Assam Current Affairs – July 29-31, 2018

Assam Current Affairs –  July 29 - 31, 2018

( Covers all important Assam Current Affairs & GK topics for the period of July 29-31, 2018 )

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July 29

Defense Minister hand-over 'Made in India' engines to Army

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on 28^th July formally handed over two types of indigenously built high-power multi-fuel engines to the Army.

The engines manufactured by the Engine Factory, Avadi, a unit of Ordnance Factory Board, Department of Defence Production, were fully indigenised for the first time under the Centre’s Make in India programme.

The first engine of 1000 HP engine, V92S2 engine, powers T-90 Bhisma Tank, the second engine, V-46-6 engine, powers the T-72 Ajeya Tank and its variants.

Though these engines were manufactured based on a Russian design, India was depending on Moscow for its supply of critical assemblies like turbocharger, supercharger, fuel injection pumps.

The Engine Factory under the Make in India programme manufactured the two engines with 100 per cent local parts.

Earlier localisation level was about 73 percent. The indigenisation efforts by the Engine Factory would save Rs 80 crore of the exchequer every year.

It also exhibits the self-reliance of the Ordnance Factory Board in manufacturing these engines in India without any import support

The Engine Factory has manufactured more than 12,000 engines since its inception in 1987.

ED attaches foreign currency recovered from LeT militant

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on 28^th July attached foreign currency worth USD 8,000 and Nepalese Rupees 4,067, recovered from a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant.

According to a government release, a criminal case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA) was registered by the ED in February 2010 against Mohd Umer Madani.

The Special Cell of Delhi Police had recovered fake Indian currency equivalent to Rs 50,000, USD 8,000 and Nepalese Rupees 4,067, besides some incriminating documents from the possession of Mohd Umer Madani.

Madani was based in Nepal and working as an organiser for the banned terrorist outfit LeT and motivating youths for terrorist activity in India.

FACTFILE – Directorate of Enforcement

ED is a specialized financial investigation agency under the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, Government of India, which enforces the following laws: –
Foreign Exchange Management Act,1999 (FEMA) – A Civil Law, with officers empowered to conduct investigations into suspected contraventions of the Foreign Exchange Laws and Regulations, adjudicate, contraventions, and impose penalties on those adjudged to have contravened the law.
Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA) – A Criminal Law, with the officers empowered to conduct investigations to trace assets derived out of the proceeds of crime, to provisionally attach/ confiscate the same, and to arrest and prosecute the offenders found to be involved in Money Laundering.

Assam Govt move to merge directorates decried

A meeting of Purbanchal Tai Sahitya Sabha, Ahom Sabha, Sadou Tai Ahom Chatra Santha, Tai Ahom Yuva ParishadAsom, Mohon Deodhai Bailung Sanmilan and Poy Fruralung Myung Asom Sanmilan held decried the State government’s decision to merge the Department of Historical and Antiquarian Studies with the Assam State Museum and demanded that the department be properly managed by appointing a full-time director.

The Department of Historical and Antiquarian Studies was set up during the British days in 1928 with donation from Danbir Radhakanta Handique and it is a treasure trove of ancient literature, history and wisdom of Assam.

Over the decades, a galaxy of scholars, including Britishers and the likes of Dr Surya Kumar Bhuyan and Leela Gogoi, were at the department’s helm of affairs, making stellar contributions in the study of the State’s heritage.

The decision to merge it with the State Museum is foolhardy and must be rescinded. It must be made active at the earliest and a full-time director is needed to handle it.

The organisations called for naming the under-construction bridge over the Brahmaputra at Bogibeel in Dibrugarh district after the founder of the Ahom kingdom Chaolung Siu-ka-pha, who is credited with having made the maximum contribution towards the formation of the State of Assam and the composite Assamese race.

