ASSAM
- Radical outfits may become biggest threat to State
- Radicalization and efforts by fundamentalist terrorist outfits may turn out to be the biggest threats to the North East region of India, particularly Assam, in the days to come and there is need for strengthening the intelligence gathering mechanism to deal with it.
- With the Government’s attention is more on Kashmir, the possibility of Pakistani agencies trying to push in activists of such terror groups to the North East through Bangladesh and Myanmar also cannot be ruled out.
- Though the present Government in Bangladesh is taking steps against terror groups and the security agencies of both the countries are also sharing intelligence on activities of the terrorist groups regularly, there are “pro Pakistani officials in Bangladesh at the lower level” and the possibility of such officers providing help to Pakistani agencies cannot be ruled out. Sources pointed out that in the 1990s, youths from Assam were enrolled by Harkat ul Mujaheedin (HUM) and they were taken to Pakistan for training via Bangladesh and that could not have been possible without direct or indirect help from any Government official.
INTERNATIONAL
- France reiterates support for Indias permanent seat in reformed UNSC
- France,which assumed the March Presidency of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), has reiterated its support for India as the permanent member of the powerful UN organ. It said that the UNSC’s enlargement is the first crucial part towards its reform.
- India has been calling for the reform of the UN Security Council along with Brazil, Germany, and Japan for long, emphasizing that it rightly deserves a place at the UN high table as a permanent member.
- It also stressed that the UN cannot be recognised as a centre of gravity for multilateralism throughout the world unless it can step up partnerships and focus should also be made on openness to civil society, business world, NGOs and trade unions, which are all stakeholders that breathe life into the UN.
- Marshall Islands digital currency SOV to be released in 2019
- The Marshall Islands is planning to release a digital currency called “SOV” this year in 2019.
- Neema, an Israel-based company, is partnering with the Marshall Islands government to develop the digital currency.
- India launched its 3rd IT corridor in China
- National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM)entered into a partnership with China’s Xuzhou city from Jiangsu Province in China to help develop the IT corridor. This is India’s third IT corridor in China. The corridor will facilitate partnerships between Indian and Chinese companies.
- The partnership will enable Indian software and service industry associations to enter the Chinese market and seize the development opportunities in China. The earlier two corridors launched at Dalian and Guiyang citieshas brought to fore opportunities with over 300 companies where more than 10 Indian SME companies have signed deals worth 31 Million RMB (USD 4.5 million).
- Thefirst two corridors had enabled cooperation in co-create mode in emerging technologies such as A1, IOT, and Analytics in the Chinese market. IT corridor project between India and China strengthens India-China Digital Cooperation
NATIONAL
- Ministry of power to give star rating for 2 electrical appliances
- TheMinistry of Power has announced that two more electrical appliances microwave ovens and washing machines will now be assigned star ratings based on their energy efficiency metrics.
- The rating of appliances in India is undertaken by theBureau of Energy Efficiency. Bureau of Energy Efficiency is a statutory body set up under the Energy Conservation Act, 2001.
- The program to rate microwave ovens and washing machines will be implemented on a voluntary basis and will be valid up toDecember 31, 2020. Star Rating of Appliances provides a basic sense of how energy efficient each product is. Higher the rating, higher is the efficiency of the appliance.
- PM inaugurated Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Institute of Archaeology
- Prime Minister Narendra Modiinaugurated the new Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Institute of Archaeology at Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh. He also unveiled the statue of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya at the campus.
- Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Institute of Archaeology is a state-of-the-art institution that comprises of an auditorium, an open-air theatre, and an Archaeological Museum. Institute of Archaeology is anacademic wing of the Archeological Survey of India under the Ministry of Culture.
- Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)is the premier organization for the archaeological researches and protection of the cultural heritage in India. It functions under the under the Ministry of Culture. ASI regulates all archaeological activities in the country as per the provisions of the Ancient Monuments andArchaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958 and Antiquities and Art Treasure Act,1972.
- Pinaka guided rocket system successfully test fired
- Defence Research and Development organisation, DRDO successfully test fired the PINAKAguided WEAPON rocketsystem from Pokhran range in Rajasthan.
- This indigenously developed Guided PINAKA by DRDO will significantly boost the capability of the artillery to make precision hits.
- Pinaka is a multiple rocket launcher produced in India for the Indian Army.
- Pinaka saw service during the Kargil War, where it was successful in neutralising enemy positions on the mountain tops.
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