Birsa Munda

Birsa Munda Jayanthi was recently celebrated across the country. Birsa Munda is a tribal leader in chotanagpur region who fought against

the land acquisition by British. He had forced the colonial officials to introduce laws protecting the land

rights of the tribals. He started the faith of “Birsait” to challenge the British conversion

activities through Christian missionaries. It attracted the members of Munda and Oraon tribal communities. He is popularly known as 'Dharti Abba' or the Earth Father, a folk hero

inspiring other Adivasis in their struggle for forest rights in modern times. He started a movement called 'Ulgulan', or 'The Great Tumult, organising

the Adivasis against the land settlement system imposed by the British. He fought against superstition, animal sacrifice and alcoholism and

demanded tribal farmers to boycott ‘beth begari system’ (forced labour). The Chotanagpur Tenancy Act was passed in 1908, which restricted the

passing on of land from the tribal people to non-tribals.

Geographical Indication (GI) tag

A geographical indication is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin.

It is managed by Cell for IPR promotion and Management (CIPAM) under the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

West Bengal state has recently won the GI tag for Rasgulla. West Bengal and Odisha have been engaged in a legal battle over the

origin of the syrupy Rasgulla since June 2015. Besides rasgulla, Banganapalle mangoes from Andhra Pradesh, Tulapanji

rice from West Bengal will also get a GI tag this year by the Indian patent office.

The ministry has started social media campaign #LetsTalkIP to promote Indian GIs.

Asia Pacific Cert (APCERT)

First ever Asia APCERT Open Conference in India and the first in South Asia was recently held in New Delhi.

Ministry of Electronics and IT hosted the event. CERT’s from 22 digital Asia Pacific economies participated along with

participation from USA, Europe, Industry, Academia, Government and Media.

Indian Compute Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) received the host country award from the APCERT, handed over by Japan CERT (JPCERT).

India was selected to be part of the steering committee of APCERT along with 6 (Australia, China, Japan, Korea, Malaysia and Taiwan) other countries to shape the agenda for the next 2 years across the region.

Hunar Haat

Hunar Haat (Skill Haat) is an exhibition of handicrafts, embroidery etc made by the artisans from the Minority Communities.

It is organized by the Ministry of Minority Affairs. Artisans will be provided free of cost stall, the arrangements for their

transport and their daily expenses. It was recently inaugurated at India International Trade Fair.

NGT

The Southern Bench of National Green Tribunal (NGT) has recently given the permission to Kerala’s proposal to undertake development work in Periyar Tiger Reserve.

Tamil Nadu has been opposing the project claiming that the development work falls under the leased area of Mullaperiyar dam and affects the ecology of the region under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980.

NGT has pointed out that National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) had already approved the project.

NTCA is a statutory body headed by the Minister for Environment and Forests.

The NGT bench has observed that the Chairperson of the Forest Advisory Committee (FAC), who decided forest clearance proposals, is also a member of the NTCA that approved the TCP.

Thus, the activities do not amount to diversion of forest land and utilisation of forest land for non-forest purpose attracting the provisions of the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980.

National Power Portal (NPP)

Ministry of Power has recently launched the National Power Portal. It is a centralized platform for collation and dissemination of Indian power

sector information. It act as the single point interface for all Power Sector Apps launched

previously by the Ministry, like TARANG, UJALA, VIDYUT PRAVAH, GARV, URJA, MERIT.

It has been designed and developed to disseminate analyzed information about the sector through GIS enabled navigation and visualization chart windows.

NPP is integrated with associated systems of Central Electricity Authority (CEA), Power Finance Corporation (PFC), Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) and other major utilities.

It would serve as single authentic source of power sector information to apex bodies.

The Nodal Agency for implementation of NPP and its operational control is CEA.

Comprehensive Drug Monitoring System (CDMS)

Andhra Pradesh is set to launch Comprehensive Drug Monitoring System (CDMS).

It is an app that all registered doctors have to use to generate e-prescriptions mentioning the patient’s name, mobile or Aadhaar number, medicines advised, and the manufacturer’s name.

When a doctor makes a digital signature on the app, the patient will receive a One Time Password on the cell phone, which he/she has to show at the pharmacy to buy medicines.

Only doctors registered with the Medical Council of India’s AP chapter would be able to access the app and generate e-prescriptions.

Only pharmacists registered with the Pharmacists’ Council would be able to access it.

People without mobile phones have to show their Aadhaar card.

BrahMos missile Test-fire

BrahMos missile is set to be test fired from IAF's Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter jet.

The Su-30-BrahMos combination will carry out air combat operations within and beyond visibility range.

It will provide the IAF with the capability of attacking targets protected by powerful air defence assets.

BrahMos missile is a short-range ramjet supersonic cruise missile that can be launched from submarine, ships, aircraft, or land.

It is co-developed by India and Russia. BrahMos supersonic cruise missile has a range of 290-km, which is said to

be the world’s fastest anti-ship cruise missile. It can be launched in either inclined or vertical configuration based on the

type of the ship.

India's first wave-powered navigational buoy

A buoy is an anchored float serving as a navigation mark, to show reefs or other hazards, or for anchorage.

A wave-powered navigational buoy, developed by the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT).

This buoy for guiding ships, is powered by wave energy while conventional ones use solar power, it stores energy generated by waves in a battery.

It will guide ships in and out of ports, navigate through a designated channel.

The buoy would be able to record data on wind speed and direction various other aspects, which would be relayed to port authorities,

It was launched by Ministry of Earth Sciences on the eve of executive committee meeting of IEA-OES.

IEA-OES meeting

33rd executive committee meeting of International Energy Agency-Ocean Energy Systems Collaboration Programme (IEA-OES) held recently.

Ocean Energy Systems Technology Collaboration Programme is an intergovernmental collaboration between countries.

It operates under the framework established by the International Energy Agency.

India became a member of the forum in April 2017, by this India would have access to advanced research and development teams, technologies and data in the area of ocean energy across the world.

International Solar alliance (ISA)

The International Solar Alliance (ISA) is an alliance of more than 121 countries, most of them being sunshine countries.

The initiative was jointly launched by India and France.

The alliance's primary objective is work for efficient exploitation of solar energy to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.

The alliance is a treaty-based inter-governmental organization, 44 countries have already signed the treaty.

By which countries that do not fall within the Tropics can join the ISA and enjoy all benefits as other members, with the exception of voting rights.

ISA’s three ongoing programmes are

1. Facilitating affordable finance for solar.2. Scaling up solar applications for agriculture.

3. Promoting solar mini-grids in member nations.

Multilateral development banks and other financial institutions are providing support for solar projects through low-cost finance mechanism.

Mission Indradhanush

Recently Mission Indradhanush earned praise in a Johns Hopkins report on global diarrhoea and pneumonia.

Mission Indradhanush is the central government immunisation drive, which aims to immunize all children under the age of 2 years, as well as all pregnant women, against seven vaccine preventable diseases.

The diseases being targeted are diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, poliomyelitis, tuberculosis, measles and Hepatitis B.

Four phases of Mission Indradhanush have been completed in which 2.55 crore children and 68.7 lakh pregnant women have been vaccinated across the country.

This mission is not to be confused with Mission Indradhanush for PSBs

Mission Indradhanush for PSBs

Mission Indradhanush is a 7-pronged plan to address the challenges faced by public sector banks (PSBs).

