Current Affairs Assam – October 2017 e-Magazine
October 7
Nobel Peace prize for anti-nuclear group ICAN
The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons(ICAN), an organisation seeking to eliminate atomic weapons through an international treaty-based prohibition.
The Geneva-based ICAN won the USD 1.1 million prize because it “has been a driving force in prevailing upon the world’s nations to pledge to cooperate… in efforts to stigmatise, prohibit and eliminate nuclear weapons,” Norwegian Nobel Committee chairwoman Berit Reiss-Andersen said in the announcement.
The prize “sends a message to all nuclear-armed states and all states that continue to rely on nuclear weapons for security that it is unacceptable behaviour. We will not support it, we will not make excuses for it, we can’t threaten to indiscriminately slaughter hundreds of thousands of civilians in the name of security. That’s not how you build security,” ICAN executive director Beatrice Fihn told.
“We are trying to send very strong signals to all states with nuclear arms, nuclear-armed states, North Korea, US, Russia, China, France, UK, Israel, all of them, India, Pakistan, it is unacceptable to threaten to kill civilians,” she said.
The prize comes amid heightened tensions over both North Korea’s aggressive development of nuclear weapons and President Donald Trump’s persistent criticism of the deal to curb Iran’s nuclear.
Kazuo Ishiguro selected for 2017 Nobel Prize in Literature
The Swedish Academy selected Japanese-born English novelist Kazuo Ishiguro (62) for the 2017 Nobel Prize in literature. The award was given for his works that are of great emotional force which uncovers the abyss beneath our illusory sense of connection with the world.
Kazuo Ishiguro was born in 1954 in Nagasaki, Japan and moved to the UK when he was five years old.
Forbes India Rich List 2017 – Mukesh Ambani richest with $38 Billion
Forbes Magazine released its India Rich List for 2017 with Reliance Industries Limited chairman Mukesh Ambani topping the charts for the 10th consecutive year with a net worth of $38 billion.
Mr. Ambani is followed by tech czar Azim Premji who jumped two places with the net worth of $19 billion. According to Forbes, the combined net worth of the 100 richest Indians stood at $479 billion, a jump of 26% from $374 billion in 2016. Acharya Balkrishna, CEO of Patanjali Ayurved, figures at No. 19 with a net worth of $6.55 billion.
October 8
State Capital Region Bill to benefit all
The State government will protect the interest of indigenous people of the State at all cost, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said. He also assured the representatives that steps would be taken to allay their fears of being alienated in their own land in view of the passage of the State Capital Region Bill at the Assam Legislative Assembly.
Expressing his concern to the Chief Minister that the State Capital Region Bill would override the land rights of tribal people living in the fringes of the Guwahati city, RHAC Chief Executive Member Tankeswar Rabha said that acquisition of land in tribal belts for expanding the capital region would lead to violation of the laws on acquiring land and thereby indigenous people will lose their land rights.
The Chief Minister also urged the representatives to take advantage of living near Guwahati city and being covered by the State Capital Region, which would usher in rapid development in these areas. The formation of the State Capital Region would bring benefits to all sections of people living in the area and tribal belts would be developed keeping their cultural and social heritage intact, Sonowal assured.
FACTFILE – State Capital Region
- In line with the National Capital Region, Assam will have a ‘State Capital Region’ encompassing Guwahati and its peripheral areas with the passing of a bill in the State Assembly on Friday.
- The Assembly passed Assam State Capital Region Development Authority (ASCRDA) Bill 2017 by voice vote to set up the regional authority for preparation of a plan for rapid development of the SCR.
- Introducing the Bill in the House, minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the SCR shall comprise the districts of Kamrup Metropolitan, Kamrup, Nalbari, Darrang and Morrigaon, fully or partly. Capital Guwahati is in Kamrup Metropolitan district.
- The authority and guidelines of existing Guwahati Municipal Corporation Development Authority (GMDA), Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) and other urban authorities were not sufficient for desired development and growth of SCR, Sarma said
- ASCRDA will be the overall authority to direct, implement and monitor the development of SCR, said the state’s health, finance and education minister.
Richard H. Thaler won Nobel Prize 2017 in Economic Sciences
The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 2017 was awarded to Richard H. Thaler for his contributions to behavioral economics. In 1968, Sveriges Riksbank (Sweden’s central bank) established the Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, founder of the Nobel Prize.
India Slips to 8th Rank in Valuable Nation Brand List
India is ranked the eighth most valuable nation brand while the United States retained its top position and China took the second spot in the league of nations according to Brand Finance’s Nation Brands 2017. India switched places with Canada and its brand value dropped by one percentage point while that of Canada’s rose 14 percent.
China, the fastest growing nation brand in 2017, saw valuation grow 44 percent.
The Top 10 Valuable Nation brands are: United States, China, Germany, Japan, United Kingdom, France, Canada, India, Italy and South Korea.
October 9
Centre committed to granting ST status to 6 communities: Athawale
The Centre is committed to ensure that six communities demanding scheduled tribe status in Assam are granted the same, Union Minister Ramdas Athawale said.Assam government has sent the proposal to include the OBC communities Koch-Rajbongshi, Tai-Ahom, Chutiya, Moran, Muttock and the Adivasi tea-tribes in the ST category and we support this.
Besides these communities, the government would also like to provide reservation to economically backward people of certain general caste communities like the Kalita and Brahmins in Assam, Athawale said.“There are many people in these general castes who are economically backward and are in need of reservations in both jobs and education,” he added.
There is, however, a deterrent in this matter as the Supreme Court has fixed the maximum level of reservation at 50 per cent but “if a law is passed increasing the level to 75 per cent, then social justice can be ensured,” he said.
Himanta Sarma heads GoM on GST
A group of ministers (GoM) has been set up under Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to make the composition scheme more attractive and also revisit GST rates on restaurants.
The GST Council, chaired by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and consisting of his state counterparts, had constituted the GoM, which will submit its report within two weeks.
The other members of the GoM are Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Modi, Jammu and Kashmir Finance Minister Haseeb Drabu, Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal and Chhattisgarh Minister of Commercial Taxes Amar Agrawal, according to an office memorandum.
With only 15.50 lakh businesses out of the total 98 lakh registered under the goods and services tax (GST) regime opting for the composition scheme, the GST Council has decided to set up the GoM to examine measures to make it more attractive.
