Important Current Affairs 19th September 2018 English

National News
Union Home Secretary launches ‘e-Sahaj’ portal for grant of Security Clearance 
 
The Union Home Secretary Shri Rajiv Gauba launched an online ‘e-Sahaj’ portal for grant of Security Clearance. 
The portal will facilitate an applicant to submit application online and also to view the status of his application from time to time. The aim is to strike a healthy balance between meeting the imperatives of national security and facilitating ease of doing business and promoting investment in the country.
Role of MHA
MHA is the nodal Ministry for security clearances in certain sensitive sectors before issue of licence/permit, permission, contract etc, to companies/ bidders/individuals by the administrative Ministry. 
The objective of national security clearance is to evaluate potential security threats, including economic threats, and provide risk assessment before clearing investment and project proposals in key sectors. 

Union Cabinet approves Triple Talaq Ordinance, making triple talaq an offence
 
The Union Cabinet on September 19, 2018 approved an ordinance making instant triple talaq a punishable offence. 

The ordinance has similar provisions as mentioned in original the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill 2017, which was cleared by the Lok Sabha in December 2017. However, the bill was stuck in the Rajya Sabha. 

It faced a stiff resistance in the Rajya Sabha where several opposition lawmakers argued over the criminal provisions in the draft law. 

In view of the growing opposition, the Government on August 9, 2018 approved three amendments in the instant triple talaq bill, making it permissible for a magistrate to give bail for the offence.

International News
India to launch agriculture project worth $33.5 million with UN's FAO in five states
 
The government along with United Nations body FAO has launched an agriculture project with $33.5 million grant from Global Environment Facility (GEF).
The $33.5 million project is being funded by the GEF and implemented by the government of India (agriculture and environment ministries) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
The project, to be implemented in five landscapes in Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Odisha, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand, strives to bring harmony between conservation and development efforts of the country.
Objective of this Project:-
The project aims to transform agricultural production to generate global environmental benefits by addressing biodiversity conservation, land degradation, climate change mitigation and sustainable forest management.
This project seeks to bring transformative change in the farm sector through conservation of biodiversity and forest landscapes.
Global Environment Facility (GEF) 
The Global Environment Facility was established on the eve of the 1992 Rio Earth Summit to help tackle our planet’s most pressing environmental problems.  Since then, the GEF has provided over $17.9 billion in grants and mobilized an additional $93.2 billion in co-financing for more than 4500 projects in 170 countries.

India first country in the world to develop document on Cooling Action Plan 
 
Union Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan has released a draft India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP) during World Ozone Day celebrations.
The ICAP provides a 20-year perspective (2017-18 to 2037-38) to address the cooling requirements across sectors and ways and means to provide access to sustainable cooling for all.
India is the first country in world to develop such a document - ICAP, which also gives thrust towards looking for synergies in actions for securing both environmental and socio-economic benefits.
India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP)
The India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP)—first of its kind in the world—has listed various interventions, including guidelines to all commercial buildings to maintain an internal temperature between 24-25°C on a voluntary basis and adopting various passive measures in buildings to reduce the cooling demand by 20-25% by 2037-38.

India signs Financing Loan Agreement with the World Bank for US$ 74 Million
 
A Loan Agreement for IBRD Credit of US$74 million equivalent for the Uttrakhand Workforce Development Project (UKWDP) was signed with the World Bank. 
Project objective
The Project objective is to improve the quality and relevance of training at priority Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and to increase the number of labor-market-relevant workers through short term training in Uttrakhand. 
The Project has three components: 
(1) Improving the quality and relevance of ITI Training; 
(2) Increasing the number of skilled workers certified under National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQE) - Compliant Short Term Training; and 
(3) Policy and Institutional Development and Project Management.
Uttarakhand Workforce Development Project:
The program development objective is to help improve the quality of training at select Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and increase the number of labor-market-relevant workers through short-term training in Uttarakhand. 

7th UNWTO Global Summit on Urban Tourism
 
The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is organizing the 7th UNWTO Global Summit on Urban Tourism: A 2030 Vision for Urban Tourism, on 16-19 September, in Seoul, Republic of Korea, jointly with the Seoul Metropolitan Government and supported by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Korea, the Korea Tourism Organization and the Seoul Tourism Organization. 
About World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)
The Summit provides a unique platform to discuss the key issues shaping the future of urban tourism in the context of the 2030 Urban Agenda. 
It brings together high-level representatives from National Tourism Administrations, city authorities and related stakeholders, serving as a platform to exchange experiences and expertise and set a shared vision on urban tourism that embraces innovation, digital transformation and sustainability.

Delhi and Seoul Sign MoU to Tackle Air Pollution
The Delhi government signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Seoul Metropolitan Government to work closely in the fields of environment, tourism, waste water and solid waste management, infrastructure and public health.
The Mou on the 'Friendship and Cooperation Agreement' was signed by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Seoul mayor Park Won-Soon in Seoul, the capital of South Korea. The Delhi CM particularly sought the city’s expertise in dealing with transport and air pollution.

Key points to remember:
The agreement has listed 11 areas for exchange of expertise and cooperation including environment, culture, tourism, smart city, transportation, education, land use planning and management, science and technology, MICE industry, waste water and solid waste management, infrastructure and public health.
The 'Twinning Agreement' will remain in force till three years from September 14, 2018, and it could be amended by written agreement between the two parties.

Awards
All-women crew of INSV tarini receives tenzing norgay award
 
All-women crew of INSV Tarini has bagged the prestigious Tenzing Norgay National Adventure award for beating the odds in water with their enduring skills and sailing across the world for eight long months.
The award is the highest national recognition for outstanding achievements in the field of adventure on land, sea and air.
Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award
The Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award is the highest national recognition for outstanding achievements in the field of adventure on land, sea and air.
A cash Award of Rs.5.00 lakh and a certificate of honour is given to each Awardee. 
This Award is at par with the Arjuna Award for sporting excellence. Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Awards are conferred by the Hon’ble President of India, along with Arjuna Awards, in a function held at Rashtrapati Bhavan in the month of August every year. 
INSV Tarini 
INSV Tarini is the second sailboat of the Indian Navy. She was constructed at Aquarius Shipyard located in Goa. After undergoing extensive sea trials, she was commissioned to Indian Navy service on 18 February 2017.

Kerala Tourism Bags PATA Gold Awards 2017
 
Kerala Tourism Department has won 'The Pacific Asia Travel Association Grand and Gold Award 2017’ for its Film Tourism Brochure in the Marketing Media-Consumer Travel Brochure category.
P Bala Kiran, IAS, Director, Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala received the award at the 32nd edition of the PATA Awards, held at Macao, in recognition of its trend-setting marketing initiatives, which have boosted the state's profile as a must-visit destination.
PATA Gold Awards 
Founded in 1951, the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) is a not-for profit association that is internationally acclaimed for acting as a catalyst for the responsible development of travel and tourism to, from and within the Asia Pacific region. 
These awards, generously supported and sponsored since 1995 by the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO).