GK and Current Affairs Updates

Lauding the contribution of Dr. B R Ambedkar in water resources management of the country Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Sushri Uma Bharti has announced that his birth day 14th April will be celebrated as “Water Day”. She was addressing a National Seminar on Marching ahead on Dr. Ambedkar’s path of water resources management for inclusive growth organized by Central Water Commission in New Delhi today as Chief guest.
●    Referring to the 99 Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme (AIBP) schemes undertaken by her Ministry the Minister said on the completion of these projects we would be able to irrigate 80 Lakh hact. additional land. She said to complete these project by the year 2020 CWC has sent teams of it young scientist to various parts of the country who will submit their reports very soon.
●    Referring to flood management the Union Water Resources Minister said “There is a need to redefine flood management so that it can be taken to a positive direction”. She said we have to ensure that flood management does not change into corruption management. Underlining the importance of State Government and local administration in flood management the Minister said it is their responsibility to identify flood prone areas in advance and to ensure that there is no human settlement there. If still there is human settlement the people residing there should be constantly warned of the flood, she added.
●    The day long seminar was attended by Dr. Amerjit Singh, OSD Ministry of Water Resources, Shri S D Dubey, Charimen CEA, Dr Sukhadeo Throat, Professor Emeritus, Central for the study of Regional Development, JNU, Shri Suresh Chandra, Former Chairman CWC, Dr. Urmila Chandel, Dr. Ambedkar Foundation, Shri M E Haque, Former Member, CWC, Shri Sanjeev Agrawal Chief Engineer, CWC and Prof. Avdhesh Pratap,Water Law Expert. During the Technical session of the seminar, the contribution of Dr. Ambedkar in the field of water management and way forward for ensuring inclusive growth of all sections of the society was discussed.

The Minister of State (I/C) for Petroleum and Natural Gas Shri Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurated the 5th IEF-IGU Ministerial Forum in New Delhi today. The Ministerial forum is being held as a parallel event to the 3-day Petrotech-2016. Minister of Energy and Mines, Brazil, H.E. Fernando Bezerra FILHO, Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, Cyprus H.E. Mr. Yiorgos LAKKOTRYPIS, Minister of Petroleum and Gas, Nigeria H.E. Dr. Emmanuel Ibe KACHIKWU, Minister of Energy and Industry, Qatar H.E. Mr. Mohammed bin Saleh AL-SADA, Deputy Minister for Gas Affairs of Ministry of Oil, Iraq H.E. Dr. Hamed Younis SALEH, Secretary General, OPEC Mr. Mohammed Sanusi BARKINDO, Secretary General, International Energy Forum, Dr. Sun XIANSHENG, President, International Gas Union, Mr. David CARROLL and Secretary General, International Gas Union Mr. Luis Bertran RAFECAS were present on the occasion.
●    Welcoming the participants, Shri Pradhan said that the theme of this meet "Gas for Growth : Improving economic prosperity and living standards" could very well be the story of the initiatives taken in India towards this end. He said compared to international average, the share of gas in India’s primary energy basket is only at about 6.5% and we have set a target to raise the share of gas in primary energy from the current level to 15%. This means annual gas consumption would accelerate from about 50 BCM to above 200 BCM in future. 
●    Shri Pradhan enlisted the initiatives taken by the Government in this regard- allowing 100% Foreign Direct Investment in many segments of the hydrocarbon sector, successful conclusion of Open bidding under a new 'Marginal Fields Policy' , introduction of new Hydrocarbon Exploration Licensing Policy, giving top priority to allocation of domestically produced gas for City Gas Distribution, pooling of gas for fertilizer and power plants. To meet the demands that an economy with 15% share of gas in the energy basket will entail, matching infrastructure will be needed and the Government is prepared for that. Calling for the support of the entire industry, the consumers and the people at large in meeting ambitious targets, Shri Pradhan said that it cannot be achieved by Governments alone.
●    Talking about the international collaboration in the area of natural gas, the Minister said the world needs even greater co-operation among countries on gas technologies, such as Shale and Gas Hydrates. Similarly, a number of large Asian LNG buyers, including India, could benefit by joining hands and thereby, possibly, bring in more equitable trade deals.

A high level Israeli delegation led by Minister for Science, Technology and Space Mr.Ofir Akunis, including three members of Israeli parliament met Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Science, Technology and Earth Sciences. 
●    The visit of the Israeli S&T and Space Minister to India follows the visit of the President of Israel to India last month. 
●    In the meeting between the two Minister’s both sides agreed to give boost to the bilateral cooperation in science and technology under the aegis of the S&T Agreement concluded between India and Israel in 1993. 
●    Next year will mark 25 years of diplomatic relationship between the two countries.
●    Welcoming the delegation, Dr. Harsh Vardhan remarked that India values its science and technology cooperation with Israel which is a leading innovative nation of the world. 
●    He further added that we would like to identify new opportunities and mechanisms to expand and upscale our cooperation agenda by creating a value based relationship which can contribute to the 21st century knowledge economy.

O Panneerselvam was sworn-in as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on 5 December 2016. He succeeded AIADMK supremo and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister who earlier died at the Apollo Hospital.
●    Governor Ch. Vidyasagar Rao administered the oath of office and secrecy for Panneerselvam at a somber ceremony at the Raj Bhawan. Other 31 ministers of the erstwhile Jayalalithaa Cabinet were also sworn-in.
●    This was Panneerselvam’s third swearing-in as Chief Minister. Earlier, he had served Tamil Nadu as its Chief Minster, during 2001-02 and 2014-15, after Jayalalithaa was unseated by the courts.
●    Tamil Nadu government has announced a seven-day State Mourning from 6 November 2016. The government has also declared a three-day holiday for all educational institutions in the state.
●    Panneerselvam was born on 14 January 1951.
●    He was once a tea stall owner and an agriculturist.
●    He is a member of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) party of Tamil Nadu.
●    Panneerselvam served as the chairman of Periakulam municipality in 1996.
●    He became the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu in September 2001 when then Chief Minister Jayalalithaa was barred from holding office by the Supreme Court of India. 

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 4 December 2016 announced to issue Rs 50 and Rs 20 denomination banknotes. 
●    However, the old Rs 50 and Rs 20 notes will also continue to be legal tender.
●    Features of Rs 50 denomination banknotes:
●    These notes of the Mahatma Gandhi Series-2005 will not have inset letter ‘L’  in both the number panels.
●    It will bear the signature of Dr Urjit R Patel, Governor of Reserve Bank of India.
●    The year of printing that is '2016' will be printed on the reverse of the banknote.
●    The design and security features of these banknotes will be similar to the banknotes.
●    The new Rs 20 denomination currency notes will be printed with inset letter ‘L’ in both the number panels.
●    Features of Rs 50 denomination banknotes:
●    It will bear the signature of Dr Urjit R Patel, Governor of Reserve Bank of India.
●    The year of printing '2016' will be printed on the backside of the banknote.
●    The design and security features of these banknotes will be similar to the old banknotes of Rs 20 with the ascending font of numerals in both the number panels and without intaglio print that was issued earlier in Mahatma Gandhi Series- 2005
 
 

Senior IAS officer B.S. Bhullar on 5 December 2016 was appointed the Chief of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
●    At present, Bhullar, a 1986-batch IAS officer, is working as an Additional Secretary in Civil Aviation Ministry. He was also holding the additional charge of the DGCA.
●    The post of the Chief of DGCA was lying vacant for over four months after M Sathiyavathy, a 1982-batch IAS officer of the union territories cadre, was named as new Union Labour Secretary in July 2016. She was the first woman chief of the aviation regulator.
●    The Directorate General of Civil Aviation is the Indian governmental regulatory body for civil aviation under the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
●    It investigates aviation accidents and incidents.
●    It is headquartered in New Delhi.
●    Lately, the Indian government has been planning to replace the organisation with a Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). 
●    The CAA is said to be modelled on the lines of the American Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