The 7 parts include (ABCDEFG)

1. Appointments 2. Bank Boards Bureau 3. Capitalisation4. De-stressing5. Empowerment6. Framework of accountability7. Governance Reforms

National Conference on BharatNet

BharatNet aimed at providing broadband connectivity to rural areas. Under the phase I, optical Fibre connectivity was made available at 1 lakh

Gram Panchayats. Department of Telecommunication organized National Conference on

BharatNet where MoU was signed for the launching of phase II. DoT has initiated discussions on delivering Broadband enabled Citizen

Services in 1 lakh gram panchayats. Bharat Broadband Network Limited (BBNL) is the special purpose vehicle

created as a PSU for execution of National Optical Fibre Network. It is funded by Universal Service Obligation Fund. It will implemented by the respective state government

Grahak Sadak Koyla Vitaran App

The app is launched by the Union Ministry of Railways and Coal. It will benefit customers of Coal India Limited (CIL) lifting coal through road

mode. It will help in logistics planning and bolster transparency in the system of

loading programme and dispatch.

Human Rights Commission

The NHRC/SHRC is the statutory body responsible for the protection and promotion of human rights.

"Human Rights" means the rights relating to life, liberty, equality and dignity of the individual.

It is guaranteed by the constitution or embodied in the International covenants and enforceable by courts in India.

The Madras High Court has recently held that neither the NHRC nor the SHRC are empowered to inquire into complaints lodged against private establishments, including hospitals.

It held that human rights commissions could probe into complaints made against public servants alone.

It highlighted the Section 12 (a) of the Protection of Human Rights Act of 1993 which empowered the commissions to inquire into

i. violations of human rights or abetment thereof, and ii. Negligence in the prevention of such violation by a public servant.

The commission could not take on file a complaint made after the expiry of one year since the date on which the act constituting a violation of human rights was allegedly committed.

Nilgiris

The rare, pale-skinned ‘white’ tiger was recently spotted for the first time in the Nilgiris.

Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve was constituted by UNESCO in September 1986 under Man and Biosphere Programme.

It is an International Biosphere Reserve in the Western Ghats and Nilgiri Hills ranges of South India.

The Nilgiri Sub-Cluster is a part of the Western Ghats, which was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2012.

It includes the Mudumalai, Mukurthi, Nagarhole, and Bandipur national parks, as well as the Wayanad and Sathyamangalam wildlife sanctuaries.

Airport Authority of India (AAI)

AAI, under the Ministry of Civil Aviation is responsible for creating, upgrading, maintaining and managing civil aviation infrastructure.

It is India’s state-owned airport agency with “Miniratna” status. It is likely to issue bonds to finance airport projects. The revenue earned from the bonds will primarily be meant to build seven

Greenfield airports and step up the capacity of terminals and runways at existing airports.

It is implementing the GAGAN project in technological collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

Under GAGAN, the satellite based system will be used for navigation. The navigation signals thus received from the GPS will be augmented to

achieve the navigational requirement of aircraft.

Louisiana Purchase

It is a historic land deal signed between the U.S. and France in 1803. It was signed during the tenure of U.S. President Thomas Jefferson and

Emperor Napoleon in France. Under the agreement, France agreed to sell its large North American

territory of Louisiana to the U.S. government. After this deal, the land territory under the sovereign control of the U.S.

government doubled in size. It is considered to be a distress sale by Napoleon who urgently needed

money to fund his war efforts in Europe.

Biomarker

Researchers have recently identified a peptide (biomarker) that could lead to the early detection of Alzheimer’s disease.

Biomarkers are indicators that help in determining the presence or severity of a disease.

The idea is to establish molecular signatures for complicated cases. It is used to have a sound knowledge of the disease progression in

different individuals suffering from the disease. Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia, a general term for

memory loss. It is a progressive disease, where dementia symptoms gradually worsen

over a number of years.

Hausala 2017

Hausla 2017 is Child Rights Week. It is being celebrated every year by the Ministry of Women and Child

Development from 16th to 20th November, 2017. It is the period between Children’s Day (14th November) and the

International Child Rights Day (20th November) It will host an Inter CCI Festival for the children who reside in Child Care

Institutions (CCIs) to showcase their talents.

UNICEF will be supporting the event.

Clouded Leopard

A Bornean Clouded Leopard (Neofelisdiardi), found only on Borneo and Indonesia's Sumatra were recently captured during daytime as a rare sighting.

It is a wild cat belongs to genus Neofelis. The other genus belongs to same family is Sunda Clouded Leopard (Neofelisdiardi).

It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List and listed in CITES Appendix I.

The range of the clouded leopard extends from Nepal on the Indian subcontinent to southern China and throughout South-East Asia.

Clouded Leopard National Park is a national park in the Sipahijola Wildlife Sanctuary in Tripura.

It is the state animal of the Indian state of Meghalaya.

Pacific Shadow zone

The shadow zone is an area of almost stagnant water sitting between rising currents caused by the rough topography and geothermal heat sources.

It is located at around 2km below the surface of the Indian and Pacific Oceans with barely any vertical movement that suspends ocean water in an area, leaving the region directly above isolated for centuries.

The oldest water in the ocean in the North Pacific has remained trapped in it.

It traps millennia old ocean water, nutrients and carbon which have a direct impact on the capacity of the ocean to modify climate over centennial time scales.

EkalSansthan

It is an autonomous organisation, drawing ideological inspiration from the RSS.

It sets up one-teacher schools across the country with a focus on rural and tribal areas.

It recently announced that such initiative will be extended to border areas. The idea is to connect border areas with the national mainstream through

education and better organize border villages which are vulnerable. It will open 60 schools in the Lahul-spiti district of Himachal Pradesh as

part of its initiative.

Kakatiya-era temple

The 800 year old Sri Kasi Visweswara Temple, belongs to the kakatiya period, is located in Medak district in Telangana.

The capital of kakatiya dynasty is Warangal. Eastern Chalukyas preceded kakatiyas and Bahmani sultanate succeeded

it which was subsequently conquered by Vijayanagar Empire and Delhi Sultanate in the later period.

Rudrama Devi of this dynasty reigned around 1262–1289 CE. The archaeological department has excavated the parts of the temple that

remained buried.

Cherry Blossom Festival

Shillong in Meghalaya is known for cherry which belongs to Prunus Cerasoides.

It is also known as Wild Himalayan Cherry. It blossoms in autumn, usually in the month of November. In countries like Japan, cherry blossom tree “Prunus yedoensis” which

blossoms in spring. Meghalaya is the first in the world to celebrate autumn Cherry Blossom

Festival based on local cherry trees which bloom uniquely in the state.   The 2nd India International Cherry Blossom festival was recently organized

in the state to boost the tourism. However, cherry blossoms fail to appear due to erratic rainfall pattern in

the state. Huge difference in the day and night temperature have delayed the

blossoming.

APEC Summit

Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) 2017 summit was recently held in the city of Danang, Vietnam.

At the summit, Ministers from 11 Asia-Pacific countries have decided to go ahead with the trade deal “Trans-pacific partnership” without the United States.

APEC is a forum for 21 Pacific Rim member economies that promotes free trade throughout the Asia Pacific region.

It is headquartered at Singapore. It was established due to growing inter dependence among Asia Pacific

regions, increasing regional trade blocs, to diffuse growing power of Japan. The criterion for membership is that the member is a separate economy,

rather than a state and the result of it is the inclusion of Taiwan. APEC also includes three official observers: ASEAN, the Pacific Islands

Forum and the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council India is not in the grouping.

Trans-Pacific Partnership

Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) is the proposed trade deal among the 12 Pacific Rim nations excluding China.

It includes Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States and Vietnam.

But the United States has pulled out of the trade deal at the start of the year.

The finalized proposal was signed on 2016 in Auckland, New Zealand, concluding seven years of negotiations.

The TPP contains measures to lower both non-tariff and tariff barriers to trade, and establish an investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanism.

EcAMSat Mission

EcAMSat – E.coli Anti-Microbial Satellite Mission was scheduled to be launched to International space station.

E.Coli is a common bacterial pathogen linked to urinary tract infections and foodborne illnesses.

The mission is intended to investigate spaceflight effects on bacterial antibiotic resistance and its genetic basis.

It aims to determine the lowest dose of antibiotic needed to inhibit the growth of E.coli.

It will help to determine the appropriate dosages of antibiotics to protect astronaut health during long-duration human space flight and how antibiotic effectiveness may change as a function of stress on Earth.

The launch was later postponed.

Valley of Honey

Araku Valley is a hill station in the Eastern Ghats, known for its coffee. In the winter season, it turns into valley of Honey with the bloom of Niger

flowers and increase in bee keeping. Honeybees, which live in highly organised communities, are of great

importance to farmers for pollination and maintaining the ecological balance.

The Araku valley is located close to A.P - Odisha border. It is surrounded by various mountains which are endowed with bauxite

ores. One of the important mountains is Galikonda which is one of the highest in

A.P. The nearest cave to Araku Valley is Borra cave.

Bonnet Macaques

The bonnet macaque, an old world monkey, diurnal animal is endemic to southern India.

They are found only in peninsular India with close proximity to humans. It exists as commensals to human, meaning it maintains commensalism

with human beings.

In Commensalism, one organism benefits from the other without affecting it.

A study suggested that rhesus macaques were invading the bonnet’s habitats in south India.

Rhesus macaques are usually found in northern part of India. Decrease in tree cover, loss of contiguous canopies, rapid urbanization

causes bonnet’s disappearance from temples and tourist spots.

Expo Centre

Union Cabinet has recently approved the proposal of setting up of Exhibition-cum-convention Centre (ECC) at Dwarka, New Delhi.

Once it becomes fully operational, it is expected to bring New Delhi in the league of Shanghai, Hong Kong and Singapore in the area of exhibition market.

It will meet the requirement of global ECC operators with its integrated world class facility expo centre.

It is estimated to generate more than 5 lakh jobs.

Groundnut crop free of toxin

Researchers at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) in Hyderabad have recently used the gene silencing technique to keep groundnuts free of aflatoxin contamination.

Aflatoxin is a toxin produced by the fungi Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus.

Researchers deployed two strategies to prevent groundnuts being infected by the fungus.

One is inserting two alfalfa (flowering plant of pea family) genes to enhance immunity against fungal infection and growth.

Another is preventing aflatoxin production even in case of any infection through a plant-induced gene silencing technique.

Gene Silencing Technique

Gene silencing is a technique that aims to reduce or eliminate the production of a protein from its corresponding gene.

It generally describe the “switching off” of a gene by a mechanism other than genetic modification

It occurs when RNA is unable to make a protein during translation (gene expression).

In the groundnut case, the researchers designed two small RNA molecules that silence the fungal genes which produce aflatoxin.

When the fungus and plant come in contact with each other the small RNA molecules from the plant enter the fungus and prevent it from producing aflatoxin (protein) by its corresponding gene.

National Testing Agency

Union Cabinet has recently approved creation of National Testing Agency (NTA) to conduct entrance examinations for higher educational institutions.

It will be registered as a society under the Indian Societies Registration Act.

It will act an autonomous and self-sustained premier testing organization chaired by eminent educationist appointed by Ministry of HRD.

The setting up of NTA was announced in the union budget of 2017-18. It would initially conduct those entrance examinations which are currently

being conducted by the CBSE (NEET, JEE etc). The entrance examinations will be conducted in online mode at least twice

a year, giving adequate opportunity to candidates. It will be given a one-time grant of Rs.25 crore from the Government to

start its operation in the first year. Thereafter, it will be financially self-sustainable.

It will relieve CBSE, AICTE and other agencies from responsibility of conducting the entrance examinations.

