Current Affairs

GK and Current Affairs Updates

Select Date
Tags:
Hindi

New Delhi Declaration of AMCDRR 2016

The three-day Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR) 2016 came to an end with the adoption of the ‘New Delhi Declaration’ and the ‘Asian Regional Plan for Implementation of the Sendai Framework’. 
●    The Closing ceremony was presided over by Union Home Minister ShriRajnath Singh.
●    This was the first Asian Ministerial Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR) after the advent of the Sendai Framework for DRR (SFDRR).
●    The SFDRR (2015-2030) was adopted by at the Third World Conference on DRR at Sendai in Japan in March, 2015. 
●    The ‘New Delhi Declaration’ is a political statement spelling out the commitment of participating governments towards preventing and reducing disaster risk, and strengthening the resilience of communities, nations and the Asian region. 
●    Recognising the need to accelerate the implementation of global frameworks, it commits to a people-centred and whole-of-society approach towards DRR. 


 

Read More
Read Less

India, UNISDR sign Statement of Cooperation on Sendai Framework

India and United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction signed a Statement of Cooperation during the second day of the Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR) 2016 here today.
●    India will partner with UNISDR to work towards strengthening the capacity of Asian countries in ensuring risk resilient development. 
●    It will also facilitate the sharing of knowledge and experiences, and collaborative efforts towards addressing critical regional challenges.
●    The cooperation aims to ensure effective implementation and monitoring of the Sendai Framework through Training and capacity building for Asian countries.
●    The statement was officially signed by Shri. Bipin Mallick, Additional Secretary, Government of India and Mr. Robert Glasser, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction.

Read More
Read Less

Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Yojana Launched

Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan or Yojana is a new initiative of the Narendra Modi Government launched on June 9, 2016. 
●    The scheme has been launched with the objective of boosting the health care facilities for the pregnant women, especially the poor.
●    Under the Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan, the pregnant ladies will be given free health check-up and required treatment for free on 9th of every month. 
●    The scheme will be applicable for pregnant women to avail in all Government hospitals across the country.
●    All kinds of medical checkups under the scheme will be completely free.
●    Tests will take place at the medical centre
●    es, government and private hospitals and private clinics across the country.

Read More
Read Less

SAMPRITI-2016 Indo-Bangla Joint Military Exercise Begins

Indo-Bangla joint military training exercise SAMPRITI commenced on 5 November 2016 at Tangail, Dhaka.
●    This is the sixth edition of the exercise which is hosted alternately by both countries. The exercise is an important bilateral defence cooperation endeavor between the two countries.
●    The exercise will simulate a scenario where both nations are working together in a counter insurgency and counter terrorism environment under the UN Charter.
●    The participants will initially get familiar with each other’s organizational structure and tactical drills during the exercise.
●    Subsequently, the training will advance to joint tactical exercises wherein the battle drills of both the armies will be practiced.
●    The training will culminate on 18 November 2016 with a final validation exercise in which troops of both armies will jointly practice a counter terrorist operation in a controlled and simulated environment.


 

Read More
Read Less

Andhra Pradesh Tops World Bank's Energy-saving Rankings

World Bank declared Andhra Pradesh as No 1 in India in energy efficiency.
●    Principal secretary, energy, Ajay Jain said that the state will now get global recognition and energy-efficiency programmes will be put on fast track. 
●    The WB felt that political will, visionary leadership and result-oriented approach of the state administration had helped AP achieve the first rank. 
●    AP achieved an overall score of 42.01 followed by Rajasthan 41.89, Karnataka 39.34 and Maharashtra 39.29.
●    The ranks were released in Delhi by World Bank executive director Subhash Chandra Garg during an ongoing international conference on Friday.
●    EESL managing director Saurabh Kumar said the spurt in demand for LED bulbs distributed by AP under the UJALA scheme has resulted in free fall of LED prices.

Read More
Read Less

UNFCC COP22 to Begin in Marrakech, Morocco

The twenty-second session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 22) and the twelfth session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP 12) will be held in Bab Ighli, Marrakech, Morocco from 7-18 November 2016.
●    On 5 October 2016, the threshold for entry into force of the Paris Agreement was achieved. The Paris Agreement entered into force on 4 November 2016. 
●    As a result, the first session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA 1) will take place in Marrakech in conjunction with COP 22 and CMP 12.
●    The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is an international environmental treaty negotiated at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro from 3 to 14 June 1992, then entered into force on 21 March 1994. 
●    The UNFCCC objective is to "stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system".

Read More
Read Less

India, Venezuela sign deals to increase Oil Production

India and Venezuela have signed an oil production deals worth about 1.45 billion US dollar to increase oil production. 
●    The agreement was signed between Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), Venezeulas Petroleos de Venezuela SA (PDVSA), and Venezuela’s consortium Delta Finance BV in Caracas. 
●    The Indo-Venezuelan partnership created in 2009 is expected to double the daily oil production of San Cristobal field from 20,000 to 40,000 barrels of oil. 
●    Comment The agreement comes amid a severe economic crisis in Venezuela. 
●    It is seen as a way to boost oil production, pay off debts, obtain funds from other foreign partners, and increase the country’s oil income. 
●    Venezuelan crisis Venezuela’s economy relies on oil exports and it accounts for half of the Venezuelan government’s revenues. 
●    Recently, it has been severely hit by a drastic fall in oil prices and resulted in the Venezuela’s economic crisis.


 

Read More
Read Less

Egypt devalues and floats its currency

Egypt's central bank floated the pound in an attempt to stabilize its economy, which has been hampered by a shortage of dollars.
●    The currency was initially devalued by 32.3% to about 13 pounds per dollar, down from the previous peg of 8.8 per dollar, which had been in place since March. 
●    It has since tumbled further, and is now down by about 50%.
●    The central bank also hiked rates by 300 basis points in an attempt to curtail the inflation that's likely to follow the weaker exchange rate.
●    The devaluation of the pound was one of the key demands by the International Monetary Fund in order for Egypt to receive a loan of $12 billion over three years. 
●    The IMF has yet to officially ratify the loan, but it is seen as crucial in helping to stabilize the country's economy.


  

Read More
Read Less

India, China Discuss Steps to Improve ties

National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and his Chinese counterpart met in Hyderabad on Friday for a day-long discussion on improving bilateral ties.
●    The meeting between Mr. Doval and Yang Jiechi is part of efforts to improve high-level interaction to deal with issues of mutual interest and concern. 
●    A former Foreign Minister, Mr. Yang was elevated to the rank of State Councillor over three years ago.
●    Despite India’s aggressive efforts, China is yet to relent on its opposition to New Delhi’s entry into the 48-member NSG. 
●    China has opposed the entry saying India has not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
●    Beijing’s technical hold in the U.N. on the ban on Jaish-e-Mohammed founder Masood Azhar would expire in December, and India is hoping to persuade China to agree to its demand.
 

Read More
Read Less

Mcr-1 isolated in India

Indian researchers have isolated a strain of E.Coli bacteria, carrying a new gene (mcr -1)
●    It is resistant to the last mile antibiotic the human race currently has access to — colistin
●    While colistin resistance had already  been detected in India, it existed thus far only as mutations in the chromosomal/genetic path
●    With mcr-1, however, the gene is found in the plasmid medium, a small DNA molecule outside of the chromosomal DNA
●    This means the infection can spread in hospitals, and the community
●    MCR-1 is a genetic mechanism by which the mcr-1 gene confers the first known plasmid-mediated resistance to colistin, a polymixin and one of a number of last-resort antibiotics.

Read More
Read Less

All Rights Reserved Top Rankers