English| इंग्लिश
Delhi-Gurugram-SNB rail corridor gets nod of NCRTC Board
The National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) Board December 7, 2018 approved the construction of the Delhi-Gurugram-SNB (Shahjahanpur-Neemrana-Behror Urban Complex) Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) corridor.
What the Delhi-Gurugram- SNB Corridor will do?
The corridor seeks to reduce the travel time between Sarai Kale Khan and the SNB Urban Complex which are 106 km apart to an estimated 70 minutes.
The Delhi-Gurugram-Alwar rail corridor is planned to be completed in three stages
Delhi-Gurugram-SNB corridor will be elevated for about 71 km [11 stations], the remaining 35 km [5 stations] will be constructed underground, mostly in Delhi and Gurugram.
In stage I, the Delhi – Gurugram – Rewari – SNB Urban Complex will be constructed. In Stage II, it will be extended from SNB Urban Complex to Sotanala while in Stage III, the line will be further extended from the SNB Urban Complex to Alwar.
Cost of the Corridor
It is planned to be constructed in about five years’ time excluding one year of pre-construction activities at a base construction cost of ₹24,975 crore, funded by Government of India (20%), concerned State governments (20%) and bilateral or multilateral funding agencies (60%).
Three corridors prioritized
Out of the eight identified corridors to connect various NCR towns with high-speed rail commute under the Functional Plan on Transport for NCR-2032, three corridors have been prioritised for implementation in Phase-1 by the Planning Commission appointed Task Force. These include Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut, Delhi-Gurugram-Alwar and Delhi-Sonipat-Panipat.
UN launches new framework to combat terrorism
The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres December 6, 2018 launched a new framework titled ‘UN Global Counter-Terrorism Coordination Compact’.
The aim is to combat international terrorism and coordinate efforts across the peace and security, humanitarian, human rights and sustainable development sectors.
The framework is an agreement between the UN chief, 36 organisational entities, the International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL) and the World Customs Organisation (WCO) to better serve the needs of member states when it comes to tackling the scourge of international terrorism.
What are the key highlights?
The Coordination Committee of the UN will oversee the implementation of the framework and monitor its implementation. The committee is chaired by UN Under-Secretary-General for counter-terrorism, Vladimir Voronkov.
The UN Global Counter-Terrorism Coordination Compact Task Force will replace the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force, which was established in 2005 to strengthen UN system-wide coordination and coherence of counter-terrorism efforts.
The committee will also look at ways to improve the delivery of an 'All-of-UN' capacity-building support to the member states.
Why the need?
Global Terrorism Index released by the Institute for Economic and Peace, indicates that despite a 27 percent fall in the number of deaths from acts of terrorism worldwide, the impact of terrorism remains widespread, with 67 countries experiencing deadly attacks. This is the second highest recorded number of countries in the past twenty years.
Half of global population is on-line: UN
The International Telecommunication Union on December 7, 2018 announced that for the first time, more than half of the world’s population of nearly 8 billion will be using the internet by the end of 2018.
The record figure of 3.9 billion people, or 51.2 per cent that will be online by the end of December 2018, is an important milestone in the digital revolution. The agency insists that this increased connectivity will help promote sustainable development everywhere.
Key Highlights
The latest figures also spotlight Africa, which shows the strongest rate of growth in internet access, from around two per cent in 2005, to more than 24 per cent of the African population in 2018.
Europe and the Americas are the regions with the slowest growth rates, though the current figures show that 79.6 per cent and 69.6 per cent are online, respectively.
In developed countries, slow and steady growth increased the percentage of population using the Internet, from 51.3 per cent in 2005 to 80.9 per cent in 2018.
Where does the challenge lies?
Despite this progress, ITU has warned that a lot of communities worldwide, still do not use the internet, particularly women and girls.
The statistics show older people also disproportionately remain offline, as do those with disabilities, indigenous populations and some people living in the world’s poorest places.
