleoresin and volatile oil contents compared to other turmeric varieties. It gives a strong aroma and has a high medicinal value.

FACTFILE –  Geographical Indication (GI) Tag

  • Geographical Indication defines the goods as originating in the territory of a country or a region or locality in that territory, provided a given quality reputation or other characteristics of the product are attributable to its geographical origin.
  • The product to acquire GI tag has to indicate that the product is of a particular origin has a certain quality or reputation or some other characteristics, which is essentially attributable to its geographical origin.
  • The GI tag in India is governed by the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection Act), 1999.
UAE conferred its highest civilian honour on PM Narendra Modi
  • The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has conferred its highest civilian honour, the Zayed Medal, on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
  • PM Modi was honoured by President Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan in appreciation of the Indian leader’s role in consolidating the long-standing friendship and joint strategic cooperation between the two countries.
  • Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan said Modi had played a pivotal role in enhancing bilateral ties to the level of comprehensive strategic relations.
  • He expressed “his pride at the strong friendship and cooperation between the UAE and India, and wished the country and its people continued progress, prosperity, security and stability”
  • The Order of Zayed is the United Arab Emirates’ highest civil decoration named after Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. 
ADB projects India’s GDP growth to rise to 7.2
  • Asian Development Outlook (ADO) 2019, the ADB projects India’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth to rise to 7.2 per cent in 2019 and reach 7.3 per cent in fiscal 2020, reversing two years of declining growth as reforms to improve the business and investment climate take effect.
  • India will remain one of the fastest-growing major economies in the world this year given strong household spending and corporate fundamentals.
  • India has a golden opportunity to cement recent economic gains by becoming more integrated in global value chains.
  • The country’s young workforce, an improving business climate, and a renewed focus on export expansion all support this.
  • The report said that the income support to farmers, hikes in procurement prices for food grains, and tax relief to tax payers earning less than Rs 500,000 ($7,212) will boost household income.
  • Consumer price inflation is expected to rise to 4.3 per cent in finacial year 2019, and 4.6 per cent in the following one, as food costs increase slightly and domestic demand strengthens. Inflation is expected to average around 4 per cent in the first half of fiscal 2019.

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April 05, 2019

Guwahati Railway Station first to get ISO 14001: 2015 certification
  • Guwahati Railway Station has become the first station in India to obtain the ISO 14001: 2015 certification for implementation of environment management system.
  • The certification has been issued for “providing passenger amenities in clean and green environment throughout the entire railway station premises with high class reserve (VIP) lounge, waiting rooms, AC and non-AC retiring rooms, refreshing area, food courts and sanitation.”
  • As per direction of the National Green Tribunal, NF Railway had given consultancy contract for environment management system to M/s Caliber Management Solutions in February this year.
  • M/s Caliber Management Solution is a consultancy firm based in Delhi and Guwahati which is the authorised associate of TNV Certification.
  • TNV Certification is the authorised certification body of the International Accreditation Services (IAS) of United States of America, which is a member of International Accreditation Forum (IAF).
  • While ISO makes standard and policy, IAF regulates and authorises certification bodies to issue certificates after assessment to meet compliance as per related standard.
  • M/s Caliber Management Solution had started auditing the facilities at the Guwahati Railway Station on February 22 and completed the work on March 22 March.
  • The certification will be reviewed in 2020 and so stricter environment norms regarding waste disposal, etc., have to be adhered to by NF Railway in the Guwahati station area. Provision of mechanised cleaning, anti-rodent treatment, use of standard cleaning chemicals, etc., which are already in place, will be monitored and audited by the certifying agencies.
RBI sets limits for Ways and Means Advances at Rs 75000 crore
  • The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in consultation with the Government of India has set the limits for “Ways and Means Advances (WMA)” for the first half of the financial year 2019-20 (April 2019 to September 2019) at Rs 75000 crore.