E-commerce giant Amazon on 5 December 2016 launched its global startup program named Launchpad in India. The Launchpad programme was launched with an aim to enable Indian startups to sell their products overseas.
●    In this regard, Amazon India tied up with Start Up India programme of Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), NASSCOM's 10000 Startups, Indian Angel Network (IAN), NITI Aayog, Governments of Maharashtra, Telangana and TiE. 
●    It aims to help startups to sell, market, and deliver their products to gain more visibility. 
●    It will provide an exceptional opportunity for Indian Startups to get access to big consumer markets nationally and internationally. 
●    Through this program, small entrepreneurs and innovators can use Amazon’s online platform to increase scale of their businesses and get easy access to global markets.
●    Amazon is an American international electronic commerce company with headquarters in Seattle, Washington, United States. 
●    Founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos, it is the world's largest online retailer.
●    It entered into Indian e-commerce market in 2013 with the launch of its marketplace Amazon.in, offering books, movies and television shows for sale.
 

Two-day 18th Home Secretary Level talks between India and Bangladesh started here today. 
●    The Indian delegation is led by Home Secretary Shri Rajiv Mehrishi and Bangladesh delegation is led by Senior Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, Bangladesh, Dr. Md. Mozammel Haque Khan. 
●    The last such meeting was held in November, 2015 at Dhaka in Bangladesh.
●    During the meeting, two sides discussed working of institutional arrangements, security related issues, cooperation in prevention of illegal activities along the borders, border management issues. 
●    The talks were held in cordial atmosphere and conducive to greater cooperation between the two countries.
●    Bangladesh and India are South Asian neighbors. Generally relations have been friendly, although sometimes there are border disputes. 
●    The historic land boundary agreement was signed on 6 June 2015 which opened a new era in the relations and further stopped all irritants in ties.

KONKAN 16, the 2016 edition of the annual bilateral maritime exercise between the Indian Navy and the Royal Navy, would be held from 05 -16 Dec 16 at Mumbai and Goa. Exercise KONKAN, named after the Western coastal region of India, was institutionalised in 2004. Since then, the exercise hosted in rotation by both the Navies, has grown in complexity, scale and intensity.
●    The exercise will be conducted in two phases at Mumbai and Goa. The first phase, to be held from 05 - 09 Dec 16, would be a Command Planning exercise involving the two navies, where planners from both sides will undertake planning for combined maritime operations. The second phase is a LIVE EXERCISE (LIVEX), to be held from 12 - 16 Dec 16 at Goa, which involves interaction between the IN Marine Commandos (MARCOs) and the Royal Marines. Both phases will involve sharing of best practices and lessons learnt from recent operations, especially in the field of Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) and Non-combatant Evacuation Operations (NEO).
●    KONKAN 16 will be an important chapter in the maritime interactions under the aegis of KONKAN series as it will familiarise both forces with each other’s planning processes and further enhance synergy and inter-operability. In addition, participation of IN MARCOs and Royal Marines would add another dimension to this exercise and provide valuable opportunity for both navies to interact and cooperate in the field of Maritime Security Operations.
●    Successive editions of KONKAN have built on past experiences and have enhanced operational inter-operability between the two navies. This cooperation between the two navies is a positive and tangible symbol of commitment in ensuring a positive climate for maritime security and economic development. The current edition would further strengthen the existing bonds of friendship between India and United Kingdom, and enhance our capability to work together to contribute towards maritime security in the global commons.

The International Volunteer Day (IVD) was observed across the world on 5 December 2016 with the theme Global Applause– give volunteers a hand.
●    This year's theme recognizes the volunteers worldwide and their efforts in making peace and sustainable development a reality.
●    To mark International Volunteer Day, the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme released the data showing the increase in keyboard volunteers that is online volunteers. By volunteering online, volunteers work for sustainable human development by supporting the activities of development organizations.
●    The Day was designated in 1985 by the United Nations as an international observance day to celebrate the power and potential of volunteerism.
●    It is seen as a unique chance for volunteers and organizations to promote their work among their communities, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), United Nations agencies and the government authorities.
●    The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme contributes to peace and development by promoting the recognition of volunteers and working with partners to integrate volunteerism into development programming.