Important Current Affairs 8th October 2017

Important Current Affairs 8th October 2017

Current Affairs 8th October 2017: NATIONAL NEWS

Prime Minister launches Intensified Mission Indradhanush 

"Let no child suffer from any vaccine-preventable disease". This was stated by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi as he launched the Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI) at Vadnagar in Gujarat, today. 
●    Through this programme, Government of India aims to reach each and every child under two years of age and all those pregnant women who have been left uncovered under the routine immunisation programme. 
●    The special drive will focus on improving immunization coverage in select districts and cities to ensure full immunization to more than 90% by December 2018. 
●    The achievement of full immunisation under Mission Indradhanush to at least 90% coverage was to be achieved by 2020 earlier. 
●    With the launch of IMI, achievement of the target has now been advanced. 
●    Shri Vijaybhai Rupani, Chief Minister of Gujarat, Shri J P Nadda, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Smt. Anandiben Patel, Ex-Chief Minister of Gujarat, Nitin Bhai Patel, Dy Chief Minister of Gujarat and Shankarbhai Chaudhary, Minister of State, Gujarat Health and Family Welfare and Medical Education, Environment and Urban Development were also present at the launch function along with other dignitaries. 

Union Home Minister to inaugurate NIA Hqrs Office Complex on 10th October 

The Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh will inaugurate the new Headquarters Office Complex of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) here on October 10, 2017. 
●    The Ministers of State for Home Affairs, Shri Hansraj Gangaram Ahir and Shri Kiren Rijiju will also be present at the inauguration ceremony. 
●    The foundation stone of the NIA Headquarters was laid by Shri Rajnath Singh on September 10, 2015 and the work has been completed within the stipulated period of 24 months. 
●    The NIA, which came into existence on December 31, 2008, initially began operations in Hotel Centaur, New Delhi and thereafter shifted its Headquarters to the NDCC-II Building, Jai Singh Road, New Delhi in June, 2013. 
●    In addition to the Headquarters, the agency has expanded its geographical outreach through a network of branch offices located at Lucknow, Hyderabad, Kochi, Guwahati, Mumbai, Kolkata, Raipur & Jammu. 
●    Apart from these, the NIA is having its camp offices at Chandigarh, Srinagar, Chennai, Bangalore, Vishakhapatnam, Ahmedabad, Bharuch, Jagdalpur, Patna, Siliguri, Malda, Ranchi, Vijaywada and Imphal.

Shri Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurates Saudi Aramco India Office 

Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas & Skill Development & Entrepreneurship Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, today inaugurated Saudi Aramco’s ARAMCO ASIA INDIA office in Gurugram jointly with Mr Amin H Al-Nasser, President and CEO of Saudi Aramco. 
●    The office is located at Two Horizon Tower, Gurugram. 
●    Saudi Aramco through its subsidiary ARAMCO Asia India (AAI) established its formal business presence in India in 2016. 
●    AAI would now formally engage in crude oil and LPG marketing, engineering & technical services, and other business development activities. 
●    Speaking on the occasion Shri Pradhan mentioned that India is one of the biggest markets for Saudi oil and LPG. 
●    He said that he was delighted to jointly inaugurate the Saudi Aramco's Office in India which will help in strengthening the existing buyer - supplier relationship between the two sides to a strategic partnership in the hydrocarbon sector. 
●    ARAMCO India is planning to expand its operation by introducing hydrocarbon sector services functions, including engineering services, IT operations & security and also R&D centre in near future.  

Haj Committee presents report on New Haj policy 2018-22 to Shri Mukhrar Abbas Naqvi 

Ministry of Minority Affairs, Government of India had constituted a Committee to review the existing Haj Policy of the Government for 2013-17 and to suggest framework for new Haj policy 2018-22. 
●    The Committee presented its Report to the Union Minister of Minority Affairs Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi in the presence of Secretary (Minority Affairs), Shri Ameising Luikham, Chairman of Haj Committee of India, Shri Chaudhary Mehboob Ali Kaiser, Ambassador of India in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Shri Ahmed Javed, other Members of HCoI and senior officials of the Ministry of Minority Affairs in Mumbai today.
●    Haj is one of the most complex organizational tasks undertaken by Government of India outside its borders. 
●    Although a five day religious congregation, it is virtually a year-long managerial exercise. 
●    Indian Haj pilgrims who constitute one of the largest national group perform Haj through two streams - (i) the Haj Committee of India (HCOI), and (ii) registered Private Tour Operators (PTOs). 
●    HCOI established under the Haj Committee Act 2002 is responsible for making the arrangements for pilgrims performing Haj through them. 
●    All arrangements for the HCoI pilgrims in Saudi Arabia are coordinated by the Consulate General of India, Jeddah. 
●    The Haj quota for India fixed by the Saudi Arabian Government was fixed at 1,36,020 after Haj 2013. 