FACTFILE – “Ways and Means Advances (WMA)”

  • Ways and Means Advances is the temporary loan facility provided by the RBI to the Centre and State Governments.
  • The WMA scheme was introduced in 1997 to meet any temporary mismatches in the receipts and payments of the Government.
  • The WMA needs to be vacated after 90 days. The interest rate for WMA is currently charged at the repo rate.
  • The limits for WMA are decided by the RBI and in consultation with the Government of India. Further, the RBI provides an overdraft facility when the WMA limit is breached.
  • For the State Governments, there are two types of WMA – Special and Normal WMA.
  • Special WMA is provided against the collateral of the government securities held by the State Government.
  • After the exhaustion of the special WMA limit, the State Government are provided with a normal WMA which is based on a three-year average of actual revenue and capital expenditure of the state.
Railways to provide quality healthcare facilities via Microsoft Kaizala
  • The Indian Railways will use Microsoft Kaizala to connect its employees across the country with quality healthcare facilities.
  • Microsoft Kaizala is a mobile-only product that makes it simple for organisations to seamlessly communicate, collaborate and complete tasks, bringing together desktop users and mobile-only users.
  • The Kaizala app will enable serving and retired railway employees to avail healthcare services of 125 railway and 133 private recognised hospitals.
  • On registering for the healthcare services, Indian Railway employees will be able to search on Microsoft Kaizala, the nearest hospitals and doctors and the list of empanelled diagnostic centres and health units.
  • Employees can book doctor appointments, share diagnostic lab reports directly with their doctors and save digital records in ‘Me Chat’ of Microsoft Kaizala.
  • They will also be able to access key announcements and share their feedback to improve the quality of medical services with built in action cards.
Russia launches cargo ship to space station
  • Russia successfully launched a Progress MS-11 unpiloted cargo resupply spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS).
  • The launch of the spacecraft by the Soyuz-2.1a carrier rocket was carried out.
  • The spacecraft, will deliver over 2.5 tonnes of fuel, condensed air and oxygen, water, food and other cargoes necessary for the operation of the station in manned mode.

April 06, 2019

Phayenga village in Manipur is the first carbon-positive tag in India
  • Phayenga village in Manipur has been tagged as India’s first carbon-positive settlement.
  • The village in Imphal West district is surrounded by three densely forested hillocks with fruit trees at centre and a stream flowing through it.
  • The residents transformed the village with funding under National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change (NAFCC), a central scheme to support adaptation to climate change impact in various states.
  • Phayeng is the first Indian village which has been developed on the carbon-positive model.
  • A village is given the tag of carbon-positive settlement if it sequesters more carbon than it emits, slowing the accumulation of greenhouse gases and mitigating the effects of climate change.
India’s first ‘Cold Spray’ SMART lab to be set up at IIT Madras
  • The Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-M) announced its collaboration with American conglomerate General Electric (GE) to set up a lab that will develop advanced services technology for aircraft engine components.
  • The ‘Cold Spray’ SMART (Surface Modification and Additive Research Technologies) Laboratory is the first-of-its-kind being installed in any academic institute in India.
  • It is an emerging technology for advanced manufacturing and services and will be utilised to co-develop processes for aero-engine applications.
  • Cold spray technology is different from other widely used thermal spray processes in that there is no melting and oxidation of powders. Thus, high quality coatings can be produced.
  • Moreover, the deposition rates are very high, leading to less powder wastage and it can be used for additive manufacturing and repair of components.
GRSE Becomes “First Indian Shipyard” to Build 100 Warships
  • State-owned Garden Reach Ship Builders and Engineers Ltd. has become the first Indian shipyard to build and deliver 100 warships.
  • GRSE had handed over its 100th warship ‘IN LCU L-56’ to the Indian Navy and 99th warship, ‘ICGS Priyadarshini’, an advanced ‘Fast Patrol Vessel’ to the Indian Coast Guard.

FACTFILE – Garden Reach Ship Builders and Engineers Limited

  • Based in Kolkata, Garden Reach Ship Builders and Engineers Ltd (GRSE) is a shipbuilding company in India under the administrative control of the Ministry of Defence.
  • GRSE primarily caters to the shipbuilding requirements of the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard. In addition to its ship and warship building capabilities, GRSE is also engaged in engine production and other engineering activities.
  • In 1934, GRSE was incorporated under the Indian Companies Act, 1913 and was later acquired by the Government of India from Macneill & Barry Limited on May 19, 1960.
  • In 2006, GRSE was conferred upon the status of Mini Ratna.

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April 07, 2019

Assam witnessed very few woman candidates for LS polls
  • Voters of the State have never elected more than two woman candidates to the Lok Sabha in any single parliamentary election. Although most political parties swear by the agenda of amending the Constitution to provide 33 per cent reservation to women in legislature, it is noteworthy that very few woman candidates have contested the Lok Sabha polls from Assam in past years.
  • During the first Lok Sabha polls held in 1951-52, only two woman candidates contested the first Lok Sabha polls from Assam, out of total 12 seats. One of them, Bonily Khongmen of the Indian National Congress (INC), got elected from the Autonomous District constituency.
  • In the second Lok Sabha election held in 1957, two number of woman contestants in the State and both had won.
  • In the 1962 LS polls, three woman candidates contested in Assam and two of them emerged victorious, viz. Jyotsna Chanda from Cachar constituency and Renuka Devi Barkataki from Barpeta.
  • In the fourth Lok Sabha elections, the number of constituencies in Assam increased to 14 but the number of woman contestants in Assam again fell to two, and one of them, Jyotsna Chanda from Cachar was elected.
  • Jyotsna Chanda of INC from Cachar was once again the lone woman MP in the 1971 General Elections from the State.
  • In the 1977 Lok Sabha elections, a total of three woman candidates were among those in the fray and two emerged victorious. The winners were Rashida Haque Choudhury from Silchar and Renuka Devi Barkataki from Guwahati constituency.
  • The seventh Lok Sabha polls in 1980 were not held in the constituencies of the Brahmaputra Valley. However, elections took place for the two seats in the Barak Valley and two woman contestants were in the fray from those constituencies and both lost.
  • No woman MP was elected to the Lok Sabha from Assam during the 1980 General Elections and the trend continued till 1998.
  • Polls to the parliamentary constituencies of Assam and Punjab were held only in 1985, four woman candidates contested from the seats in Assam but none was elected.
  • Elections to the Lok Sabha constituencies of Assam were not held in 1989. In the General Elections to the tenth Lok Sabha in 1991, eight woman contestants were in the fray from the constituencies of Assam and all were defeated.
  • In the 1996 Lok Sabha polls, nine woman candidates contested in the state but none was elected.
  • In the 1998 Lok Sabha polls, three women contested and Ranee Narah got elected from Lakhimpur constituency.
  • There were nine woman candidates in the state in 1999 polls for the 13th Lok Sabha and two of them won.
  • In the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, all six woman candidates faced defeat.
  • In the General Elections to the 15th Lok Sabha held in 2009, the 11 number of woman contestanted but only two got elected, Ranee Narah from Lakhimpur constituency and Bijoya Chakravarty from Guwahati.
  • The 16th General Elections held in 2014 witnessed the highest number of woman candidates, a total of 16 women, contested in the state but only two of them, Bijoya Chakravarty from Guwahati and Sushmita Dev from Silchar, emerged winners.
India inks MOU to set up agriculture, rural development institute in Malawi
  • India has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development Consultancy Service (NABCONS) for setting up the India-Africa Institute of Agriculture and Rural Development (IAIARD) in Malawi.
  • Ministry of External Affairs signed with NABCONS for setting up IAIARD, an attempt to complement the efforts of the Government of India to enhance capacity in the areas of agro-financing and entrepreneurship development for African countries.
  • IAIARD will be a pan-African institute wherein trainees not only from Malawi but also from other African countries, will receive training to develop their human resources and build their capacity.
  • IAIARD will develop training programmes in the areas of micro-financing and agro-financing, among others.
  • This institute will be the first of its kind developed in an African country by India. This will further strengthen bilateral relations with Malawi and India’s relations with the African Union.

FACTFILE – Malawi

  • Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland.
  • Malawi spans over 118,484 km2 and has an estimated population of 18,091,575.
  • Its capital is Lilongwe, which is also Malawi’s largest city; the second largest is Blantyre, the third largest is Mzuzu and the fourth largest is its old capital Zomba.
  • The country is also nicknamed “The Warm Heart of Africa” because of the friendliness of the people.
  • Malawi has a low life expectancy and high infant mortality. There is a high prevalence of HIV/AIDS, which is a drain on the labour force and government expenditures.
IIT Delhi and BIS sign MOU for setting up a Centre of Excellence
  • The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi and the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) have signed an MoU for collaboration in standardization and conformity assessment.
  • As per the MoU, they will be setting up a centre of excellence in testing and conformity assessment and standardization.
  • It will have the branding of BIS at IIT Delhi campus.
  • There has also been an agreement for the appointment of a Chair in the same fields.
  • The MoU was signed by director general (DG) BIS, SurinaRajan and IIT Delhi Director, V Ramgopal Rao.
  • IIT Delhi will also develop the required infrastructure support for research projects with respect to standardization and will also offer financial support to IIT-Delhi for the same.
  • The MoU will be for five years initially and it can be extended later. BIS and IIT have also planned other initiatives such as the exchange of information on educational programmes and research related to standardization and conformity assessment.

 

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