Current Affairs Assam – January 2018 e-Magazine
January 28
Assam to have 9 port townships
Industry & Commerce Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary said that the Central government has given an initial sanction of Rs 1,100 crore for development of nine river ports in the State.The ports are Bogibeel, Neamatighat, Kamalabari, Silghat, Pandu, Dhubri, Silchar, Karimganj and Jogighopa which would be a multi-model port.
“Around Rs 400 crore would be spent in each selected location which would be developed into port townships with all necessary logistics,” he said.
The minister further said that dredging of Barak River is expected to be completed in July this year.
“We have also started dredging of the Brahmaputra. Two dredgers have been deployed in the river, while more would come. The Brahmaputra dredging would be formally launched after the Glopbal Investors Summit,” he said, adding that dredging of the two rivers would give a boost to the State’s economy.
Global Investors summit: 12 focus areas identified
The Global Investors Summit slated for February 3 and 4, with some key industry captains like Ratan Tata, MukeshAmbani, DilipShanghvi, AnandBurman, DrSubhash Chandra, Amar Abrol, SushilGoenka and SanjivPuri confirming their participation in the event billed as the largest ever investment promotion and facilitation initiative by the Government of Assam.
The government has identified 12 focus sectors for the summit – agriculture & food processing including organic cultivation & bamboo, handloom, textile & handicrafts, logistics, river transport & port township, IT &ITeS, pharmaceutical & medical equipment, plastics & petrochemicals, power, tourism, hospitality & wellness, civil aviation, petroleum & natural gas, and startups & innovation.
Prime Minister NarendraModi will inaugurate the event on February 3. The budget for the event is around Rs 32 crore, of which the Central government will bear Rs 10 crore.
The Assam government has invited business delegations and ministers from as many as 20 countries in the ASEAN and the Southeast Asian region. Bangladesh (led by Minister of Industries), Bhutan (led by Prime Minister of Bhutan), Cambodia (led by Minister of Tourism), Lao PDR (led by Minister of Culture and Tourism), Myanmar (led by Minister of Commerce) are expected to join the meet.
In addition, the Czech Republic, Germany, Japan and Nepal are to be represented by their respective Ambassadors to India. Vietnam is going to be represented by a business delegation as well as eminent specialist speakers for the startup business session. Business delegations from other countries like the United States of America, UAE and Israel are also expected in the Global Investors Summit.
MeITY launches Stree Swabhiman Initiative for Women Health and Hygiene
Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeITY) has launched StreeSwabhiman Initiative. Its aim is to create sustainable model for providing adolescent girls and women an access to affordable sanitary products by leveraging Common Service Centres (CSCs).
January 29
Delhi Declaration calls for joint fight against terror
The Delhi Declaration came at the end of the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit to mark the 25th Anniversary of ASEAN-India Dialogue Relations has also agreed to deepen cooperation in combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, violent extremism and radicalisation through information sharing, law enforcement cooperation and capacity building under the existing ASEAN-led mechanisms.
It has reaffirmed its commitment to promote connectivity between the North Eastern states and ASEAN and decided to encourage the early completion of the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway Project and extend this Trilateral Highway to Cambodia, Lao PDR and Vietnam.
The Declaration has also endorsed its decision to enhance physical and digital connectivity, availing of the US$1 billion line of credit announced by India to promote physical infrastructure and digital connectivity.
The Declaration has reiterated its commitment to promote comprehensive approach to combat terrorism through close cooperation by disrupting and countering terrorists, terrorist groups and networks, including by countering cross border movement of terrorists and foreign terrorist fighters and misuse of Internet including social media by terror entities; strengthen cooperation to stop terrorism financing efforts, and prevent recruitment of members of terrorist groups; support efforts in targeting terrorist groups and sanctuaries; and take further urgent measures to counter and prevent the spread of terrorism, while stressing that there can be no justification for acts of terror on any grounds whatsoever.
India and ASEAN will also work together with the international community to ensure compliance with the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions regarding counter-terrorism, and to note efforts on the negotiations of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) at the United Nations.
The President of India, Ram NathKovind said that Myanmar occupies the highest priority for India under its ‘Neighbourhood First’ and ‘Act East’ policies. He assured India’s continued support to the Government of Myanmar in its peace process, and efforts towards national reconciliation and economic and social development.The President said the India-Myanmar relationship will get a boost if we ensure that our strong political and cultural bonds are supported by commerce. Bilateral trade of just over USD 2 billion is not reflective of our close ties.
‘Shakti’ App for Women’s Safety- launched by Himachal CM
The Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, Jai Ram Thakur launched the ‘Shakti’ app for women’s safety in the state. The app was developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) of the Himachal Pradesh government.. The main objective of the launch of the app and the helpline is to fight crimes against women in the state. It would be available in both Hindi and English languages and would not require internet connectivity.
Air connectivity to get boost in NE
Union Minister for Civil Aviation P Ashok Gajapathi Raju and Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal laid the foundation stone for the new integrated terminal building of Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International (LGBI) airport, to be developed at a cost of Rs 1,232 crore, the new terminal building will conform to GRIHA (Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment) 4-star rating.
It will have 64 check-in counters, 20 self check-in kiosks, eight immigration counters, eight customs counters, six arrival carousels, ten escalators, a travellator, 25 elevators, 16 self-baggage drop counters and 20 aircraft parking bays, among others.An efficient solid waste management system, reuse of treated water for flushing and horticulture purpose, rainwater harvesting with sustainable urban drainage, and use of efficient water fixtures would be a few other green features of the project.
In recent years the civil aviation sector recorded the fastest growth, both internationally and domestically. India has become the fastest growing aviation in the world and the third nation in the world in domestic traffic. Now 91 airports in the country had commercial flight connectivity.
Exuding confidence that the new initiative would help in realisation of the growth potential of the State and forging better economic ties with the Southeast Asian nations, Assam CM Sonowal said that transportation and connectivity were the two most important means for economic prosperity.“The Government of Assam accords top priority to improve communication and engages in faster development of road, rail and air linkages besides internet connectivity. With better connectivity, Assam will have greater opportunity to connect with the ten ASEAN countries and other Southeast Asian nations. This is a great market and through implementation of the Act East Policy, we want to take the development forward”.
In the List of top 50 busiest airports of India by passenger traffic, aircraft movement and cargo traffic for fiscal year 2016-17,
(1) Guwahati’s Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport is ranked 13th
(2) Agartala Airport at 31st
(3) Imphal Airport at 37th
(4) Dibrugarh Airport at 46th
(5) Lengpui Airport at 47th
(6) Silchar Airport at 49th
FACTFILE – Civil aviation Sector of India
- Civil Aviation in India, the world’s fourth-largest civil aviation market in terms of overall air passenger traffic.
- India now 3rd largest aviation market in domestic air passenger traffic (100 million in 2016), overtaken that of Japan (97 million) and was behind only US (719 million) and China (436 million).
- In 1911, when the first commercial civil aviation flight took off from Allahabad for Naini.
- The largest airline by international passenger traffic was Jet Airways which transported over 10 million passengers in and out of India in 2016, followed by Air India and AI Express (8.8 million). In third place was Emirates (5.46 million), which is the largest foreign airline operating in India
- IndiGo, Jet Airways, Air India, Spicejet, GoAir and Vistara are the major carriers in order of their market share. These airlines connect more than 80 cities across India and also operate overseas routes after the liberalisation of Indian aviation.
- The Mumbai–Delhi air corridor is ranked 3rd among the world’s busiest routes.
- It recorded an air traffic of 131 million passengers in 2016, of which 100 million were domestic passengers.
- However, a large section of country’s air transport potential remains untapped.
Bill for upper House in State likely
The Bill proposing creation of upper house of Assam Assembly is likely to be listed for passage during the Budget session of the Parliament that gets under way.
The Assam Legislative Council Bill, 2013 is among 39 Bills reports on which have been submitted by the Standing Committee. The Bill was introduced in RajyaSabha and is now likely to be listed for passage.
The Bill was introduced citing that many smaller groups and communities go unrepresented in the Assembly because of the population pattern.
FACTFILE – Legislative Council ( or Vidhan Parishad)
- Article 171 of the Constitution of India provides for the establishment of a VidhanParishad.
- The Vidhan Parishad or Legislative Council is the upper house in those states of India that have a bicameral legislature.
- As of 2017, seven (7) (out of twenty-nine) states have a Legislative Council.[1] They are Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh.
- Each Member of the Legislative Council (MLC) serves for a six-year term, with terms staggered so that the terms of one-third of a Council’s membership expire every two years. This arrangement parallels that for the RajyaSabha, the upper house of the Parliament of India.
- MLCs must be citizens of India, at least 30 years’ old, mentally sound, not an insolvent, and on the voters’ list of the state for which he or she is contesting an election. He or she may not be a Member of Parliament at the same time.
- The size of the Vidhan Parishad cannot be more than one-third the membership of the VidhanSabha. However, its size cannot be less than 40 members (except in Jammu and Kashmir, where there are 36 by an Act of Parliament.)
MLCs are chosen in the following manner:
- One-third are elected by members of local bodies such as Municipalities, Gram Sabhas/Gram Panchayats, PanchayatSamitis and ZilaParishads.
- One-third are elected by members of Legislative Assemblies of the State from among the persons who are not members of the Assembly.
- One-sixth are nominated by the Governor from persons having knowledge or practical experience in fields such as literature, science, arts, the co-operative movement and social service.
- One-twelfth are elected by persons who are graduates of three years’ standing residing in that state.
- One-twelfth are elected by persons engaged for at least three years in teaching in educational institutions within the state not lower than secondary schools, including colleges and universities.
Atmosphere radar centre coming up at GU
Gauhati University is in the last leg of setting up a global research hub, which will be able to provide information on the impact of global warming, besides providing advance indication of adverse weather condition and earthquake, in this part of the globe.
Billed the Stratospheric-Tropospheric Radar Centre, the Rs 30-crore unit has been established by the GU physics department under the guidance of Prof Minakshi Devi. The Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Mumbai-based Union government-run Society for Applied Microwave Electronics Engineering and Research, Assam government and the GU authorities are supporting this first system of its kind in the entire north-eastern region.
The centre will monitor high-resolution wind data from the earth surface to 30 km above it with point one (0.1) metre per second wind resolution. The centre will provide vertical and horizontal wind shears, which will be very good indicators of the development of thunderstorm of different types.
It will further make possible thunderstorm and thunderstorm precursor modelling, and help in earthquake prediction over this seismically active zone of India. Depending on the magnitude of the earthquakes, it will be able to provide precursors of earthquake in the areas falling between Myanmar and Nepal and may collect such precursors even from the places located in China and Japan, said Prof Minakshi Devi.
Monsoon prediction may also be possible in the Northeast with the help of the system being developed in the form of this centre, along with the required model.
January 30
India to clock up to 7.5 per cent growth in 2018-19 : Economic Survey
Shedding the impact of GST and demonetisation, India’s economy is “picking up quite nicely,” and will expand by 7-7.5 per cent in 2018-19 to again become the world’s fastest growing major economy, according to the Economic Survey released.
However, it could face challenges from rising oil prices and a sharp correction in the elevated stock prices, according to the Survey, an annual account of the state of economy prepared by the Chief Economic Adviser, independent of the government.
The Economic Survey 2017-18 was presented in Parliament by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. The economy “seems to be picking up quite nicely and robustly” as temporary impact of demonetisation and GST has been decimated, CEA Arvind Subramanian told.
The Survey has pegged the GDP growth for the current fiscal at 6.75 per cent and said that exports as well as private investments are set to rebound in the coming year. The growth rate is higher than the recent CSO estimate of 6.5 per cent.
The GDP (gross domestic product) growth was 7.1 per cent in 2016-17 and 8 per cent in the preceding year. It was 7.5 per cent in 2014-15.
The growth in the current fiscal has been marred by the rollout of a nationwide Goods and Services Tax (GST) and the after effects of demonetisation of high value currency notes in November 2016.
With world growth likely to witness moderate improvement in 2018, expectation of greater stability in GST, likely recovery in investment levels, and ongoing structural reforms should support higher growth.
FACTFILE – Economic Survey of India
- The Department of Economic Affairs, Finance Ministry of India presents the Economic Survey in the parliament every year, just before the Union Budget.
- It is prepared under the guidance of the Chief Economic Adviser, Finance Ministry.
- It is the ministry’s view on the annual economic development of the country. A flagship annual document of the Ministry of Finance, Government of India, Economic Survey reviews the developments in the Indian economy over the previous 12 months, summarizes the performance on major development programs, and highlights the policy initiatives of the government and the prospects of the economy in the short to medium term.
FACTFILE – Chief Economic Adviser
- The Chief Economic Adviser (CEA) is the economic advisor to the Government of India.
- The CEA is the ex-officio cadre controlling authority of the Indian Economic Service.
- The CEA is under the direct charge of the Minister of Finance
- Arvind Subramanian is the current CEA of India
- JJ Anjaria was the first CEA of India, from 1956-61.
1st Military Exercise ‘VINBAX’ by Indian and Vietnamese Armies
The exercise named ‘VINBAX’ is the first military exercise between the two countries. Armies of India and Vietnam have begun a six-day-long military exercise in Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh.
Oxford Dictionary’s Hindi Word of 2017 – ‘Aadhaar’
Oxford Dictionaries has chosen ‘Aadhaar’ as the Hindi word of 2017. The word gained popularity due to Aadhaar card, which was in news in 2017.The announcement was made in the Jaipur Literature Festival.