Dr. Mahesh Sharma to inaugurate ‘Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav-2017’ to be held in Ahmadabad From 7th To 9th October, 2017 

The “Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav (RSM)-2017” will be held from 7th to 9th October, 2017  in India’s 1st World Heritage City i.e Ahmadabad, Gujarat. 
●    Ms. Sujata Prasad, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Culture addressing the media persons Ahmadabad, Gujarat today said that Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav was conceived by the Ministry of Culture in the year 2015 and after the grand success of the First Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav in November-2015, the Ministry of Culture decided to organize it with an intent to showcase the rich cultural heritage of the Country in all its rich and varied dimensions, viz Handicrafts, Cuisine, Painting, Sculpture, Photography, Documentation and Performing Arts-Folk, Tribal, Classical and Contemporary- all in one place. 
●    So far, this Ministry has organised 5 RSM’s i.e 2 in Delhi, 1 each in Varanasi, Bengaluru and RSM North East in all NE State capitals. 
●    Additional Secretary informed that The Minister of State for Culture (I/C) and Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Dr. Mahesh Sharma will inaugurate the 6th edition of Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav on 7th October 2017 at 7.00 pm at Sabarmati Riverfront Event Centre, A Block in Ahmedabad.

MoU signed between V.V. Giri National Labour Institute (VVGNLI) and Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Guwahati 

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between V.V. Giri National Labour Institute (VVGNLI) and Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Guwahati was signed today by Dr. H. Srinivas, Director General of VVGNLI and Dr. D.K. Srivastava, Deputy Director of TISS, Guwahati in the august presence of Shri Santosh Kumar Gangwar, the Union Minister of State (IC) for Labour & Employment in Guwahati. 
●    Shri Pallav Lochan Das, Minister of State (IC) for Labour Welfare, Govt. of Assam and Smt. M. Sathiyavathy, Secretary, Ministry of Labour & Employment, Govt. of India were also present during the occasion.
●    Shri Santosh Kumar Gangwar in his message advised that the good collaborative work proposed to be done in the North Eastern states could also be replicated in the entire country so that all get benefited. 
●    Shri Pallav Lochan Das stated that labour laws applicable in other states may not be applicable in Assam due to different local conditions. 
●    Hence, there is necessity to devise customized laws. 
●    He welcomed the MoU initiated by the Union Ministry of Labour & Employment.
●    Smt. M. Sathiyavathy in her message outlined the activities of VVGNLI and the MoU’s it has with the International Training Center of International Labour Organisation, Turin; IIM Lucknow etc. 
●    She complemented VVGNLI for its various activities and Director General, VVGNLI and Director, TISS, Guwahati for the present collaboration.

CRZ nod to ONGC's Rs 266 crore desalination plant in Maharashtra

State-run ONGC has received the coastal regulatory zone (CRZ) clearance for setting up a seawater desalination plant at its Uran unit in Raigad, Maharashtra at a cost of Rs 266.40 crore, according to an official letter issued to the company.
●    The proposal is to set up a seawater desalination plant with a capacity to process 20 million litres per day (MLD). 
●    The proposed site is about 380 meters away from the high tide line (HTL) of Arabian Sea, along the western coast of India.
●    Desalination is a process to remove dissolved minerals from feed water sources such as seawater and brackish water. 
●    Desalination of seawater is being increasingly adopted worldwide to cope with the deficit in availability of potable water.
●    In the letter, the environment ministry said it has given the CRZ clearance for establishing a desalination plant in Maharashtra after taking into account the recommendation of its expert panel.
●    The approval is subject to compliance of certain conditions such as obtaining of 'no objection certificate' from Maharashtra Pollution Control Board for discharge of brine water into the sea after necessary safeguards, it said.