National Rural Drinking Water Programme

The NRDWP was started in 2009 as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with 50-50 fund sharing between the Centre and the States.

Ministry of Drinking water and sanitation is the nodal ministry with an emphasis on ensuring sustainability (source) of water availability.

Recently, the cabinet has approved the continuation and restructuring of the programme to make it more flexible and result oriented.

The programme will cover all the rural population across the country to reach the goal of increasing coverage of sustainable piped water supply.

NRDWP will be continued co-terminus with the 14th Finance Commission cycle till March 2020.

There will be 2% earmarking of funds for Japanese Encephalitis (JE) /Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) affected areas.

A new sub-programme “National Water Quality Sub-Mission (NWQSM)” to cover all rural population in Arsenic/Fluoride affected habitations with clean drinking water on a sustainable basis by March 2021.

National Judicial Pay Commission

National Judicial Pay Commission was formed to evolve the principles which would govern pay structure and other emoluments of Judicial Officers belonging to the Subordinate Judiciary.

It will give its recommendation to State governments within the period of 18 months after its constitution.

It aims at making the pay scales and conditions of service of Judicial Officers uniform throughout the country.

Cabinet has recently approved the appointment of second national judicial pay commission headed by former Supreme Court judge.

Warsaw Convention

It refers to an international agreement that defines the rules and regulations that govern civil aviation.

It defines the potential liability that an international carrier faces with regards to the air transport of people and luggage of various kinds.

It helps provide a common framework for dispute resolution between parties belonging to different countries.

Montreal Convention is a multilateral treaty adopted by member states of International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

It amended important provisions of the Warsaw Convention's regime concerning compensation for the victims of air disasters.

Agriculture Hackathon

Vishakhapatnam will host the first-ever agriculture hackathon. It is being organized here by the State government (Andhra Pradesh) in

association with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). It will be major international hackathon with delegates from all over the

world participating to showcase the latest agriculture technologies and products of companies.

Bhandhan Express

It is a cross border passenger train runs between India and Bangladesh. It connects Kolkata and Khulna, covering a distance of 172 km. This will be the second train to run between the two countries after

Maitree Express. Maitree Express connects Kolkata and Dhaka in Bangladesh, covering 375

km. It was flagged off in 2008 after the gap of 43 years it was stopped during

1965 war between India and erstwhile East Pakistan. India and Bangladesh share a 4096km long international border, the 5th

longest land border in the world.

Olive Ridleys

Gahirmatha beach in Odisha’s Kendrapara district is known as world’s largest rookery of olive ridley species.

Olive ridleys started arriving off the coast of Gahirmatha for its nesting. Olive Ridley is the smallest of the sea turtles and omnivorous in diet. They are found only in warmer waters, including the southern Atlantic,

Pacific and Indian Oceans. They are known for their behavior of synchronized nesting in mass

numbers, termed arribadas. They nests twice/thrice in a year. Its nesting season ranges worldwide from June to December, with the peak

period in September and October.

They are listed as Vulnerable in IUCN Red List and in Appendix I of CITES. Nasi II Island is part of Gahirmatha Scantuary in Odisha, one of the world's

largest nesting grounds of olive ridley turtles.

Shilpotsav -2017

Shilpostav- 2017 is the annual fair of artisans from across the country, belonging to the weaker sections of the society.

It is being organized by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. Its objective is to empower marginalized and disadvantaged artisans by

providing financial independence. The artisans assisted by National Backward Classes, Scheduled Caste,

Handicapped, Safai Karamchari Finance & Development Corporations.

World Immunization Day

World Immunization Day is celebrated every year by World Health Organisation on November 10.

It is celebrated to make people aware about the importance of getting timely vaccinations against vaccine preventable diseases.

India has one of the largest Universal Immunization Programs (UIP) in the world in terms of the quantities of vaccines used, number of beneficiaries covered, geographical spread and human resources involved.

