Important Current Affairs 16th November 2017

Important Current Affairs 16th November 2017

Current Affairs 16th November 2017: NATIONAL NEWS

President of India presents Standards to the 223 Squadron and the 117 Helicopter Unit of the Indian Air Force 

The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, presented Standards to the 223 Squadron and the 117 Helicopter Unit of the Indian Air Force at the Air Force Station, Adampur, Punjab today (November 16, 2017). 
●    This is his first visit to Punjab after taking over as President of India.
●    Speaking on the occasion, the President said that the contribution of Punjab to our armed forces, and of our armed forces to our nation, has been enormous.
●    That is why, in his role as the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, he was glad to visit Punjab for awarding Standards to the 223 Squadron and the 117 Helicopter Unit of the Indian Air Force. 
●    He stated that both units have a history of professional excellence. 
●    The nation honours them with a deep sense of gratitude and appreciation for dedication and courage in the face of adversity.

Cabinet approves MoU between India and Poland for the promotion of Civil Aviation Cooperation 

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its approval for signing the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Poland for the Promotion of Civil Aviation Cooperation. 
●    The MoU will be signed on behalf of the two countries after its approval by the two Governments. 
●    The MoU would be for a term of five years. 
●    The objective of the MoU is to recognize the mutual benefit of Cooperation in the field of Civil Aviation having particular significance in establishing and improving Regional Air Connectivity in India. 
●    Apart from this both sides will recognize the mutual benefits of environmental testing or approvals, flight simulators monitoring and approvals, aircraft maintenance facilities approvals, maintenance personnel approvals and aircrew members approvals. 
●    The main areas of this Memorandum of Understanding to promote ad facilitate mutual cooperation are as under: 
●    Support in the civil aviation market by reviewing any legal and procedural issues which may adversely affect cooperation between India and Poland. 
●    Exchange of information and expertise between the Ministries and respective Civil Aviation Authorities related to aviation regulations, regional air operations, airworthiness requirements and safety standards to enhance safety and security of air transport.
 

Cabinet approves the establishment of the National Anti-profiteering Authority under GST 

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its approval for the creation of the posts of Chairman and Technical Members of the National Anti-profiteering Authority (NAA) under GST, following up immediately on yesterday's sharp reduction in the GST rates of a large number of items of mass consumption.
●    This paves the way for the immediate establishment of this apex body, which is mandated to ensure that the benefits of the reduction in GST rates on goods or services are passed on to the ultimate consumers by way of a reduction in prices. 
●    The establishment of the NAA, to be headed by a senior officer of the level of Secretary to the Government of India with four Technical Members from the Centre and/or the States, is one more measure aimed at reassuring consumers that Government is fully committed to take all possible steps to ensure the benefits of implementation of GST in terms of lower prices of the goods and services reach them.
●    It may be recalled that effective from midnight of 14th November, 2017 the GST rate has been slashed from 28% to 18% on goods falling under 178 headings. 
●    There are now only 50 items which attract the GST rate of 28%. Likewise, a large number of items have witnessed a reduction in GST rates from 18% to 12% and so on and some goods have been completely exempt from GST. 

Agreement for construction of mobile dive exploration Sonar by Navy

Under the "Make in India" policy of the Central Government, the Navy has signed the agreement with the Tata Power Strategic Engineering Division on November 15, 2017 and has signed an agreement for mobile dive investigation Sonar under the Construction (Indian) category.
●    This is the second agreement by the Navy to promote the efforts of indigenization in the defense sector.
●    Earlier, the Navy had signed the agreement for the surveillance radar in the warship.
●    The Dynamic Diver Exploration bin Sonar will be constructed by Tata Power SED through technology transfer from DSIT Israel in Bangalore.
●    Under the "Make in India" program of the Central Government, the navy has created a program to promote indigenization and to include arms and censors under the category of construction (Indian).
●    The involvement of the submarine explorer Sonar Navruna will increase the surveillance capacity during the sea campaign.
●    The purchase of these sonar will also help Navy to save the war veterans from the dangers.

Mission Innovation Smart Grids Workshop 

In order to combat the growth of green house gas emission, the world is fast moving to the increased use of renewable energy sources.  
●    However, there is increased concern that high penetration of renewable energy can cause disruptions in the existing power network due to their intermittent nature.  
●    Technology solutions are, therefore, needed to address the challenges related to development design, integration, operation and management of grids which allows use of upto 100 percent renewable energy.
●    Mission Innovation challenge on Smart Grids is collectively working to enable future smart grids powered by renewables.  
●    20 participating countries with India, Italy and China as Co-lead are working together to realise this aspiration.  
●    An international workshop is being organised during 16-19th November, 2017 at New Delhi to define research priorities and develop action plan for time bound action for realisation of these objectives. 

R.K. Singh launches ‘Saubhagya’ Web-Portal – a Platform for Monitoring Universal Household Electrification 

Shri R.K. Singh, Minister of State (IC) for Power and New & Renewable Energy, launched the Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana – ‘Saubhagya’ Web Portal here today. 
●    Addressing the media during the event, Shri Singh said that the Saubhagya Dashboard is a platform for monitoring household electrification progress, which would disseminate information on Household Electrification Status (State, District, village-wise), Household Progress on live basis, State-wise Target vs Achievement, Monthly Electrification Progress, etc.
●    The Minister said that achieving electrification of 4 crore households is a big challenge, nevertheless the Government is committed to achieve this target by December 2018, with the cooperation of all the States. 
●    This would, in turn, bring about a huge improvement in the Quality of Life of the Citizens of India. 
●    The Government is bringing a change in the Power ecosystem in the Country by pushing towards mandatory metering of all new electrical connections through pre-paid or smart meters. 
●    This would make paying of electricity bills viable for the poor, reduce power losses and increase compliance in paying electricity bills, Shri Singh said.
●    All States have been asked to announce the schedules of the village camps to be held and hence create awareness among the people about the one-stop facility for getting electricity connections.

Current Affairs 16th November 2017: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Cabinet approves agreement between India and Belarus on Scientific and Technological 

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been apprised of the Agreement between the Indian National Science Academy (INSA) and the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus (NASB) on Scientific and Technological Cooperation for mutual benefit in the areas of science, technology, agriculture, etc. 
●    The Agreement was exchanged on 12th September, 2017 at New Delhi during the visit of Belarus President H.E. Mr. Alexander Lukashenko.
●    The Agreement is aimed at identifying, assessing, developing and commercializing globally competitive technologies from India and Belarus. 
●    It will support institutions in both countries by way of research, technology transfers, exchange of visits and joint workshops leading to scientific and economic benefit.

Current Affairs 16th November 2017: DAYS AND DATES

Two-day 12th North East Business Summit inaugurated in New Delhi

The Two-day “12th North-East Business Summit” was inaugurated here today. The summit aims to explore the scope for business opportunities in the North-Eastern region of India. 
●    Focus areas are Infrastructure and Connectivity with Public Private Partnerships, Skill Development, Financial Inclusion, Services Sector Development- Particularly in Tourism, Hospitality & Food Processing. 
●    The Summit is being organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC), with Manipur being the state partner for the event.
●    Speaking on the inauguration of the summit, the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh said that North Eastern states have lot of potential which is still unexplored. 
●    He said that we need to explore this unexplored potential for the development of the region and the development of the country as a whole. 
●    If one region of the country is underdeveloped, the country cannot be developed, he added. 
●    He said that the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi accords high priority to the peripheral states.