July 30

Final Draft of National Register of Citizens (NRC) released in Assam

The government is set to release the final draft of the National Register of Citizens (NRC). A total of 3.29 crore people had filed an application for the NRC. The exercise is aimed at identifying illegal immigrants in the state.

The National Register of Citizens, 1951 is a register prepared after the conduct of the Census of 1951. It shows the house, holdings in a serial order and covers every person enumerated during the Census of 1951.

The exercise was undertaken to enlist the names of those persons or their descendants, whose names appear in any of the Electoral Rolls upto 1971, 1951 NRC or any of the admissible documents stipulated. The demand was first made by the AASU, around 30 yers back. The organisation had submitted a memorandum to the Centre on January 18 1980, after launching the anti-illegal foreigners Assam Movement.

The Assam accord was signed between the leaders of AASU-AAGSP and the Government of India in 1985 marking an end to a six-year-long agitation. It was agreed that all foreigners who had entered Assam between 1951 and 1961 would be given full citizenship. It was however stated that those who entered after 1971 would be deported.

The NRC will be updated as per the provisions of The Citizenship Act, 1955 and The Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity Cards) Rules, 2003 (As amended by 1. G. S. R. 803(E), dated 9th November 2009 (with effect from 9/11/2009.) 2. Ministry of Home Affairs (Office of Registrar General, India), Order No. S.O. 596(E), dated 15th March, 2010, published in the Gazette of India, Extra, Part II. No. 504 S.3(ii), dated 16th March, 2010 p.1.).

As per the two statutes, the eligibility status would be ascertained based on the NRC, 1951, Electoral Rolls upto 1971 and in their absence the admissible documents upto 24th March (midnight) 1971. The updated NRC shall contain names of persons eligible for inclusion in updated NRC by virtue of being original inhabitants of Assam.

Indian wrestlers won 10 medals in the Yasar Dogu International

Bajrang Punia won his second consecutive international gold while Sandeep Tomar had to be content with a silver medal at the Yasar Dogu International as Indian wrestlers returned with 10 medals, including seven by women, from the ranking event in Istanbul, Turkey.

In the women’s competition, Pinki was the lone gold medallist in the 55kg category with her 6-3 win over Ukraine’s Olga Shnaider in the final.

Overall Indian women grapplers outperformed the men’s by winning seven medals.

International Tiger Day observed on 29^th July

The Assam State Zoo cum Botanical Garden, with the support of Tansukhrai Ratanlal Jewellers, organised International Tiger Day to raise the awareness about the animal’s plight, with less than 4,000 left in the world’s forests.

FACTFILE – International Tiger Day

Global Tiger Day, often called International Tiger Day, is an annual celebration to raise awareness for tiger conservation, held annually on 29 July.
It was created in 2010 at the Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit.
The goal of the day is to promote a global system for protecting the natural habitats of tigers and to raise public awareness and support for tiger conservation issues.
NGOs, government organisations and ordinary citizens from every nook and corner of the world organise awareness programmes on this day to spread the significance of protecting the tiger.

Point2Remember – India counts the number of wild tigers every four year and show a promising rise from 1411 in 2006 to 2226 in 2014. According to WWF the world population in 2016 was 3900.

July 31

Assam records highest incidents of violent crimes in the country

The Parliamentary Standing Committee, headed by P Chidambaram of the Congress party, in its report ‘Security Situation in the North Eastern States of India’ said in its report said that Assam has the highest rate of violent crimes, including kidnappings and abductions, among all the States of India.

The committee is perplexed that despite a waning trend in insurgency, violent crimes have been on the rise. The committee apprehends that this rise may be due to poor rehabilitation and settlement of former insurgents, who may be indulging in such crimes for ransom.

It was recommended that the Central government, in coordination with the State government, should closely monitor the activities of insurgents, who have surrendered during the last decade, and also those with whom the government is presently holding negotiations. A large majority, at over 81 percent, of victims are women.

There may be a connection between such abductions and human trafficking. It was, therefore, recommended that an inter-State investigation may be carried out to find out the reasons for this extremely high rate of kidnappings of women. It was also recommended that sustained operations must be launched to trace and recover the victims of kidnappings and abductions.

Assam also had the highest rate of violent crimes among all the States in 2016. An overwhelming 87 percent of the victims of kidnappings and abductions were women. Moreover, out of 6,128 abductions, only 249 victims were recovered. Assam also reported a huge number of 13,413 unrecovered victims of kidnappings and abductions that happened before 2016.

While the number of kidnappings related activities of the insurgents show a marked decline from 94 in 2014 to 14 in 2016, the number of kidnapping and abductions, in general, as reported by the National Crime Record Bureau in the Crime in India-2016 report, shows a significant rise during this period from 4,824 in 2014 to 6,128 in 2016. The report data shows that with a rate of 18.8 kidnappings and abductions per thousand persons in 2016, Assam had the highest rate of kidnappings and abductions among all the States across the country.

There was a substantial improvement in security situation in the State in 2017; the insurgent related incidents declined from 246 in 2014 to just 81 in 2015, and further came down to 75 in 2016 and to 33 in 2017 being lowest since 1997. The casualties of civilians and security forces personnel were also lowest at 9 in 2017. This was approximately 99 percent less than the 1,136 deaths of civilians and security forces that occurred in 1997.

Lok Sabha passed the Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2018

A crucial bill to grant death penalty to those convicted of raping girls below the age of 12 years, and making the law against such sexual offences more stringent, was passed by the Lok Sabha. The Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2018 was passed after Minister of State for Home KirenRijiju’s reply to an over two-hour discussion on the measure.

Major Highlights of the bill

The Bill replaces the Criminal Law (Amendment) Ordinance promulgated on April 21, following an outcry over the rape and murder of a minor girl in Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir and the rape of another girl at Unnao, Uttar Pradesh.
Though the Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill 2018 was supported by most members across the political spectrum and passed by a voice vote.
The bill seeks to amend the Indian Penal Code, Indian Evidence Act, 1872, the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 to provide that the minimum punishment for rape of a woman under 16 years will be rigorous imprisonment for at least 20 years which can extend to life.
The punishment for gang-rape of a girl below 16 years will be imprisonment for the rest of life.
The bill stipulates stringent punishment for perpetrators of rape, particularly of girls below 12 years. Death sentence has been provided for rapists of girls under 12 years.
The punishment for rape of a woman aged under 12 years will be rigorous imprisonment of at least 20 years but may extend to imprisonment for life or death. Gang-rape of a girl under 12 years of age will lead to punishment of jail term for the rest of life or death.
The minimum punishment in case of rape of woman has been increased from seven years to 10 years, extendable to imprisonment for life.

The National Sports University Bill, 2018

Union Sports Minister Col. Rajyavardhan Rathore to move The National Sports University Bill, 2018 in Lok Sabha. The Bill to establish and incorporate a National Sports University in the State of Manipur, a specialised University first of its kind, to promote sports education in the areas of sports sciences, sports technology, sports management and sports coaching besides functioning as the national training centre for select sports disciplines by adopting best international practices and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.

National Sports University Ordinance, 2018 has come into force as the President of India has given his assent to the Union Cabinet’s decision to promulgate.

The Union Cabinet, in its meeting held on 23rd May, 2018, had decided to approve the proposal of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports to promulgate the National Sports University Ordinance, 2018, by which the National Sports University will be established with headquarters at Manipur.

Key features

Authorities of the University: The Bill provides for several authorities under the University.

The Court, which will review the broad policies and programmes of the University,
The Executive Council, which will be the principal executive body,
The Academic and Activity Council, which will conduct the general supervision over academic policies,
The Board of Sports Studies, which will approve subjects for research for various degrees and other requirements of research degrees,
The Finance Committee, which will examine the accounts and proposals for expenditure, and
Any other authorities which may be declared by the statutes.

The Executive Council: The Executive Council will conduct all of the University’s administrative affairs. The members of the Executive Council will include:

The Vice-Chancellor (appointed by the central government),
Additional Secretary and Financial Advisor, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, and
Four persons from amongst eminent sports persons, among others.

Functions of the Council include:

Creating academic and non-academic posts,
Managing and regulating the University’s finances and property, and
Partnering with industry and non-government agencies for advancement of knowledge.

Role the central government: The central government will review and inspect the functioning of the University. The Executive Council may take action based on the inspection report. If it fails to take action to the satisfaction of the central government, it will have to comply with the directions issued by the central government. Further, the central government may annul any proceeding of the University which is not in line with the Act.

Funding: The University will be required to maintain a fund which will be credited with the funds that it receives from the central government, state government, and fees and money received from any other sources (grants and gifts). All funds of the University will be invested as decided by the Board on the recommendation of the Finance Committee.

Defence Ministry Approves 'Make in India' policy for weapons

The government approved the implementation of guidelines for the defence Strategic Partnership model that incentivises domestic private as well as foreign firms in military manufacturing in the country.

The first project to kick off the long-delayed Strategic Partnership policy will be 111 utility twin-engine helicopters worth an estimated Rs 21,000 crore for the Indian Navy.

The decision to implement the policy was taken at a meeting of the Defence Acquisition Council, the highest decision-making body on procurement.

In continuation of its efforts to boost indigenous defence industry and to reduce timelines so as to ensure timely delivery of equipment to the Armed Forces, the DAC discussed and approved implementation guidelines for the Strategic Partnership Model.

The model promulgated in May 2017 seeks to identify Indian private firms to be designated as Strategic Partners.

Apart from allowing private manufacturers, it also keeps the door open for defence PSUs and the Ordnance Factory Board to tie up with foreign original equipment manufacturers to make big-ticket military hardware.

In the initial phase, the selection of such partners would be confined to four segments: Fighter aircraft, helicopters, submarines, armoured fighting vehicles and main battle tanks.

The model aims to revitalize the defence industrial ecosystem and progressively build indigenous capabilities in the private sector to design, develop and manufacture complex weapon systems for the future needs of the Armed Forces.

The council also approved platform specific guidelines for the procurement of 111 naval utility helicopters.

The DAC also approved the acquisition of eight fast patrol vessels for the Indian Coast Guard under the “Buy Indian Designed, Developed and Manufactured” category at an approximate cost of Rs 800 crore.

Union Minister lays foundation stone for 2^nd phase of NEIAH

Union Minister of State for AYUSH Shripad Yesso Naik on 30^th July laid the foundation stone of the 2nd phase of construction of North East Institute of Ayurveda and Homeopathy (NEIAH) at its Campus at Mawdiangdiang.

The approximate estimated cost of the construction is Rs 40.80 crore for an area of 10,481.53 sqm and will comprise of residential accommodation for students, doctors and staff and a guest house.

This institute will be able to produce quality human resources which will directly benefit the health care system of the region. This will also motivate people for cultivation and preservation of valuable medicinal plants in the region and enable to promote and preserve the traditional knowledge of folk medicine.

The intention of AYUSH Ministry is to further develop and provide necessary support to built the institute to a ‘centre of excellence’ to fulfil the need of National and International communities. The institute is also going to undertake Panchakarma technician training as a skilled development programme for the youth of NE region. Said by Mnister.

FACTFILE – North Eastern Institute of Ayurveda & Homoeopathy (NEIAH)

NEIAH is an autonomous institute under the Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India. Situated at Mawdiangdiang, Shillong, Meghalaya.
It was formally inaugurated by Union Minister of State for Ayush Shripad Yesso Naik on 22 December 2016.
The Institute offers four and a half year degree course in Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery and Bachelor of Homeopathic Medicine and Surgery from the academic year 2016-17 onwards.

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