In a bid to reduce inequalities, the agency is calling on more infrastructure investment from the public and private sectors, and to focus on ensuring that access remains affordable for all.
International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
ITU was founded on May 17, 1865 and is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. Its current Director General is Houlin Zhao. It is a specialized agency of the United Nations that is responsible for issues that concern information and communication technologies.
Japan enacts new law to accept foreign workers
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling coalition early December 8, 2018 enacted a legislation to bring more blue-collar foreign workers into the country to address chronic labour shortages.
The bill was enacted after the upper house gave approval despite a raft of criticism by opposition parties following its passage through the lower house in late November 2018.
What are the key highlights?
Under the new system, the government plans to bring in as many as 345,000 foreign workers in construction, food services, nursing and other designated sectors for five years.
The law allows foreign nationals with skills in sectors facing particularly severe shortages to obtain five-year visas, which would not allow them to bring their families.
Foreign workers in those fields who hold stronger qualifications and pass a more difficult Japanese language test will be able to obtain a visa that can be extended indefinitely, eventually leading to residency, and will be able to bring over family.
Why it is controversial?
On the one hand, businesses have long lobbied for looser immigration rules, amidst the higher unemployment rate of 2.5 percent and chronic labour shortages due to Japan’s increasing ageing population and shrinking working population.
On the other hand, the critics argue that law fails to address the potential impact on Japanese society of new foreign labour, and does not protect foreign workers' rights.
Centre appoints Krishnamurthy Subramanian as new Chief Economic Advisor
The Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) cleared the name of Krishnamurthy Subramanian for next chief economic advisor (CEA) December 7, 2018.
He replaces Arvind Subramanian, who resigned from the post June 20, 2018. He has been appointed for a period of three years.
Subramanian, 47, is an associate professor and executive director at the Centre For Analytical Finance at the Indian School of Business (ISB) in Hyderabad. He specializes in banking, corporate governance and economic policy.
The CEA in the Union Finance Ministry is a key contributor to the government’s overall strategy in managing the economy and offers a critique of the hits and misses through the economic survey.
Immediate Challenges for new CEA
For the office of the CEA, the immediate challenges include managing the fiscal deficit, projected at 3.3% for this year, meeting the Rs 80,000 crore disinvestment target, recapitalization of banks and tackling the stress in sectors like telecom.
Ministry of New and Renewable Energy conferred Skoch Award
The Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy was conferred the Skoch Award for National Significance at the 54th SKOCH Summit on Power, Oil and Gas held in New Delhi on December 5, 2018. The award was received by Secretary, Ministry of New Renewable Energy Anand Kumar.
The award has been conferred on the Ministry considering its purpose and critical role played in installing about 73 GW renewable energy capacity in the country.
With 21 per cent of total installed capacity, within the year renewable energy grossed a magic figure of providing one billion units of electricity in the country.
Today, India ranks 4 in the world in wind energy capacity and 5th in solar & total renewable energy capacity installed in the world.
India has played a critical role in setting up of international solar alliance (ISA). Further, India moved a resolution during the first meeting for making it a global initiative.
What is Skoch Award?
SKOCH Award, instituted in 2003, salutes people, projects and institutions that go the extra mile to make India a better nation. SKOCH Award is the highest independently instituted civilian honour. Only the best performers nationally are conferred the SKOCH Award.
International Year of Millets to be observed in 2023
The Council of Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) on December 7, 2018 approved the proposal of Indian Agricultural Ministry to observe International Year of Millet in the year 2023.
Besides, at the 160th session of FAO Council in Rome, India’s membership to the Executive Board of the World Food Program (WFP) for 2020 and 2021 was also approved.
Millets consist of Jowar, Bajra, Ragi and minor millets, together termed as nutri-cereals.
World Food Programme
The World Food Programme (WFP) is the food-assistance branch of the United Nations and the world's largest humanitarian organization addressing hunger and promoting food security. It was founded on December 19, 1961.
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