Current Affairs October 6, 2017

Dear Reader's,

INDIAN AFFAIRS

Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari inaugurated sea route to Baratang & laid foundation stone for shipping projects in Andaman & Nicobar Islands
On October 5, 2017, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Union Minister for Shipping, Road Transport & Highways and Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Nitin Gadkari inaugurated an alternate sea route to Baratang Island in Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
i. They also laid the foundation stone for extension of dry dock in Port Blair, extension of wharf in Hope Town and construction of an additional jetty along with extension of Berthing Jetty in Neil Island.
ii. The new sea route to Baratang, which passes through the Jarawa Tribal Reserve will provide an alternative to the National Highways-4 route that linked Baratang to Port Blair. It will thereby promote tourism without disturbing the tribal areas.

First Edition of the ASEAN India Music Festival begins in New Delhi
The first ever ASEAN-India Music Festival has begun at Purana Quila in New Delhi on October 6, 2017. It will continue till October 8, 2017.About First Edition of the ASEAN-India Music Festival:
i. First Edition of the ASEAN-India Music Festival has been organised by Union Ministry of External Affairs, in collaboration with Union Ministry of Culture and arts/cultural group Seher.
ii. It has been organised to celebrate 25th anniversary of ASEAN-India Dialogue Relations, which is being commemorated with the theme “Shared Values, Common Destiny”. 
iii. 10 music bands from member states of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) – Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Lao PDR, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam – along with 5 prominent Indian bands will perform at this festival.
Quick Facts about ASEAN 
♦ Established in – 1967
♦ Secretariat – Jakarta, Indonesia
♦ Current Secretary General – Le Luong Minh

Prime Minister Modi temple with 100 feet tall statue to be built in Meerut
On 5^th October 2017, follower and supporter of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, J.P.Singh, announced that, a temple worth Rs.30 crore is to be built in honour of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh.
Temple with 100 feet tall statue for Prime Minister Modi:
i. The temple would be built in the Sardhana area of Meerut. A 100 feet statue of Prime Minister Modi would be installed in the temple.
ii. The ‘Bhumi Pujan’ and the stone laying ceremony for the temple would be conducted on 23^rdOctober 2017. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah is expected to attend the event.
iii. A retired engineer from the Uttar Pradesh Irrigation Department, J.P.Singh, announced the construction of this temple. He said that, it would take 2 years for completion.
Other temples built in India for politicians and celebrities:
♦ Temple for Sonia Gandhi – Telengana
♦ Temple for Sachin Tendulkar – Bihar
♦ Temple for Amitabh Bachchan – Kolkata

Meghalaya, UP and Arunachal Sign MoU to Boost Culture and Tourism
On 5^th October 2017, a MoU was signed by Uttar Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya under the ‘Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat’ programme, to boost cultural ties.
MoU between Meghalaya, UP and Arunachal Pradesh:
i. Uttar Pradesh Additional Chief Secretary, Secondary and Higher Education, Sanjay Agarwal, Arunachal Pradesh Tourism Secretary, Joram Beda, Meghalaya Education Secretary, W R Lyngdoh signed the MoU.
ii. This MoU under the ‘Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat’ programme, aims to enhance cultural relationship between these 3 states.
iii. The ‘Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat’ programme, works to boost cultural relationship between different states of India. As per this programme, each year a state and a union territory would be paired with another for interaction between their people and knowing each other’s culture and heritage.
Other recent MoUs of Uttar Pradesh:
1. MoU between Uttar Pradesh and Union Government for 24/7 power supply by October 2018
2. MoU between Uttar Pradesh and Union Government for opening AIIMS in Gorakhpur

Current Affairs September 30, 2017

Dear Reader's,

Indian Affairs

Environment Ministry notifies New Wetland Rules
On 26th September 2017, the Union Environment Ministry notified the new Wetland (Conservation and Management) Rules 2017, in New Delhi.
Wetland (Conservation and Management) Rules 2017:
i. The new rules will replace the 2010 version of the Wetland rules.
ii. Wetlands are lands mid-way between terrestrial and aquatic eco-systems. The water table is usually near the surface or the land is covered by shallow water.
iii. There are 115 wetlands that are officially identified by the central government. Out of these, 26 are identified as wetlands of international importance under Ramsar Convention.
iv. Ramsar Covention is an international intergovernmental treaty for conservation of wetlands.
v. The new rules insist setting up of a State Wetlands Authority in every state and union territory.
vi. This will be headed by the State’s Environment Minister.
vii. Government officials will be appointed as members.
viii. It will include one expert from each of the following fields: wetland ecology, hydrology, fisheries, landscape planning and socioeconomics.

India registers significant decline in Infant Mortality Rate (IMR)
On 29th September 2017, Sample Registration System (SRS) bulletin was released, which stated that Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) of India has declined by three points (8%).
Decline in IMR:
i. IMR has reduced to 34 per 1000 live births in 2016, compared to the 37 per 1000 live births in 2015.
ii. India has registered 90,000 fewer infant deaths in 2016 compared to 2015.
iii. The total number of estimated infant deaths has reduced to 8,40,000 in 2016 from 9,30,000 in 2015.
iv. According to the SRS Bulletin, the gender gap in India for child survival is reducing steadily.
v. The decline in IMR is reported as 4 points in Bihar, 3 points in Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand and 2 points in Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Rajasthan.
About Infant Mortality Rate (IMR):
i. Definition – number of deaths of infants under one year old per 1,000 live births

India’s first Mobile Congress held in New Delhi
On 27th – 29th September 2017, India’s first Mobile Congress, India Mobile Congress 2017, was held at New Delhi.
India’s first Mobile Congress:
i. More than 300 exhibitors, and hundreds of startups from India participated in the India Mobile Congress.
ii. Main focus of the Mobile Congress was the idea of Digital India through privatisation and the advent of 5G.
iii. LG launched K7i smartphone with inbuilt mosquito-repellent.
iv. Nokia, ZTE and Ericsson displayed several of their products that could accommodate 5G technology.
v. Reliance Jio introduced new feature that enables the phone to be connected to a TV.
vi. Taiwan-based semiconductor company, MediaTek launched its new MT6739 chipset for 4G smart phone users.
vii. Phone-manufacturing company Detel displayed its D1 model phone that retails for Rs.300.
About India Mobile Congress: