Top ten economic Survey-18

1. There has been a large increase in registered indirect and direct taxpayers

• There has been a 50 per cent increase in unique taxpayers under the GST in comparison with the pre-GST system.

• There has also been an addition of about 1.8 million in individual income tax filers since November 2016. 

2. Formal non-agricultural payroll is much greater than believed

• More than 30 per cent when formality is defined in terms of social security provision.

• More than 50 per cent when defined in terms of being in the GST net. 

3. State’s prosperity is correlated with their international and inter-state trade.

States that export more internationally and trade more with other states tend to be richer. However, the correlation is stronger between prosperity and international trade. 

4. India’s firm export structure is substantially more egalitarian than in other large countries.

The top one per cent of Indian firms account for 38 per cent of exports. In all other countries, they account for a substantially greater share such as 72, 68, 67 and 55 per cent of exports in Brazil, Germany, Mexico and US respectively. 

5. The clothing incentive package boosted exports of readymade garments 

The relief from embedded state taxes (ROSL) announced in 2016 boosted exports of ready-made garments (but not others) by about 16 percent. 

6. Indian society exhibits strong son ‘Meta’ Preference

Parents continue to have children until they get the desired number of sons. This kind of fertility-stopping rule leads to skewed sex ratios but in different directions:

- It is skewed in favour of males if it is the last child and in the favour of females if it is not the last.

- Where there are no such fertility-stopping rules, ratios remain balanced regardless of whether the child is the last or not.

7. There is substantial avoidable litigation in the tax arena which government action could reduce

The tax department’s petition rate is high, even though its success rate in litigation is low and declining well below 30 per cent.

- Only 0.2 percent of cases accounted for 56 percent of the value at stake.

- About 66 percent of pending cases (each less than Rs. 10 lakhs) accounted for only 1.8 percent of the value at stake. 

8. To re-ignite growth, raising investment is more important than raising saving

Cross-country experience shows that growth slowdowns are preceded by investment slowdowns but not necessarily by savings slowdowns may not. 

9. Own direct tax collections by Indian states and local governments are significantly lower than those of their counterparts in other federal countries 

This share is low relative to the direct taxation powers they actually have. 

10. The footprint of climate change is evident and extreme weather adversely impacts agricultural yields 

- The impact of weather is felt only with extreme temperature increases and rainfall deficiencies

- This impact is twice as large in un-irrigated areas as in irrigated ones.

Economic survey 2017-18 top ten highlights

1. There has been a large increase in registered indirect and direct taxpayers

• There has been a 50 per cent increase in unique taxpayers under the GST in comparison with the pre-GST system.

• There has also been an addition of about 1.8 million in individual income tax filers since November 2016. 

2. Formal non-agricultural payroll is much greater than believed

• More than 30 per cent when formality is defined in terms of social security provision.

• More than 50 per cent when defined in terms of being in the GST net. 

3. State’s prosperity is correlated with their international and inter-state trade.

States that export more internationally and trade more with other states tend to be richer. However, the correlation is stronger between prosperity and international trade. 

4. India’s firm export structure is substantially more egalitarian than in other large countries.

The top one per cent of Indian firms account for 38 per cent of exports. In all other countries, they account for a substantially greater share such as 72, 68, 67 and 55 per cent of exports in Brazil, Germany, Mexico and US respectively. 

5. The clothing incentive package boosted exports of readymade garments 

The relief from embedded state taxes (ROSL) announced in 2016 boosted exports of ready-made garments (but not others) by about 16 percent. 

6. Indian society exhibits strong son ‘Meta’ Preference

Parents continue to have children until they get the desired number of sons. This kind of fertility-stopping rule leads to skewed sex ratios but in different directions:

- It is skewed in favour of males if it is the last child and in the favour of females if it is not the last.

- Where there are no such fertility-stopping rules, ratios remain balanced regardless of whether the child is the last or not.

7. There is substantial avoidable litigation in the tax arena which government action could reduce

The tax department’s petition rate is high, even though its success rate in litigation is low and declining well below 30 per cent.

- Only 0.2 percent of cases accounted for 56 percent of the value at stake.

- About 66 percent of pending cases (each less than Rs. 10 lakhs) accounted for only 1.8 percent of the value at stake. 

8. To re-ignite growth, raising investment is more important than raising saving

Cross-country experience shows that growth slowdowns are preceded by investment slowdowns but not necessarily by savings slowdowns may not. 

9. Own direct tax collections by Indian states and local governments are significantly lower than those of their counterparts in other federal countries 

This share is low relative to the direct taxation powers they actually have. 

10. The footprint of climate change is evident and extreme weather adversely impacts agricultural yields 

- The impact of weather is felt only with extreme temperature increases and rainfall deficiencies

- This impact is twice as large in un-irrigated areas as in irrigated ones.

2018 economic survey High light

The Economic Survey 2017-18 was tabled in the Parliament on January 29, 2018 by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. 

Major reforms were undertaken in 2017 including the launch of the transformational Goods and Services Tax (GST) in July. The survey notes that with a policy change of such scale, scope and complexity, the transition unsurprisingly encountered challenges of policy, law and information technology systems, which especially affected the informal sector. However, it also states that prompt responses followed to rationalise and reduce rates and simplify compliance burdens.

Key Highlights of the Survey 

State of the Economy

The transformational Goods and Services Tax (GST) was launched at the stroke of midnight on July 1, 2017. 

The Twin Balance Sheet (TBS) problem was decisively addressed by sending the major stressed companies for resolution under the new Indian Bankruptcy Code and implementing a major recapitalisation package to strengthen the balance sheets of public sector banks. 

As a result of these measures, the economy accelerated in the second half of 2017. 

This is expected to boost real GDP growth to 6.75 per cent for the year as a whole and to 7-7.5 per cent in 2018-19, re-instating India as the world’s fastest-growing major economy.

Macro Economy

Policy vigilance will be necessary in the coming year, especially if high international oil prices persist or elevated stock prices correct sharply, provoking a ‘sudden stall’ in capital flows. 

The agenda for next year includes: 

• Stabilising the GST

• Completing the TBS actions

• Privatizing Air India

• Removing threats to macroeconomic stability

Over the medium term, three areas of policy focus stand out:

• Employment: Finding good jobs for the young and burgeoning workforce, especially for women.

• Education: Creating an educated and healthy labour force. 

• Agriculture: Raising farm productivity while strengthening agricultural resilience.

Besides, the survey notes that India should continue improving the climate for rapid economic growth on the strength of two truly sustainable engines—private investment and exports.

A new look of Indian Economy through GST

The Goods and Services Tax (GST) embodies and heralds a radical alteration and enlargement in the understanding of the Indian economy. The preliminary analysis of the information has led to the following findings: 

• There has been a 50 per cent increase in the number of indirect taxpayers and a large increase in voluntary registrations, especially by small enterprises that buy from large enterprises and want to avail themselves of input tax credits. 

• The data on the international exports of states suggests a strong correlation between export performance and states’ standard of living. 

• India’s exports are unusual, as the largest firms account for a much smaller share of exports in comparison to other nations. 

• India’s internal trade is about 60 percent of GDP, even greater than estimated in last year’s Survey and comparing very favourably with other large countries.

• India’s formal sector, especially formal non-farm payroll, is substantially greater than currently believed:

- Formality defined in terms of social security provision yields an estimate of formal sector payroll of about 31 per cent of the non-agricultural work force.

- Formality defined in terms of being part of the GST net suggests a formal sector payroll share of 53 per cent.

Investment and Saving Slowdowns and Recoveries:

• India’s unprecedented climb to historically high levels of investment and saving rates in the mid-2000s has been followed by a pronounced, albeit gradual, decline.

• This current episode of investment and saving slowdown is still ongoing. 

• Findings of the study on the pattern of investment and saving slowdowns as well as recoveries in India:

- Investment slowdowns have an impact on growth but not necessarily saving. 

- Recoveries from investment slowdowns, especially those associated with balance sheet difficulties, as in India, tend to be slow.

- The study also noted that mean reversion or some degree of automatic bounce-back is absent so deeper the slowdown, the slower and shallower the recovery.

Climate, Climate Change, and Agriculture

The survey observes a long-term trend of rising temperatures, declining average precipitation and increase in extreme precipitation events.

Some of the major findings:

- One major finding, which will have significant implications, is that the impact of temperature and rainfall is felt only in the extreme, which is when temperatures are much higher and rainfall is 0significantly lower and the number of ‘dry days’ are greater than normal.

- Second is that these impacts are significantly more adverse in unirrigated areas or rainfed areas in comparison to irrigated areas. 

Applying these estimates to projected long-term weather patterns implies that climate change could reduce annual agricultural incomes in the range of 15 percent to 18 percent on average, and up to 20 percent to 25 percent for unirrigated areas. 

The survey observes that minimising susceptibility to climate change requires drastically extending irrigation through efficient drip and sprinkler technologies and replacing untargeted subsidies in power and fertilizer by direct income support. 

Gender and Son Meta-Preference

The survey observes that India’s performance in 14 out of the 17 indicators of women’s agency, attitudes, and outcomes has improved over the last 10-15 years.

• On seven of them, the improvement has been such that India’s situation is comparable to other countries after accounting for levels of development. 

• The survey notes that gender outcomes exhibit a convergence pattern, improving with wealth to a greater extent in India than in similar countries so even areas where it is lagging is expected to improve with time.

• In other indicators such as employment, use of reversible contraception, and son preference, India has still a long way to go, as this cannot be attained through development.

• Within India, there is significant heterogeneity, with the North-Eastern states consistently out-performing others and not because they are richer. The states in the hinterland are seen to be lagging behind. The southern states, however, show the most surprising figures, as some of them do less well than their development levels suggest. 

• The meta-preference manifesting itself in fertility stopping rules contingent on the sex of the last child notionally creates “unwanted” girls, who are estimated to be at about 21 million. 

The government’s Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao and Sukanya Samridhi Yojana schemes and mandatory maternity leave rules are aimed to improve the same situation.

Transforming Science and Technology in India

• The survey notes that India under-spends on research and development (R&D), even relative to its level of development. 

• It states that the doubling of R&D spending is necessary and much of the increase should come from the private sector and universities. 

• India should also invest in educating its youth in science and mathematics, reform the way R&D is conducted, engage the private sector and the Indian diaspora and take a more mission-driven approach in areas such as dark matter, genomics, energy storage, agriculture, mathematics and cyber-physical systems. 

• Vigorous efforts to improve the 'ease of doing business' need to be matched by similar ones to boost the 'ease of doing science'.

Economic survey 2017-18

The Economic Survey 2017-18 was tabled in the Parliament on January 29, 2018 by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. 

Major reforms were undertaken in 2017 including the launch of the transformational Goods and Services Tax (GST) in July. The survey notes that with a policy change of such scale, scope and complexity, the transition unsurprisingly encountered challenges of policy, law and information technology systems, which especially affected the informal sector. However, it also states that prompt responses followed to rationalise and reduce rates and simplify compliance burdens.

Key Highlights of the Survey 

State of the Economy

The transformational Goods and Services Tax (GST) was launched at the stroke of midnight on July 1, 2017. 

The Twin Balance Sheet (TBS) problem was decisively addressed by sending the major stressed companies for resolution under the new Indian Bankruptcy Code and implementing a major recapitalisation package to strengthen the balance sheets of public sector banks. 

As a result of these measures, the economy accelerated in the second half of 2017. 

This is expected to boost real GDP growth to 6.75 per cent for the year as a whole and to 7-7.5 per cent in 2018-19, re-instating India as the world’s fastest-growing major economy.

Macro Economy

Policy vigilance will be necessary in the coming year, especially if high international oil prices persist or elevated stock prices correct sharply, provoking a ‘sudden stall’ in capital flows. 

The agenda for next year includes: 

• Stabilising the GST

• Completing the TBS actions

• Privatizing Air India

• Removing threats to macroeconomic stability

Over the medium term, three areas of policy focus stand out:

• Employment: Finding good jobs for the young and burgeoning workforce, especially for women.

• Education: Creating an educated and healthy labour force. 

• Agriculture: Raising farm productivity while strengthening agricultural resilience.

Besides, the survey notes that India should continue improving the climate for rapid economic growth on the strength of two truly sustainable engines—private investment and exports.

A new look of Indian Economy through GST

The Goods and Services Tax (GST) embodies and heralds a radical alteration and enlargement in the understanding of the Indian economy. The preliminary analysis of the information has led to the following findings: 

• There has been a 50 per cent increase in the number of indirect taxpayers and a large increase in voluntary registrations, especially by small enterprises that buy from large enterprises and want to avail themselves of input tax credits. 

• The data on the international exports of states suggests a strong correlation between export performance and states’ standard of living. 

• India’s exports are unusual, as the largest firms account for a much smaller share of exports in comparison to other nations. 

• India’s internal trade is about 60 percent of GDP, even greater than estimated in last year’s Survey and comparing very favourably with other large countries.

• India’s formal sector, especially formal non-farm payroll, is substantially greater than currently believed:

- Formality defined in terms of social security provision yields an estimate of formal sector payroll of about 31 per cent of the non-agricultural work force.

- Formality defined in terms of being part of the GST net suggests a formal sector payroll share of 53 per cent.

Investment and Saving Slowdowns and Recoveries:

• India’s unprecedented climb to historically high levels of investment and saving rates in the mid-2000s has been followed by a pronounced, albeit gradual, decline.

• This current episode of investment and saving slowdown is still ongoing. 

• Findings of the study on the pattern of investment and saving slowdowns as well as recoveries in India:

- Investment slowdowns have an impact on growth but not necessarily saving. 

- Recoveries from investment slowdowns, especially those associated with balance sheet difficulties, as in India, tend to be slow.

- The study also noted that mean reversion or some degree of automatic bounce-back is absent so deeper the slowdown, the slower and shallower the recovery.

Climate, Climate Change, and Agriculture

The survey observes a long-term trend of rising temperatures, declining average precipitation and increase in extreme precipitation events.

Some of the major findings:

- One major finding, which will have significant implications, is that the impact of temperature and rainfall is felt only in the extreme, which is when temperatures are much higher and rainfall is 0significantly lower and the number of ‘dry days’ are greater than normal.

- Second is that these impacts are significantly more adverse in unirrigated areas or rainfed areas in comparison to irrigated areas. 

Applying these estimates to projected long-term weather patterns implies that climate change could reduce annual agricultural incomes in the range of 15 percent to 18 percent on average, and up to 20 percent to 25 percent for unirrigated areas. 

The survey observes that minimising susceptibility to climate change requires drastically extending irrigation through efficient drip and sprinkler technologies and replacing untargeted subsidies in power and fertilizer by direct income support. 

Gender and Son Meta-Preference

The survey observes that India’s performance in 14 out of the 17 indicators of women’s agency, attitudes, and outcomes has improved over the last 10-15 years.

• On seven of them, the improvement has been such that India’s situation is comparable to other countries after accounting for levels of development. 

• The survey notes that gender outcomes exhibit a convergence pattern, improving with wealth to a greater extent in India than in similar countries so even areas where it is lagging is expected to improve with time.

• In other indicators such as employment, use of reversible contraception, and son preference, India has still a long way to go, as this cannot be attained through development.

• Within India, there is significant heterogeneity, with the North-Eastern states consistently out-performing others and not because they are richer. The states in the hinterland are seen to be lagging behind. The southern states, however, show the most surprising figures, as some of them do less well than their development levels suggest. 

• The meta-preference manifesting itself in fertility stopping rules contingent on the sex of the last child notionally creates “unwanted” girls, who are estimated to be at about 21 million. 

The government’s Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao and Sukanya Samridhi Yojana schemes and mandatory maternity leave rules are aimed to improve the same situation.

Transforming Science and Technology in India

• The survey notes that India under-spends on research and development (R&D), even relative to its level of development. 

• It states that the doubling of R&D spending is necessary and much of the increase should come from the private sector and universities. 

• India should also invest in educating its youth in science and mathematics, reform the way R&D is conducted, engage the private sector and the Indian diaspora and take a more mission-driven approach in areas such as dark matter, genomics, energy storage, agriculture, mathematics and cyber-physical systems. 

• Vigorous efforts to improve the 'ease of doing business' need to be matched by similar ones to boost the 'ease of doing science'.

ಆಸ್ಟ್ರೇಲಿಯನ್ ಓಪನ್ ಸೀರಿಸ್

Australian Open 2018: Roger Federer wins Men’s Singles title

Swiss tennis player Roger Federer (World No. 2) has retained his Men’s Singles title by winning 2018 Australian Open. In the summit clash played at Melbourne, he defeated Croatia’s Marin Cilic (World no. 6) in five sets 6-2, 6-7, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1.  It was Federer’s sixth Australian Open Crown (earlier won in 2004, 2006, 2007, 2010 and 2017) and overall 20th Grand Slam singles titles. With this, he joins elite group of Margaret Court, Serena Williams and Steffi Graf who have won 20 or more Grand Slam singles titles.

Other Category Winners

    Women’s Singles: Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark) won women’s Singles title in 2018 Australian Open by defeating Simona Halep (Romania) by 7–6(7–2), 3–6, 6–4 score.
    Men’s Doubles: Oliver Marach (Austria) and Mate Pavić (Croatia) pair won the title by defeating Juan Colombian pair of Sebastián Cabal and Robert Farah by 6–4, 6–4 score.
    Women’s Doubles: Tímea Babos (Hungary) and Kristina Mladenovic (France) pair won the title by defeating Russian pair of Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina by 6–4, 6–3 score.
    Mixed Doubles: Gabriela Dabrowski (Canada) and Mate Pavić (Croatia) pair won the title by defeating Tímea Babos (Hungary) and Rohan Bopanna (India) by 2–6, 6–4, [11–9] score.

2017 Grand slam winner list

Grand Slam 2017 Winners List : Complete List of Winners |

The Grand Slam tournaments, also called majors, are the four most-important annual tennis events.The Grand Slam itinerary consists of the Australian Open in mid-January, the French Open in May and June, Wimbledon in June and July, and the US Open in August and September. Each tournament is played over a period of two weeks. The Australian and United States tournaments are played on hard courts, the French on clay, and Wimbledon on grass. Wimbledon is the oldest, founded in 1877, followed by the US in 1881, the French in 1891, and the Australian in 1905.

Grand Slam 2017 Winners List

                      Complete Winners List French Open 2017
Category Winners Runner up
Men’s Singles Rafael Nadal Stan Wawrinka
Women’s Singles Jelena Ostapenko Simona Halep
Men’s Doubles R Harrison and M Venus D Young and S Gonzalez
Women’s Doubles L Safarova and B. Matteck-Sands A Barty and C. Dellacqua
Mixed Doubles R. Bopanna and G. Dabrowski R. Farah and A. Gronefeld

                   Complete Winners List Australian Open 2017

Category Winners Runner up
Men’s Singles Roger Federer Rafael Nadal
Women’s Singles Serena Williams Venus Williams
Men’s Doubles J. Peers and H. Continen B Bryan and M Bryan
Women’s Doubles L Safarova and B. Matteck-Sands A Hlavackova and S. Peng
Mixed Doubles A Spears and J Cabal S Mirza and I Dodig
 

                   Complete Winners List Wimbledon 2017
Category Winners Runner up
Men’s Singles Roger Federer Marin Cilic
Women’s Singles Gabrine Muguruza Venus Williams
Men’s Doubles L. Kubot and M. Melo O. Marach and M. Pavic
Women’s Doubles M. Niculescu and H. Chan E. Macarova and E. Vesnina
Mixed Doubles J. Murray and M. Hingis H. Watson & H. Continent

                        Complete Winners List US Open 2017
Category Winners Runner up
Men’s Singles Rafael Nadal Kevin Anderson
Women’s Singles Sloane Stephens Madison Keys
Men’s Doubles J. Rojer and H. Tecău F. López and M. López.
Women’s Doubles M. Hingis and Y. Chan L. Hradecká and

K. Siniaková
Mixed Doubles J. Murray and M. Hingis M. Venus and H. Chan.

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What is "white shipping" (recently in news)

What is "White Shipping" (Recently in news)
-> White shipping information refers to exchange of relevant advance information on the identity and movement of commercial non-military merchant vessels.

What is green Muffler?

What is Green Muffler
-> Green Muffler is a technique of reducing noise pollution by planting 4-6 rows around the populated areas or noisy places like along Roadsides, Industrial areas, Societies near highways.

What is global Zero?

What is Global Zero? (Recently in News)
-> Global Zero is the international movement for the elimination of all nuclear weapons.
-> Its members understand that the only way to eliminate the nuclear threat – including proliferation, nuclear terrorism and humanitarian catastrophe – is to stop the spread of nuclear weapons, secure all nuclear materials and eliminate all nuclear weapons: global zero.
-> The movement combines cutting-edge policy development and direct dialogue with governments with public outreach, including media, online and grassroots initiatives to make the elimination of nuclear weapons an urgent global imperative.
-> Since its launch in Paris in December 2008, it has grown to include 300 world leaders and half a million citizens worldwide.

Digitization in railways

#Digitization in railways

@ In a major digital initiative to help plan the traffic flows and optimize freight operations Railways has launched a new app.
@ Smart Freight Operation  Optimisation & Real Time Information (SFOORTI) App for Freight Managers which provides features for monitoring and managing freight business using Geographic Information System (GIS) Views and Dashboard

Features:-

@ With this application, movement of freight trains on Geographic Information System (GIS) view can be tracked.
@ Both passenger and freight trains can be tracked over Zones/Divisions/ Sections in single GIS View.
@ Freight business can be monitored
@ Comparative Analysis of Zonal/Divisional Traffic
@ Analysis of new traffic captured and traffic lost
@ This app provides a Bird’s eye view of all Freight Assets in a single window
@ Provides end to end Rake movement on Geospatial view
@ Expected Traffic at Interchange points to evaluate daily performance can be viewed
@ Performance of each zone and divisions with respect to loading and utilization of freight assets can be viewed.
@ Sectional performance monitoring for sections, divisions and zones shall help in traffic routing
@ Freight terminal and sidings can be better monitored to ensure better turnaround of rakes.

India-Butan Relation

India-Bhutan Relations

Significance
1. Strategic importance due to Chumbi valley and Chichen’s neck region
2. Hydropower cooperation
3. Development of North-Eastern states
4. “Operation All Clear” to flush out insurgents from Bhutan
5. Support in multilateral forums

Challenges
1. China exerting influence on Bhutan
2. Bhutan independent foreign policy (India-Bhutan Friendship Treaty)

Initiatives
1. India stood for Bhutan during Doklam standoff
2. Budgetary support to Bhutan
3. Scholarships to students

Indo-Nepal relation

Indo-Nepal relations:

Significance:-
1. 1800km of porus border.
2. ‎Acts as a buffer State between India and China.
3. ‎Historical, cultural and ethnic ties.
4. ‎Hydro electric cooperation and enery security.
5. ‎Internal security. (Debatable)

Irritants/ Challenges:-
1. China factor- BRI, Railway line, alternate internet access, Sagarmala military exercise.
2. ‎Post constitutional troubles (alleged blockage in Madheshi areas) and India's faliure to contain the perception of India meddling in internal affairs of a sovereign nation.
3. ‎Delays in various project competition such as Karnali and Arun-3 etc.
4. ‎Kosi river barrages leading to flood in Nepal.
5. ‎Emergence of China inclined left parties with majority in Provincial elections.

Confidence Building Measures by India:-

1. Reconstruction aid post earthquake.
2. ‎MoU on construction of bridge over river Mechi.
3. ‎Push for early completion of pending projects in Nepal.

ASEAN Delhi diclaration

India hosted the leaders of the ten member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for two-day ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit that began on January 25, 2018 in New Delhi, under the theme of ‘Shared Values, Common Destiny’.

The two-day summit, which commemorates the 25th Anniversary of ASEAN-India Dialogue Relations, saw the highest level of participation by delegates. Leaders of ten ASEAN nations including Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Brunei attended the event in the national capital.

The summit comes at a time when India is making a strategic shift in its regional policy, enhancing its previous 'Look East' policy to the new 'Act East' policy. It also comes in the backdrop of China's growing economic and military assertiveness in the region.

Prime Minister Narendra also held bilateral meetings with the leaders of the Southeast-Asian nations on the sidelines of the summit. The key focus areas of the meetings included counter-terrorism, security and connectivity.

Following is the Delhi Declaration of the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit:

The leaders, while recognising the achievements made over the past 25 years through ASEAN-India dialogue relations and appreciating India’s contribution to the regional peace, security and prosperity agreed to the following points:

• To further strengthen and deepen the ASEAN-India Strategic Partnership for mutual benefit, across the whole spectrum of political security, economic, socio-cultural and development cooperation, in order to build a peaceful, harmonious, caring and sharing community in the region.

• To continue to exert towards the full, effective and timely implementation of the Plan of Action to Implement the ASEAN-India Partnership for Peace, Progress and Shared Prosperity (2016-2020).

• To further enhance high-level engagement and cooperation within the existing framework of the ASEAN-India Dialogue Partnership and ASEAN-led mechanisms, such as the ASEAN-India Summit and the East Asia Summit (EAS).

• To continue to support and contribute to ASEAN integration and ASEAN Community building process, towards the realisation of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025.

 

Political and Security Cooperation

• To reaffirm their commitment to work closely together on common regional and international security issues of mutual concern and ensure an open, transparent, inclusive and rules-based regional architecture through existing ASEAN-led frameworks and mechanisms.

• To reaffirm the importance of maintaining and promoting peace, stability, maritime safety and security, freedom of navigation and overflight in the region.
• To work together to prevent and manage accidents and incidents at sea and promote effective coordination between ASEAN and India in maritime search and rescue.

Terrorism

• To deepen cooperation in combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations through information sharing, law enforcement cooperation and capacity building.

• To promote a comprehensive approach to combat terrorism by countering cross-border movement of terrorists and foreign terrorist fighters and misuse of the Internet including social media by terror entities.

• To strengthen cooperation to stop terrorism financing efforts and prevent recruitment of members of terrorist groups and support efforts in targeting terrorist groups and sanctuaries.

• To strengthen cooperation and collaboration to combat other transnational crimes, including human trafficking, illicit drug trafficking, cybercrime and piracy and armed robbery against ships.

Economic Cooperation

• To strengthen ASEAN-India economic relations through effective implementation of the ASEAN-India Free Trade Area, and intensify efforts in 2018 towards the swift conclusion of a modern, comprehensive, high quality and mutually beneficial Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

• To cooperate for conservation and sustainable use of marine resources in the Indian and Pacific Oceans and address the threats including illegal and unregulated fishing, loss of coastal ecosystems and the adverse impacts of pollution and ocean acidification.

• To promote stable and sustainable growth for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), including through technology transfer, diffusion, adoption and adaptation as well as enhancing capacity building.

Transport Cooperation

• To deepen cooperation in the area of aviation under the ASEAN-India Aviation Cooperation Framework adopted at the 14th ASEAN Transport Ministers’ Meeting in Manila on November 6, 2008.

• To establish closer ASEAN-India air links to promote tourism, trade and enhance greater connectivity between ASEAN and India.

• To promote maritime transport cooperation between ASEAN and India and encourage potential private sector participation in the development of seaports, maritime logistics network and maritime services in order to create more efficient linkages.

Energy Cooperation

• To continue to enhance cooperation to ensure long-term food and energy security in the region through strengthening cooperation in agriculture and energy sectors.

• To work towards promoting the development of renewable energy technology through international platforms including the International Solar Alliance (ISA).

Space Science

• To continue collaboration in the peaceful exploration of outer space, through the implementation of the ASEAN-India Space Cooperation Programme, including the launching of satellites and their monitoring through telemetry tracking and command stations.

• To explore cooperation in research and development in emerging space technologies such as small satellites, inter-satellite communications, satellite propulsion and analytics for space data.

Socio-Cultural Cooperation

• To cooperate on the promotion of the civilisational and historical links between ASEAN and India by providing platforms for knowledge exchanges among policy-makers, managers and the academicians concerned.

• To intensify efforts to preserve, protect and restore cultural and historical symbols and structures that are of mutual interest in reflecting the ASEAN-India cultural and historical connection.

• To build a stronger cultural link by promoting cultural tourism and further enhancing people-to-people contacts.

Health and Education

• To strengthen the health system and improve access to safe, good quality and affordable medical products including traditional and complementary medicines.

• To strengthen cooperation in education and youth sectors, in the form of setting up language training, Entrepreneurship Development and Vocational Training Centres and granting annual scholarships.

• To explore the possibility of setting up an ASEAN-India network of universities, and encourage other University to University exchanges.

Disaster Management and Environment

• To strengthen cooperation in disaster management and humanitarian assistance.

• To promote dialogue on empowerment of women, the promotion and protection of the rights of women and children, the elimination of all forms of violence against them and promotion of women entrepreneurs.

• To promote cooperation in environmental management, climate change and biodiversity conservation, through the exchange of knowledge and experience and conduct of joint research activities and capacity building programmes.

Connectivity

• To reaffirm commitment to enhance physical and digital connectivity and encourage the early completion of the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway Project and extend this Trilateral Highway to Cambodia, Lao PDR and Vietnam.

The summit was followed by India’s 69th Republic Day celebrations where all the ten visiting heads of states were present as the chief guests.

PM's Shram Award-2016

Government announces PM’s Shram Awards for 2016 to 50 workers

The Ministry of Labour & Employment has announced Prime Minister’s Shram Awards for the year 2016 to be awarded to 50 workers including 3 women employed in Departmental Undertakings & Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) of Central/ State Governments and Private Sector Units employing 500 or more workers. In 2016, 34 workers are from PSUs and 16 workers are from Private Sectors.
2016 Shram Awards

Shram Ratna Award: No nomination was found suitable for it.

Shram Bhushan: 12 workers from SAIL, BHEL and TATA Steel Ltd. were selected.

Shram Vir/Shram Veerangana Award: 18 workers from Naval Dockyard, Ordinance Factory, Rashtriya Ispat Nigam, TATA Steel, Hindalco Industries, Paradeep Phosphates Ltd., Brahmos Aerospace were selected.

Shram Shree/Shram Devi Award: 20 workers from Cement Corporation of India, Naval Ship Repair Yard, TATA Motors, Surat Lignite Power Plant, Larsen & Toubro Ltd. etc were selected.
Shram Awards

They were instituted in 1985 and are announced every year by Ministry of Labour and Employment. These awards are given to workers in PSUs, Departmental Undertakings of Central/State Governments and Private Sector units employing 500 or more workers.

Objective: It recognises workers for their distinguished performance, innovative ability, outstanding contribution in the field of productivity and exhibition of exceptional courage and presence of mind.  It also recognises outstanding contributions made by workmen as defined in Industrial Dispute Act, 1947 in organizations both in public and private sector

There are four types of Shram awards viz. Shram Ratna (monetary award of Rs. 2 lakhs and Sanad), Shram Bhushan (Rs. 1 lakh and Sanad), Shram Vir / Shram Veerangana (Rs. 60000 and Sanad), Shram Devi / Shram Shree (Rs. 40000 and Sanad).

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ಅಸಿಯಾನ್ ಮತ್ತು ಭಾರತ

ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit issues Delhi Declaration

The ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit was held in New Delhi to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the establishment of sectoral dialogue between two sides under the theme of “Shared Values, Common Destiny”.

It issued joint statement titled Delhi Declaration after the plenary session focusing on counter-terrorism, identity security, military cooperation, and bilateral financial support.

India and 10 ASEAN countries for first time mentioned cross-border movement of terrorists and made commitment to counter the challenge through close cooperation as part of the declaration.
Key Highlights of Delhi Declaration

Strengthening relations: Called for strengthening and deepening ASEAN-India Strategic Partnership for mutual benefit, across the whole spectrum of political-security, economic, socio-cultural and development cooperation.

Terrorism: Deepen cooperation in combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, violent extremism and radicalisation through information sharing, law enforcement cooperation and capacity building under existing ASEAN-led mechanism.

Cyber-security: Strengthen cooperation on cyber-security capacity building and policy coordination, including through supporting the implementation of ASEAN Cybersecurity Cooperation Strategy.

Transnational crimes: It called for strengthening cooperation to combat other transnational crimes, including people smuggling, trafficking in persons, illicit drug trafficking, cybercrime, and piracy and armed robbery against ships.

Connectivity: It reaffirmed their commitment to enhance physical and digital connectivity. It also called   for early completion of the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway Project and extend this Trilateral Highway to Cambodia, Lao PDR and Vietnam.

Political and Security Cooperation: Reaffirm importance of maintaining and promoting peace, stability, maritime safety and security, freedom of navigation and overflight in the region.

It calls for other lawful uses of seas and to promote peaceful resolutions of disputes, in accordance with universally recognised principles of international law, including 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
ASEAN

ASEAN is regional intergovernmental organisation comprising ten Southeast Asian countries which promotes Pan-Asianism and intergovernmental cooperation and facilitates economic, political, security, military, educational and socio-cultural integration amongst its members and other Asian countries.

It consists of 10-member countries- Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. It was established on August 8, 1967 through ASEAN declaration (also known as Bangkok Declaration). Its secretariat is located in Jakartaa, Indonesia.

ಭೀಮಾ-ಕೋರೆಗಾಂವ್ ವಿಜಯೋತ್ಸವ ಗಲಭೆ

ಭೀಮಾ-ಕೋರೆಗಾಂವ್ ವಿಜಯೋತ್ಸವ ಗಲಭೆ: ಮಹಾರಾಷ್ಟ್ರ ಬಂದ್

Posted by

on Jan 20, 2018 in ರಾಷ್ಟ್ರೀಯ

ಪ್ರತಿ ವರ್ಷ ಜನವರಿ 1ರಂದು ಪುಣೆಯ ಸಮೀಪದಲ್ಲಿರುವ ‘ಭೀಮಾ-ಕೋರೆಗಾಂವ್”ನಲ್ಲಿ ಕೋರೆಗಾಂವ್ ವಿಜಯೋತ್ಸವ ಆಚರಿಸಲು ತೆರಳುತ್ತಿದ್ದ ದಲಿತ ಗುಂಪಿನ ಮೇಲೆ ಹಿಂದೂತ್ವ ಸಂಘಟನೆಗಳು ದಾಳಿ ಮಾಡಿದ್ದು, ಮಹಾರಾಷ್ಟ್ರದಾದ್ಯಂತ ಭಾರಿ ಸಂಚಲನ ಮಾಡಿದೆ. ಅಲ್ಲದೆ ದಾಳಿಯನ್ನು ಖಂಡಿಸಿ ಮಹಾರಾಷ್ಟ್ರ ಬಂದ್ ಗೆ ಕರೆ ನೀಡಲಾಗಿತ್ತು.

ಏನಿದು ಭೀಮಾ-ಕೋರೆಗಾಂವ್ ವಿಜಯೋತ್ಸವ:

1818 ಜನವರಿ 1ರಂದು ನಡೆದ ಸಂಘರ್ಷದಲ್ಲಿ ಹೋರಾಡಿ ಮಡಿದ 22 ಮಹರ್ ಸೈನಿಕರ ನೆನಪಿಗಾಗಿ ಬ್ರಿಟಿಷರು ಕೋರೆಗಾಂವ್‌ನಲ್ಲಿ 65 ಅಡಿ ಎತ್ತರದ ವಿಜಯಸ್ತಂಭ ನಿರ್ಮಿಸಿದ್ದಾರೆ. 1740ರಲ್ಲಿ ಒಂದನೇ ಬಾಜಿ ರಾವ್ ನಿಧನದ ಬಳಿಕ ಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಣ ಸಮುದಾಯಕ್ಕೆ ಸೇರಿದ ಪೇಶ್ವೆಗಳು ಹಾಗೂ ದಲಿತರಾದ ಮಹರ್‌ ಜನರ ನಡುವಿನ ಸಂಬಂಧ ಹದಗೆಟ್ಟಿತು. ಎರಡನೇ ಬಾಜಿ ರಾವ್‌ ಆಡಳಿತದಲ್ಲಿ ಮಹರ್‌ ಸಮುದಾಯವನ್ನು ಕೀಳಾಗಿ ನಡೆಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳಲಾಗುತ್ತದೆ. ಪೇಶ್ವೆಗಳ ಸೇನೆಗೆ ತಮ್ಮನ್ನೂ ಸೇರಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳುವಂತೆ ಮಹರ್‌ ಜನರು ಮಾಡುವ ಬಿನ್ನಹವನ್ನು ತಿರಸ್ಕರಿಸುವ ಎರಡನೇ ಬಾಜಿ ರಾವ್‌, ಕೀಳು ಜಾತಿಯವರಾದ ನಿಮ್ಮನ್ನು ಸೇನೆಗೆ ಸೇರಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳಲು ಸಾಧ್ಯವಿಲ್ಲ ಎನ್ನುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಆತ್ಮಗೌರವದ ಪ್ರಶ್ನೆಯಿಂದ ಬ್ರಿಟಿಷ್‌ ಸೇನೆಯೊಂದಿಗೆ ಸೇರುವ ಮಹರ್‌ ಜನರು 1818ರಲ್ಲಿ ಪೇಶ್ವೆ ಸೇನೆಯ ವಿರುದ್ಧ ಕಾದಾಡುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಬ್ರಿಟಿಷ್ ಕ್ಯಾಫ್ಟನ್ ಎಫ್.ಎಫ್. ಸ್ಟಾಂಟನ್ ನೇತೃತ್ವದಲ್ಲಿ ಬಾಂಬೆ ರೆಜಿಮೆಂಟ್‌ನ 500 ಮಹರ್‌ ಸೈನಿಕರು, ಪೂನಾದ 250 ಅಶ್ವದಳ ಹಾಗೂ ಮದ್ರಾಸ್‌ನ 24 ಗನ್‌ಮೆನ್‌ಗಳು 1818ರ ಜನವರಿ 1ರಂದು 28 ಸಾವಿರ ಯೋಧ ಬಲದ ಬೃಹತ್‌ ಪೇಶ್ವೆ ಪಡೆಯ ವಿರುದ್ಧ ಹೋರಾಟ ನಡೆಸಿದರು. 20 ಸಾವಿರ ಅಶ್ವದಳ ಮತ್ತು 8,000 ಕಾಲಾಳುಗಳಿದ್ದ ಮಹಾರಾಷ್ಟ್ರ ಆಡಳಿತದ ಸೇನೆಯ 2000 ಯೋಧರು ಪ್ರಾರಂಭದಲ್ಲಿ ಕಣಕ್ಕಿಳಿದರು. ಪೇಶ್ವೆ ಯೋಧರ ಸಂಖ್ಯೆ ಹೆಚ್ಚಿಸಿ ಸೇನೆ ಬಲಪಡಿಸಿದರೂ 500 ಮಹರ್‌ ಸೈನಿಕರು ದಿಟ್ಟ ಹೋರಾಟದಿಂದ ಅವರನ್ನು ಧೂಳೀಪಟ ಮಾಡಿದರು. 600ಕ್ಕೂ ಹೆಚ್ಚು ಪೇಶ್ವೆ ಯೋಧರು ಬಲಿಯಾಗುತ್ತಿದ್ದಂತೆ ಆ ಸೇನೆ ರಣರಂಗದಿಂದ ಪಲಾಯನ ಮಾಡಿತು. ಈ ಯುದ್ಧದಲ್ಲಿ ನೂರಾರು ಬ್ರಿಟಿಷ್‌, ಮರಾಠ, ರಜಪೂತ ಸೇರಿ ಹಲವು ಸಮುದಾಯದ ಯೋಧರು ಮೃತಪಟ್ಟರು. ಇಲ್ಲಿ 22 ಮಹರ್ ಯೋಧರ ಹುತಾತ್ಮರಾದರು.

    1927ರ ಜನವರಿ 1ರಂದು ಕೋರೆಗಾಂವ್‌ ಭೇಟಿ ನೀಡಿದ್ದ ಅಂಬೇಡ್ಕರ್, ಮಹರ್ ಯೋಧರ ಹೋರಾಟವನ್ನು ಜನರಿಗೆ ತಿಳಿಯುವಂತೆ ಮಾಡಿದ್ದರು. ಅಂಬೇಡ್ಕರ್‌ ತಾವು ಬದುಕಿರುವವರೆಗೂ ಪ್ರತಿ ವರ್ಷ ಜನವರಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಕೋರೆಗಾಂವ್ ಸ್ಮಾರಕಕ್ಕೆ ಭೇಟಿ ನೀಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದರು.
    ಅಸ್ಪೃಶ್ಯತೆಯ ವಿರುದ್ಧ ಬಂಡೆದ್ದ ಮಹರ್ ದಲಿತ ಯೋಧರು ಮಹಾರಾಷ್ಟ್ರದ ಪೇಶ್ವೆಗಳ ವಿರುದ್ಧ ಜಯ ಸಾಧಿಸಿದ ದಿನವು, ಶೋಷಿತರ ಆತ್ಮಗೌರವ ತಲೆಯೆತ್ತಿದ ದಿನವೆಂದೇ ಪ್ರಸಿದ್ಧ. ಭಾರತದ ಇತಿಹಾಸದಲ್ಲಿ ಈ ಅಧ್ಯಾಯ ನೆನಪಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಉಳಿಸಲು ಹಾಗೂ ಆತ್ಮಗೌರವಕ್ಕಾಗಿ ಹೋರಾಡಿದ ದಲಿತರ ಗೌರವಾರ್ಥ 2005ರಲ್ಲಿ ಭೀಮಾ–ಕೋರೆಗಾಂವ್‌ ರಣಸ್ತಂಭ ಸೇವಾ ಸಂಘ(ಬಿಕೆಆರ್‌ಎಸ್‌ಎಸ್‌) ಸ್ಥಾಪಿಸಲಾಗಿದೆ.

ಕೃಪೆ: ಪ್ರಜಾವಾಣಿ

ಪದ್ಮ ಅವಾರ್ಡ್ 2018

*Padma Awardees 2018:

#PadmaVibhushan:

-Illaiyaraja
-Ghulam Mustafa Khan
-P. Parameswaran.

#PadmaBhushan:

-Pankaj Advani
-Philipose Mar Chrysostom
-M S #Dhoni
-Alexander Kadakin
-R. Nagaswamy
-Ved Prakash Nanda
-Laxman Pai
-Arvind Parikh
-Sharda Sinha.

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What is the mahadayi river dispute?

What is the Mahadayi river dispute?
indianexpress.com - Express Web DeskJanuary 24, 2018

The Mahadayi river is known as the Mandovi in Goa. (Archive)

The dispute over Mahadayi river has resurfaced over the past few weeks and tensions have been rife between Goa and Karnataka. So, what is the dispute all about?

The dispute over Mahadayi river began in the 80s and grew stronger in the subsequent decades. The trigger was Karnataka’s move to design a number of dams, canals and barrages to route the Mahadayi river water to the Malaprabha basin. The state claimed that channelling the river water into the basin of Malaprabha, a tributary of the Krishna, would meet the requirements of water-scarce districts of Bagalkot, Gadag, Dharwad and Belagavi.

Goa, seeking redressal to the dispute in 2002, sought the constitution of a water disputes tribunal. The state also moved the apex court in 2006 with its demand. After sustained efforts by the Goan government, the Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal was set up on November 16, 2010.

Goa contends that its population is dependent on the river’s natural path and any move to divert it would affect its fragile ecosystem. It claimed that the ingress of saltwater in the river, which is dependent on monsoons, will ultimately end up killing the state’s mangroves and green belt, disturb the relationship between the people and the land, as well as the ecological balance.

The dispute is also around the amount of water that Goa receives. Karnataka claims that the surplus from Mahadayi drains into the sea and that it should be diverted into the deficit basin in Malaprabha to meet the state’s drinking, irrigation, agriculture and power generation needs. Goa has, meanwhile, denied Karnataka’s claims saying it is a water deficient state and limiting the water supply would adversely impact its agriculture production.

Supreme Court has, for now, stayed the construction of dams and canals by Karnataka on the Mahadayi. Karnataka claims it requires 7.56 thousand million cubic feet (tmc ft) of water from Mahadayi to meet the requirement of farmers of North Karnataka. Goa, nonetheless, has expressed reservations claiming Karnataka may stock excess water in its reservoirs so that it can be used for irrigation in other parts of the state.

Mahadayi river rises in the Western Ghats, from the Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary in Khanapur taluk of Karnataka’s Belagavi district. Flowing westward, it enters Goa from Sattari taluk of North Goa districts. A number of streams join the flow of the river to form the Mandovi which is one of two major rivers that flow through Goa. It joins the Arabian Sea at Panaji.

The Mahadayi river, also spelt Mhadei or Mahadeyi, stretches 111-km. Over two-thirds of the river’s stretch lies in Goa (76km). The Mandovi is important for Goa also because it is one of the few sweet-water sources at the state’s disposal. Most of Goa’s 11 rivers contain salt water and Mandovi ensures water security as well as being an important place to source fish for the state.

2018 ನೇ ಸಾಲಿನ ಪದ್ಮಪ್ರಶಸ್ತಿ

2018ನೇ ಪದ್ಮ ಪ್ರಶಸ್ತಿಗಳು ಪ್ರಕಟ: 15 ಸಾವಿರ ಉಚಿತ ಹೆರಿಗೆ ಮಾಡಿಸಿದ್ದ ಕನ್ನಡತಿ ನರಸಮ್ಮಗೆ ಪದ್ಮಶ್ರೀ
Thursday, 25 Jan, 8.46 pm

ನವದೆಹಲಿ(ಜ.25): ಈ ವರ್ಷದ ಪದ್ಮ ಪ್ರಶಸ್ತಿಗಳನ್ನು ಕೇಂದ್ರ ಸರ್ಕಾರ ಪ್ರಕಟಿಸಿದ್ದು ತಮ್ಮ ಜೀವಮಾನದಲ್ಲಿ 15 ಸಾವಿರಕ್ಕೂ ಹೆಚ್ಚು ಉಚಿತ ಹೆರಿಗೆ ಮಾಡಿಸಿರುವ ತುಮಕೂರಿನ ಪಾವಗಡದ ಸೂಲಗಿತ್ತಿ ನರಸಮ್ಮಗೆ ಪದ್ಮಶ್ರೀ ಪ್ರಶಸ್ತಿ ನೀಡಲಾಗಿದೆ.

ಇನ್ನುಳಿದಂತೆ ಕನ್ನಡ ಸೇರಿದಂತೆ ಭಾರತದ ಹಲವು ಭಾಷೆಗಳಿಗೆ ಸಂಗೀತ ನೀಡಿರುವ ಸಂಗೀತ ರತ್ನ ಎಂದೇ ಖ್ಯಾತಿಗಳಿಸಿರುವ ಇಳಯರಾಜ ಅವರಿಗೆ ಪದ್ಮಭೂಷಣ ಪ್ರಶಸ್ತಿ ಗೌರವಿಸಲಾಗಿದೆ.

ಅರವಿಂದ ಗುಪ್ತ - ವಿಜ್ಞಾನ ಕ್ಷೇತ್ರ,ಎಸ್​. ಬಿಸ್ವಾಸ್​ - ಹಿರಿಯ ಸ್ವಾತಂತ್ರ್ಯ ಹೋರಾಟಗಾರರು, ಭಜ್ಜು ಶ್ಯಾಮ್ - ಗೊಂಡ ಕಲಾವಿದ, ಲಕ್ಷ್ಮಿ ಕುಟ್ಟಿ - ಗಿಡಮೂಲಿಕೆ ಔಷಧ ಕ್ಷೇತ್ರ, ಎಂ.ಆರ್. ರಾಜಗೋಪಾಲ್​ - ವೈದ್ಯಕೀಯ ಕ್ಷೇತ್ರ ಪದ್ಮಶ್ರೀ ಪ್ರಶಸ್ತಿ ಲಭಿಸಿದೆ.

Tamil Nadu UNESCO Award

Tamil Nadu CM Edappadi K Palanichamy receives UNESCO Award

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palanichamy received UNESCO Award of Merit awarded to the iconic Srirangam Ranganathaswamy temple in Tiruchirapalli.

The award of merit was awarded by UNESCO Asia Pacific region for the reconstruction activities undertaken in temple without in least affecting its traditional splendour and Vedic rituals.
Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple

It is considered as one of the most important of the 108 main Vishnu temples (Divyadesams). It is Vaishnava temple built in Tamil or Dravidian style of architecture. It is located on an islet formed by twin rivers: Coleroon and Cauvery. The temple complex is situated in sprawling ground of more than 156 acres.

The temple and 1000 pillared hall were constructed in the Vijayanagar period (1336–1565) on the site of an older temple. It has seven prakaras or enclosures. Its Gopuram also called as “Raja Gopuram is the biggest gopuram in Asia. It annually hosts 21-day festival during the Tamil month of Margazhi (between December and January) which attracts over 1 million visitors.
UNESCO Asia-Pacific awards for cultural heritage conservation programme

The UNESCO Asia-Pacific awards for cultural heritage conservation programme is aimed at acknowledging efforts taken to restore and conserve historical structures without affecting their heritage value. The awards are classified under four categories – Awards of Distinction, Awards of Merit, Award of Excellence and Award for New Design in Heritage Context.

India ranked 177 in environmental

India Ranked 177 in Environmental Performance Index (EPI)

India has been ranked 177 among 180 countries in the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) – 2018. This index has been developed by Yale University and Columbia University in collaboration with the World Economic Forum and the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission. This report has been released on 23 January, 2018 on the sidelines of World Economic Forum meet in Davos.
Top and Bottom Five Countries in 2018 EPI

    Top 5 countries are Switzerland, France, Denmark, Malta and Sweden
    To bottom countries are Nepal, India, Congo, Bangladesh, Burundi

About the Index

Environmental Performance Index (EPI) is calculated on the basis of data gathered from 24 individual metrics of environmental performance. These 24 individual metrics are then aggregated into a hierarchy that begins with 10 major environmental issues categories.

    Air Quality (household solid fuels and PM2.5 exposure)
    Water & Sanitation
    Heavy Metals (lead exposure)
    Biodiversity & Habitat
    Forests (tree cover loss)
    Fisheries
    Climate & Energy (CO2, Methane and Black Carbon Emissions)
    Air Pollution (SO2 and NOx emission)
    Water resources (wastewater treatment)

    Agriculture (sustainable practice)

The above 10 environmental issue categories are then divided into two policy objectives viz. Environment health and Ecosystem Vitality. The overall EPI is based on a country’s performance in these 10 issue categories and two policy objectives. High rank in the EPI shows long-standing commitments to protecting public health, preserving natural resources and decoupling greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from economic activity.
The 2018 Report Key Notes About India

    The report has ranked India as fourth worst country worldwide in curbing environmental pollution. India has slipped from 141st position in 2016 report.
    The low rank of emerging economies including China (120) and India (177) indicates strain population pressures and rapid economic growth impose on the environment.
    As per the report, substantial populations still suffer from poor air quality, most notably in India, China, and Pakistan (169).

Report also notes that the low scores on the EPI are indicative of the need for national sustainability efforts on a number of fronts, especially cleaning up air quality, protecting biodiversity and reducing GHG (green house gas) emissions.

Oxfam survey...

Richest 1% Cornered 73% of Wealth Generated in India in 2017: Oxfam Survey
By The Wire Staff on 22/01/2018 •

The annual Oxfam survey revealed that 67 crore Indians comprising the population’s poorest half saw their wealth rise by just 1% in the last year.
A homeless boy holds biscuits that he received as alms as he takes shelter from rain in front of a fast food shop in Mumbai November 11, 2009. Credit: Reuters/Arko Datta

A homeless boy holds biscuits that he received as alms as he takes shelter from rain in front of a fast food shop in Mumbai November 11, 2009. Credit: Reuters/Arko Datta

New Delhi: India’s richest 1% garnered as much as 73% of the total wealth generated in the country in 2017, according to a new survey by international rights group Oxfam. The report’s findings are in line with those of similar studies including the one published by renowned economists Lucas Chancel and Thomas Piketty last July, and give credence to the theory that the rich have disproportionately benefited from liberalisation while others have been left struggling.

Titled ‘Indian income inequality, 1922-2014: from British Raj to Billionaire Raj?’ the research paper by the two economists showed that income inequality in India was at its highest in 2014 since 1922, the year the country passed the Income Tax Act. The paper’s findings later went into a full-fledged report, the World Inequality Report, published by the World Inequality Lab. According to it, 10% of Indians garnered 56% of the national income in 2014.

The top 1% of earners captured less than 21% of total income in the late 1930s, before dropping to 6% in the early 1980s and rising to 22% in 2014, the report said.

The Oxfam report, which was released hours before the annual Davos World Economic Forum (WEF) meet began, further states that 67 crore Indians, comprising the population’s poorest half, saw their wealth rise by just 1% in 2017. The situation appears even more grim globally, where 82% of the wealth generated last year worldwide went to the 1%, while 3.7 billion people that account for the poorest half of population saw no increase in their wealth, the survey said.

The annual Oxfam survey is keenly watched and is discussed in detail at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting where rising income and gender inequality is among the key talking points for the world leaders.

Last year’s survey had showed that India’s richest 1% held a huge 58% of the country’s total wealth – higher than the global figure of about 50%.

This year’s survey also showed that the wealth of India’s richest 1% increased by over Rs 20.9 lakh crore during 2017 — an amount equivalent to total budget of the central government in 2017-18, Oxfam India said.

The report titled ‘Reward Work, Not Wealth’, Oxfam said, reveals how the global economy enables wealthy elite to accumulate vast wealth even as hundreds of millions of people struggle to survive on poverty pay.

“2017 saw an unprecedented increase in the number of billionaires, at a rate of one every two days. Billionaire wealth has risen by an average of 13% a year since 2010 – six times faster than the wages of ordinary workers, which have risen by a yearly average of just 2%,” it said.

In India, it will take 941 years for a minimum wage worker in rural India to earn what the top paid executive at a leading Indian garment firm earns in a year, the study found.

In the US, it takes slightly over one working day for a CEO to earn what an ordinary worker makes in a year, it added.

Citing results of the global survey of 70,000 people surveyed in 10 countries, Oxfam said it demonstrates a groundswell of support for action on inequality and nearly two-thirds of all respondents think the gap between the rich and the poor needs to be urgently addressed.

With Prime Minister Narendra Modi attending the WEF meeting in Davos, Oxfam India urged the Indian government to ensure that the country’s economy works for everyone and not just the fortunate few.

It asked the government to promote inclusive growth by encouraging labour-intensive sectors that will create more jobs; investing in agriculture; and effectively implementing the social protection schemes that exist.

Oxfam also sought sealing of the “leaking wealth bucket” by taking stringent measures against tax evasion and avoidance, imposing higher tax on super-rich and removing corporate tax breaks.

The survey respondents in countries like the US, UK and India also favoured 60% pay cut for CEOs.

The key factors driving up rewards for shareholders and corporate bosses at the expense of workers’ pay and conditions, Oxfam said, include erosion of workers’ rights; excessive influence of big business over government policy- making; and the relentless corporate drive to minimise costs in order to maximise returns to shareholders.

About India, it said the country added 17 new billionaires last year, taking the total number to 101. The Indian billionaires’ wealth increased to over Rs 20.7 lakh crore – increasing during the last year by Rs 4.89 lakh crore, an amount sufficient to finance 85% of the all states’ budget on health and education.

It also said India’s top 10% of population holds 73% of the wealth and 37% of India’s billionaires have inherited family wealth. They control 51% of the total wealth of billionaires in the country.

Oxfam India CEO Nisha Agrawal said it is alarming that the benefits of economic growth in India continue to concentrate in fewer hands.

“The billionaire boom is not a sign of a thriving economy but a symptom of a failing economic system. Those working hard, growing food for the country, building infrastructure, working in factories are struggling to fund their child’s education, buy medicines for family members and manage two meals a day. The growing divide undermines democracy and promotes corruption and cronyism,” she said.

The survey also showed that women workers often find themselves at the bottom of the heap and nine out of ten billionaires are men.

In India, there are only four women billionaires and three of them inherited family wealth.

“It would take around 17.5 days for the best paid executive at a top Indian garment company to earn what a minimum wage worker in rural India will earn in their lifetime (presuming 50 years at work),” Oxfam said.

(With PTI inputs)

Manipur govt launches helth scheme

Manipur Government launches health assurance scheme for poor & disabled people

Manipur Government has launched the Chief Minister-gi Hakshelgi Tengbang (CMHT), a health assurance scheme for the poor and disabled people. It was launched by Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh.

The CMHT scheme will provide cashless treatment to poor at government hospitals, health centres and other empanelled selected private hospitals.
Chief Minister-gi Hakshelgi Tengbang (CMHT) Scheme

The scheme will provide insurance cover up to Rs 2 lakh per eligible family in treatment of seven critical identified critical ailments – cardiovascular diseases, neurological conditions, kidney ailments, liver ailments, cancer, neo-natal diseases and burns per year. The beneficiaries will be identified from Socio Economic Caste Census (SECC). They may get themselves enrolled for scheme with help of ASHA workers at kiosks opened in nearby PHCs, CHCs and District Hospitals.
Significance

The CMHT Scheme will have convergence with Government of India programme like PMs Jana Aushadhi Programme and Free Diagnostic Programme. It will be truly IT platform driven scheme. Along with Chief Minister-gi Sotharabashing gi Tengbang (CMST) scheme, state government is able to provide two most noble social security schemes to its people.

GOVT lanches Protocal for star

Government launches Protocol for Star Rating of Garbage-Free Cities

The Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has launched the ‘Protocol for Star Rating of Garbage-Free Cities’ in Goa. It has been developed under Swachh Bharat Mission – Urban for rating cities on 7-star rating system based on multiple cleanliness indicators for solid waste management.
Key Facts

Indicators: These include Door to Door garbage Collection, source segregation, sweeping, scientific processing of waste, bulk generator compliance, scientific land filling, construction and demolition management, plastic waste management, dump remediation & citizen grievance redressal system etc.

Rating: Cities will be rated as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7 star based on their compliance with protocol conditions specified for each of rating. City will be given rating of 3 star or above only after it is declared ODF (Open Defecation Free).

Cities can self-declare themselves as 1-star, 2-star or 4-star provided that MoHUA carry out additional verification through independent third party to certify cities as 3-star, 5-star or 7-star. Cities need to get themselves recertified every year to retain their star-status.

Significance: It provides stakeholders with single metric to rate a city’s cleanliness, rather than separately evaluating multiple factors which contribute to city’s overall cleanliness and garbage free status. It will assess many cities for having higher stars as compared to only one city being “Cleanest city” under Swachh Survekshan.

Manipur govt launches helth scheme

Manipur Government launches health assurance scheme for poor & disabled people

Manipur Government has launched the Chief Minister-gi Hakshelgi Tengbang (CMHT), a health assurance scheme for the poor and disabled people. It was launched by Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh.

The CMHT scheme will provide cashless treatment to poor at government hospitals, health centres and other empanelled selected private hospitals.
Chief Minister-gi Hakshelgi Tengbang (CMHT) Scheme

The scheme will provide insurance cover up to Rs 2 lakh per eligible family in treatment of seven critical identified critical ailments – cardiovascular diseases, neurological conditions, kidney ailments, liver ailments, cancer, neo-natal diseases and burns per year. The beneficiaries will be identified from Socio Economic Caste Census (SECC). They may get themselves enrolled for scheme with help of ASHA workers at kiosks opened in nearby PHCs, CHCs and District Hospitals.
Significance

The CMHT Scheme will have convergence with Government of India programme like PMs Jana Aushadhi Programme and Free Diagnostic Programme. It will be truly IT platform driven scheme. Along with Chief Minister-gi Sotharabashing gi Tengbang (CMST) scheme, state government is able to provide two most noble social security schemes to its people.

Manipur govt launches helth scheme

Manipur Government launches health assurance scheme for poor & disabled people

Manipur Government has launched the Chief Minister-gi Hakshelgi Tengbang (CMHT), a health assurance scheme for the poor and disabled people. It was launched by Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh.

The CMHT scheme will provide cashless treatment to poor at government hospitals, health centres and other empanelled selected private hospitals.
Chief Minister-gi Hakshelgi Tengbang (CMHT) Scheme

The scheme will provide insurance cover up to Rs 2 lakh per eligible family in treatment of seven critical identified critical ailments – cardiovascular diseases, neurological conditions, kidney ailments, liver ailments, cancer, neo-natal diseases and burns per year. The beneficiaries will be identified from Socio Economic Caste Census (SECC). They may get themselves enrolled for scheme with help of ASHA workers at kiosks opened in nearby PHCs, CHCs and District Hospitals.
Significance

The CMHT Scheme will have convergence with Government of India programme like PMs Jana Aushadhi Programme and Free Diagnostic Programme. It will be truly IT platform driven scheme. Along with Chief Minister-gi Sotharabashing gi Tengbang (CMST) scheme, state government is able to provide two most noble social security schemes to its people.

GOVT lanches Protocal for star

Government launches Protocol for Star Rating of Garbage-Free Cities

The Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has launched the ‘Protocol for Star Rating of Garbage-Free Cities’ in Goa. It has been developed under Swachh Bharat Mission – Urban for rating cities on 7-star rating system based on multiple cleanliness indicators for solid waste management.
Key Facts

Indicators: These include Door to Door garbage Collection, source segregation, sweeping, scientific processing of waste, bulk generator compliance, scientific land filling, construction and demolition management, plastic waste management, dump remediation & citizen grievance redressal system etc.

Rating: Cities will be rated as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7 star based on their compliance with protocol conditions specified for each of rating. City will be given rating of 3 star or above only after it is declared ODF (Open Defecation Free).

Cities can self-declare themselves as 1-star, 2-star or 4-star provided that MoHUA carry out additional verification through independent third party to certify cities as 3-star, 5-star or 7-star. Cities need to get themselves recertified every year to retain their star-status.

Significance: It provides stakeholders with single metric to rate a city’s cleanliness, rather than separately evaluating multiple factors which contribute to city’s overall cleanliness and garbage free status. It will assess many cities for having higher stars as compared to only one city being “Cleanest city” under Swachh Survekshan.

The 18th Hornbill festival 2017

The 18th Hornbill festival 2017 has started in which state?

[A] Manipur
[B] Nagaland
[C] Tripura
[D] Assam

Correct Answer: B [Nagaland ]

Explanation:
President Ram Nath Kovind has inaugurated the 18th Hornbill festival 2017 and the 54th Statehood Daycelebrations of Nagaland at Naga Heritage Village, Kisama on December 1, 2017. The 10-day Hornbill fest isthe perfect showcase of rich Naga culture and traditions, preserved over the years in the form of music,dance and food. It is also called the ‘Festival of Festivals’. The festival is named after the Indian hornbill, thelarge and colourful forest bird which is displayed in the folklore of most of the state’s tribes. The highlightsof festival includes the traditional Naga Morungs exhibition and the sale of arts and crafts, food stalls,herbal medicine stalls, flower shows and sales, cultural medley – songs and dances, fashion shows, the MissNagaland beauty contest, traditional archery, Naga wrestling, indigenous games, and musical concert.

Don't get confused

🎋🎋🎆Don't get confused 🎆🎋🎋

1.European central bank-Frankfurt ,Germany
2.European investment bank - Luxembourg
3.European bank of reconstruction and development - London UK
4.International finance corporation -Washington US
5.African development bank- Abidjan Cote d ivorie
6.Asian development Bank - Manila Philippines
7.Asia infrastructure investment bank -Beijing China
8.New development Bank -Shangai China
9.Economic cooperation organisation trade and development Bank -Tehran Iran
10.Islamic development Bank - Jeddah Saudi Arabia

***************************************

********Don't be confuse *********
*Indian science communication congress - New Delhi
* Indian science Congress - Manipur
* World organic congress - Noida
* World history congress - Kolkata
* National children science Congress - Gujarat

***************************************

****Missiles indigenous by India****
* Brahmos --> Supersonic
* Nirbhay --> Subsonic
* Saurya -- > Hypersonic
* Astra -- > Beyond visual range missile

***************************************

*13 - vice president - Naidu
*14 - President - Kovind
*15 - Prime minister - Modi
*15 - Loksabha

***************************************

******Banning recent in news******
*Germany nuclear power by - 2022
*Britain  Electric vehicles -2020
* France exploration & production - 2040
* Finland Ban of fossil fuels - 2025

***************************************

ಪ್ರಸಿದ್ದ ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿಗಳು ಹಾಗೂ ಅಡ್ಡಹೆಸರುಗಳು

#ಪ್ರಸಿದ್ದ_ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿಗಳ_ಅಡ್ಡಹೆಸರುಗಳು🌿🌿🌿

1. ಬಾಪು ................. ಮಹಾತ್ಮ ಗಾಂಧಿ
2. ಶಾಂತಿ ಮನುಷ್ಯ ........... ಲಾಲ್ ಬಹದ್ದೂರ್ ಶಾಸ್ತ್ರಿ
3. ಪಂಜಾಬ್ ಕೇಸರಿ ......... ಲಾಲಾ ಲಜಪತ್ ರಾಯ್
4. ಐರನ್ ಮ್ಯಾನ್ ಆಫ್ ಇಂಡಿಯಾ ...... ಸರ್ದಾರ್ ವಲ್ಲಭಭಾಯಿ ಪಟೇಲ್
5. ಗುರುದೇವ .............. ರವೀಂದ್ರನಾಥ ಟ್ಯಾಗೋರ್
6. ಚಚಾ ................. ಜವಾಹರಲಾಲ್ ನೆಹರು
7. ಹಾಕಿ ಮ್ಯಾಜಿಶಿಯನ್ಸ್ ..... ಧ್ಯಾನ್ಚಂದ್
8. ಕ್ವಾಯ್ದ್-ಇ-ಅಜಮ್ ........... ಎಮ್ಡಿ. ಅಲಿ ಜಿನ್ನಾ
9. ಶೆರ್-ಇ-ಕಾಶ್ಮೀರ ......... ಶೇಖ್ ಅಬ್ದುಲ್ಲಾ
10. ಲೋಕಮಾನ್ಯ .............. ಬಾಲ ಗಂಗಾಧರ ತಿಲಕ್
11. ದೇಶ್ ರತ್ನ ............ ಡಾ. ರಾಜೇಂದ್ರ ಪ್ರಸಾದ್
12. ನೇತಾಜಿ ............... ಸುಭಾಷ್ ಚಂದ್ರ ಬೋಸ್
13. ಸ್ಪ್ಯಾರೋ .......... ಮೇಜರ್ ಜನರಲ್ ರಾಜೀಂದರ್ ಸಿಂಗ್
14. ಸಾಹಿದ್-ಎ-ಆಜಮ್ .......... ಭಗತ್ ಸಿಂಗ್
15. ಭಾರತದ ನೈಟಿಂಗೇಲ್ .. ಸರೋಜಿನಿ ನಾಯ್ಡು
ಉದನ್ಪರಿ .............. ಪಿ.ಟಿ. ಉಷಾ
17. ಟೋಟ-ಇ-ಹಿಂದ್ ........... ಅಮೀರ್ ಖುಶ್ರೊ
18. ಭಾರತದ ನೆಪೋಲಿಯನ್ ..... ಸಮುದ್ರ ಗುಪ್ತ
19. ಬಂಗಾಬಂದ ........... ಶೇಖ್ ಮುಜಿಬುತ್ ರಹಮಾನ್
20. ದೇಶಬಂಧು ............ ಚಿತ್ತ ರಂಜನ್ ದಾಸ್
21. ದೀನಂದೂ ............ ಸಿ.ಎಫ್. ಆಂಡ್ರ್ಯೂಸ್
22. ಭಾರತದ ಶೇಕ್ಸ್ಪಿಯರ್ .. ಮಹಾಕಾವಿ ಕಾಳಿದಾಸ್
23.ಚಚಾಕಿಯ ಮಾಚಿಯಾವೆಲ್ಲಿ
24. ಲೋಕನಾಯಕ್ .............. ಜಯಪ್ರಕಾಶ್ ನಾರಾಯಣ್
25. ಜನ ನಾಯಕ್ ............ ಕಾರ್ಪುರಿ ಠಾಕೂರ್
26. ಕಾಶ್ಮೀರದ ಅಕ್ಬರ್ ...... ಜೈನಲ್ ಅಬ್ದುನ್
27. ಗುಜರಾತ್ ಪಿತಾಮಹ ..... ರವಿಶಂಕರ್ ಮಹಾರಾಜ್
28. ಭಾರತೀಯ ಚಲನಚಿತ್ರಗಳ ಅಜ್ಜ .. ದಂಡಿರಾಜ್ ಗೋವಿಂದ ಫಾಲ್ಕೆ
29. ಮಾರ್ನಿಂಗ್ ಸ್ಟಾರ್ ಆಫ್ ಇಂಡಿಯಾ ನವೋದಯ .. ರಾಜ ರಾಮ್
ಮೋಹನ್ ರಾಯ್
30. ಭಾರತೀಯ ಇತಿಹಾಸದ ಕಿಂಗ್ ಮೇಕರ್ .. ಸಾಯೆದ್ ಬಂಧು
31. ಬಂಗಾಳ ಕೇಸರಿ ......... ಅಶುತೋಷ್ ಮುಖರ್ಜಿ
32. ಬಿಹಾರ ಕೇಸರಿ .......... ಡಾ. ಶ್ರೀಕೃಷ್ಣ ಸಿಂಗ್
33. ಆಂಧ್ರ ಕೇಸರಿ ......... ಟಿ. ಪ್ರಕಾಶಂ
34. ಬಾದ್ಶಾ ಖಾನ್ ......... ಖಾನ್ ಅಬ್ದುಲ್ ಗಫ್ಫರ್ ಖಾನ್
35. ಭಾರತದ ಹಳೆಯ ಓಲ್ಡ್ ಮ್ಯಾನ್ .. ದಾದಾಭಾಯಿ ನೊರೊಜಿ
36. ಯಂಗ್ ಟರ್ಕ್ ............ ಚಂದ್ರಶೇಖರ್
37. ಟೌ ................... ಚೌಧರಿ ದೇವಿ ಲಾಲ್
38. ರಾಜಶೇಶ್ ............. ಪುರುಷೋತ್ತಮ್ ದಾಸ್ ಟಂಡನ್
39. ಅಜಾತ್ಶತ್ರು ............ ಡಾ. ರಾಜೇಂದ್ರ ಪ್ರಸಾದ್
40. ಮಹಮಣ .............. ಪಂ. ಮದನ್ ಮೋಹನ್ ಮಾಳವಿಯ
41. ಸ್ವರ್ ಕೋಕಿಲಾ ........... ಲತಾ ಮಂಗೇಶ್ಕರ್
42. ತಾಯಿ ............... ಮದರ್ ತೆರೇಸಾ
43. ಲಿಟಲ್ ಮಾಸ್ಟರ್ ......... ಸುನಿಲ್ ಗವಾಸ್ಕರ್
44. ಹರಿಯಾಣ ಹರಿಕೇನ್ ..... ಕಪಿಲ್ ದೇವ್
45. ಡೆಸ್ಟಿನಿ ಮ್ಯಾನ್ ...... ನೆಪೋಲಿಯನ್ ಬೊನಾಪಾರ್ಟೆ
46. ​​ಫ್ಯೂಹ್ರೆರ್ ............. ಅಡೋಫ್ ಹಿಟ್ಲರ್
47. ಅಂಕಲ್ ಹೊ ....... ಹೋ ಚಿ ಮಿನ್ಹ್
48. ಮ್ಯಾನ್ ಆಫ್ ಬ್ಲಡ್ ಮತ್ತು ಐರನ್..ಒಟ್ಟೊ ವ್ಯಾನ್ ಬಿಸ್ಮಾರ್ಕ್
49. ಡಸರ್ಟ್ ಫಾಕ್ಸ್ .......... ಜನರಲ್ ಎರ್ವಿನ್ ರೊಮ್ಮೆಲ್
50. ಲಾಲ್, ಬಾಲ್, ಪಾಲ್ ....... ಲಾಲಾ ಲಜಪತ್
ರಾಯ್, ಬಾಲ ಗಂಗಾಧರ ತಿಲಕ್ ಮತ್ತು ಬಿಪಿನ್ ಚಂದ್ರ ಪಾಲ್