GoI is providing vaccination free of cost against vaccine preventable diseases under Mission Indradhanush.

It includes Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus, Measles, severe form of Childhood Tuberculosis, Hepatitis B and Meningitis & Pneumonia (across the country), Inactivated polio vaccine (IPV), Japanese Encephalitis in JE endemic districts and Rotavirus diarrhoea in selected states.

Measles-Rubella vaccine, Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV) is being introduced in phased manner.

Creative Cities Network

The UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) was created in 2004 to promote cooperation among cities that have identified creativity as a strategic factor for sustainable urban development.

The 180 cities in 72 countries currently make up this network. All the cities work together in placing creativity and cultural industries at

the heart of their development plans at the local level. Gastronomy, music, crafts and folk art, media arts, design, film and

literature are the seven fields of creativity highlighted by the network. Chennai has been recently included in the list of UCCN for its rich musical

tradition. Some of the other cities included along with Chennai are Alba (Italy) for

gastronomy, Almaty (Kazakhstan) for music and Auckland (New Zealand) for music.

Jaipur (crafts and folk art) and Varanasi (Music) are the other Indian cities that feature on the list.

Island Development Agency

The Island Development Agency was setup this year to bring holistic development in 9 islands.

It includes four in A&N Islands i.e. Smith, Ross, Long, Avis and five in Lakshadweep i.e. Minicoy, Bangaram, Thinnakara, Cheriyam, Suheli.

The agency is headed by Union Home Minister and the projects are being directed by NITI Aayog.

It aims at promoting and implementing development based on sustainable approach to building a thriving maritime economy of the project islands. 

Its second meeting was recently held and it was decided to develop PPP package for the development of Airport in Minicoy Island and promoting of Tuna fishing Industry for improving livelihoods in Lakshadweep.

Technology and Innovation Support Centre (TISC)

Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP)under Ministry of Commerce is establishing TISC under the World Intellectual Property Organizations (WIPO) TISC program.

DIPP has recently signed an Institutional agreement with Anna University, Chennai to establish India’s second TISC.

TISC in Punjab is the India’s first TISC. It provides innovators in developing countries with access to locally based,

high quality technology information and related services. It will help the innovators to exploit their innovative potential and to create,

protect, and manage their Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs). The objective is to foster creativity and innovation, thereby promoting

entrepreneurship and enhancing social, economic and cultural development.

Organic World Congress

The Organic World Congress (OWC) is organized once every three years in a different country by the International Federation of Organic Farming Movements (IFOAM).

This year, the congress is being organized in Greater Noida, UP. The last edition of the Organic World Congress took place in Istanbul,

Turkey, in 2014. It will see the participation of 1,400 representatives from 110 countries, and

2000 delegates from India. In the event, 55 seeds group from 15 Indian states will showcase 4,000

varieties of seeds.

IEA Ministerial Conference

IEA is a Paris-based autonomous intergovernmental organization established in the framework of the OECD in 1974 in the wake of the 1973 oil crisis.

It acts as a policy adviser to its member states, but also works with non-member countries, especially China, India, and Russia.

India recently declared its “Association” status with the International Energy Agency (IEA).

This year IEA Ministerial conference is being held in Paris. At the Conference, India signed joint work programmes with IEA and other

key members of the IEA Family i.e. Brazil, Chile, India, Indonesia and Thailand.

The event focusses on energy security, clean energy technology.

State wise “Ease of Doing Business” ranking

Commerce and Industry Ministry is the nodal body at the Centre for the state wise ease of doing business ranking.

It is based on the assessment of implementation of the Business Reforms Action Plan’ (BRAP).

Telangana is currently in the top followed by is Haryana, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and West Bengal.

The final ranking is likely to be released in January, 2018. Telangana was the joint topper with Andhra Pradesh, in the ranking last

year. However, Andhra Pradesh is currently ranked 14th. Gujarat, ranked third last year, is now number eight with a score of 41.94%