Important Current Affairs 11th November 2017

Important Current Affairs 11th November 2017

Current Affairs 11th November 2017: NATIONAL NEWS

Cabinet approves Agreement between India and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China 
 
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval for entering into an Agreement between India and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) of China for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to taxes on income.
●    The Agreement will stimulate flow of investment, technology and personnel from India to HKSAR & vice versa, prevent double taxation and provide for exchange of information between the two Contracting Parties. 
●    It will improve transparency in tax matters and will help curb tax evasion and tax avoidance.
●    In so far as India is concerned, the Central Government is authorized under Section 90 of the Income Tax Act, 1961 to enter into an Agreement with a foreign country or specified territory for avoidance of double taxation of income, for exchange of information for the prevention of evasion or avoidance of income-tax chargeable under the Income-tax Act, 1961. 
●    This Agreement is on similar lines as entered into by India with other countries.

Cabinet approves the protocol amending the Agreement between India and Kyrgyz 

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval for the protocol amending the Agreement between India and Kyrgyz Republic for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income.
●    The Protocol amending Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) aims to update Article 26 (Exchange of Information) of the DTAA to international standards. 
●    The updated Article provides for exchange of information to the widest possible extent. 
●    The new paragraphs 4 and 5 being inserted into the existing Article 26 of the DTAA provide that the State from which information is requested cannot deny information on the ground that it has no domestic tax interest in that information or that the information requested is held by a bank or a financial institution, etc. 
●    The Protocol further empowers India to use information received under the DTAA to be used for other law enforcement purposes on the supplying State authorizing such use.
●    The existing DTAA between India and Kyrgyz Republic was notified on 7/02/2001 and the same was in force since 10/01/2001. 

Cabinet approves Joint Interpretative Declaration between India and Colombia 

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval for signing the Joint Interpretative Declaration (JID) between India and Colombia regarding the existing Agreement for the Promotion and Protection of Investments between India and Colombia signed on November 10, 2009.
●    The JID would impart clarity to the interpretation of the existing Agreement as itincludes interpretative notes to be jointly adopted for many clauses, including, the definition of investor, definition of investment, Fair and Equitable Treatment (FET), National Treatment (NT) and Most Favoured Nation (MFN) treatment, expropriation, Investor - State Dispute Settlement provision and Denial of Benefits.
●    Joint Interpretative Declarations/Statements in general play an important supplementary role in strengthening the investment treaty regime. 
●    With increasing Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) disputes, issuance of such statements is likely to have strong persuasive value before arbitration tribunals. Such proactive approach by partners can foster a more predictable and coherent reading of treaty terms by arbitration tribunals.

Cabinet approves utilisation of pulses from the buffer stock through Central Government Schemes having nutrition component 

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved to utilize part of stock of pulses in the buffer maintained by the Department of Consumer Affairs, for meeting the protein component under various schemes of Central Government providing nutrition to various target groups/beneficiaries. 
●    To give effect to the decision, the CCEA has empowered the concerned Departments/Ministries to carry out suitable amendments in their schemes/guidelines to enable them to take/provide pulses from the buffer in kind under their respective Schemes. 
●    The disposal through the Central Government Schemes is in addition to the disposal of pulses from the buffer through open market sale and supply to States. 
●    All the concerned Ministries/Departments will make necessary changes in their schemes and assess requirement of pulses within next three months of the approval. 
●    Supply of pulses from the Central buffer would commence based on such requirement indicated by these Ministries/Departments. 
●    The objective of the approval is to enable the concerned administrative Ministries/Departments to ensure that pulses from the buffer are utilized as in 'kind' component of the Centre's contribution in such schemes, in lieu of its financial contribution of equivalent amount. 

Exhibition of Islamic Calligraphy from Rampur Raza Library opens in Brunei Darussalam as part of Festival of India 

An exhibition of photographs of valuable collection of Islamic Calligraphy from the Rampur Raza Library of Ministry of Culture, Government of India was inaugurated as the inaugural event of Festival of India in Brunei Darussalam yesterday. 
●    The exhibition was inaugurated by the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports of the Government of Brunei Darussalam, His Excellency Yang Berhormat Pehin Datu Lailaraja Major General Dato Paduka Seri Haji Awang Halbi bin Haji Mohd Yussof. 
●    The exhibition consist of 36 photographs of calligraphy including of verses from the Holy Quran, and poetry in Persian and Arabic, selected from the over 3000 calligraphy pieces in the Rampur Raza Library collection. 
●    The Exhibition is being jointly hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports of the Government of Brunei Darussalam and the High Commission of India in Brunei Darussalam and will stay open to public till 25th November, 2017.
●    At the inaugural event, Smt. Nagma M Mallick, High Commissioner of India to Brunei Darussalam, described the Exhibition as a gesture of solidarity and friendship of the Government of India to the Government and the people of Brunei Darussalam on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee of His Majesty the Sultan. 
●    She described the calligraphy on display as another example of the syncretic culture that amalgamated the ancient Indian artistic traditions with Islamic culture over hundreds of years to produce a cultural flowering under the Mughal Empire.

After the conversation on the tweeter with the railway, Amul sent the first consignment of butter
Dairy field giant Amul has started using the railway services to transport the goods to various parts of the country.

●    Under this, the first consignment of butter has been sent in the refrigerated parcel box of the railway.
●    Actually, the dairy sector giant Amul had sent a proposal of Indian Railways to use the services of the railway to deliver goods to various parts of the country about a month ago.
●    In this proposal Amul asked that he wants to use the railway's refrigerated parcel bins to deliver butter throughout the country.
●    Amul wrote in his Twitter today, the first cold box of 17 metric ton Amul butter has been dispatched from Palanpur to Delhi with our milk train.
●    For this, Amul thanked Indian Railways for taking prompt action.
●    Amul had asked in his business proposal to Indian Railways on September 23, - He is interested in using refrigerated parcel van for supplying Amul Butter in India.

Current Affairs 11th November 2017: DAYS AND DATES

WCD Ministry to celebrate Child Rights Week by hosting an inter CCI Festival “Hausala 2017” between 16th to 20th November 

The Ministry of Women and Child Development will celebrate the Child Rights Week (Hausla 2017) from 16th to 20th November, 2017. 
●    The country celebrates the Children’s Day on 14th November and the International Child Rights Day is celebrated on 20th November every year.
●    The period between the two important events will be celebrated as Child Rights Week by WCD Ministry by hosting an Inter CCI Festival for the children who reside in Child Care Institutions (CCIs).
●    The commemoration of the festival “Hausala 2017” will provide an occasion to showcase the talents of children from CCIs   from various child care institutions across the country and provide them with a space to express their dreams and aspiration.   
●    Children will be participating in various events like Bal Sansad, painting competition, athletics meet, football, chess competition and speech writing.  The following events are proposed to be organized:
●    Bal Sansad on 16th November 2017: The National Policy for Children 2013 and the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2015 endorse the rights of the children to participate in issues that affect them. 
●    Children have the right to express their views and be involved actively in decision-making at different levels in matters that concern them. 
●    They are today’s citizens, can act as leaders now and in the future. 

Current Affairs 11th November 2017: AWARDS

National Entrepreneurship Award 2017 under Mentor (Government) Category awarded to Dr. Renu Swarup, Senior Adviser, DBT 

Dr. Renu Swarup, Senior Adviser in the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science & Technology has been awarded with National Entrepreneurship Award, 2017 under Mentor (Government) category in the Recognition Track. 
●    Union Finance Minister Shri Arun Jaitley presented the awards at the National Entrepreneurship Award Ceremony, 2017 in New Delhi. 
●    Dr. Renu Swarup is presently Senior Adviser for Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of Science & Technology.
●    She also holds position of Managing Director, Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), a Public Sector Company.
●    A PhD in Genetics and Plant Breeding, Dr. Renu Swarup completed her Postdoctoral at The John Innes Centre, Norwich UK, under Commonwealth Scholarship and returned to India to take up the assignment of a Science Manager in the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, in 1989. 
●    As a Science Manager, issues related to policy planning and implementations are a part of her assignment. 
●    She was actively engaged in formulation of the Biotechnology Vision in 2001, National Biotechnology Development Strategy in 2007 and Strategy II, 2015-20 as the Member Secretary of the Expert Committee.