ASSAM
Full ‘operational freedom’ given to Assam Police to deal with drug menace: Himanta
Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the police has been given complete “operational freedom” to deal with drug traffickers and dealers, and asked to “act decisively” to uproot the drug menace from the society.
He said that increased action on snapping the drug supply and consumption chains throughout the Northeast has been underway in the last two years after Union Home Minister Amit Shah issued specific directions to DGPs of the states in the region regarding the issue.
At another similar event in Diphu, the chief minister said that the police has been given operational freedom to act firmly and decisively within the law to uproot the illegal trade.
NORTH-EASTERN STATES
Boundary row: Mizoram and Assam in war of words
Mizoram has vowed to protect its boundary from alleged aggression from Assam, even as Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma informed the Assam Assembly that since 2016, there have been more than 40 encroachment incidents from the Mizoram side.
Destruction of individual properties by Assam officials was illegal and we demand that the Assam government should pay adequate compensation to the owner of the land and crops.
Mizoram shares over 160km border with Assam and the border dispute continued to simmer during district council years, when Mizoram was a Union Territory and also after being a full-fledged state.
The bordering areas of Cachar remain the bone of contention in the ongoing tussle between Assam and Mizoram. As many as 16 incidents were reported in Hailakandi district, one in Karimganj.
INTERNATIONAL
India-UK Financial Markets Dialogue
The Financial Market Dialogue between India and the United Kingdom was conducted virtually.
Highlights:
The dialogue was established at the 10th Economic and Financial Dialogue in October 2020 to strengthen the bilateral financial relationship between the United Kingdom and India.
The discussion revolved around four main topics:
♦ GIFT City (Gujarat International Finance Tec-City), India’s premier international financial centre
♦ Banking and payment systems
♦ Insurance
♦ Capital markets
NATIONAL
India Industrial Land Bank – IILB
The Industrial Land Bank of India is a GIS-based portal that contains all information related to industrial infrastructure, such as connectivity, infrastructure, natural resources and topography, plot-level information about open spaces, activity lines, and contact information.
♦ It serves as a one-stop shop for all industrial infrastructure-related data.
♦ It acts as a decision-support system for investors scouting land remotely.
♦ It is currently integrated with industry-based GIS systems from 17 states, allowing details on the portal to be updated in real time.
♦ The IILB has planned about 4,000 industrial parks on 550,000 hectares of land and is expected to achieve pan-Indian integration by December 2021.
♦ It is administered by the Department of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).
Agriculture Infrastructure Fund – Central Sector Scheme
Union Cabinet has approved changes to the Central Sector Scheme of financing facility under the ‘Agriculture Infrastructure Fund’.
Highlights:
♦ State Agencies/APMCs, National and State Federations of Cooperatives, Federations of Farmers Producers Organizations (FPOs), and Federations of Self-Help Groups are now eligible (SHGs).
♦ Currently, the scheme allows for interest subventions on loans of up to Rs. 2 crore in a single location.
♦ If an eligible entity other than a private sector entity (i.e., state agencies, national and state federations of cooperatives, federations of FPOs, and federations of SHGs) establishes projects in multiple locations, all such projects will now be eligible for interest subsidies of up to Rs. 2 crore.
♦ However, a private sector entity will be limited to a maximum of 25 such projects.
♦ For APMCs, an interest subvention of up to Rs. 2 crore will be provided for each project of different infrastructure types, such as cold storage, sorting, grading, and assaying units, silos, and so on, within the same market yard.
INS Tabar Exercises was Held
The INS Tabar exercise was held with the Italian Navy near Naples, Italy, as part of a continuous deployment to the Mediterranean
Highlights:
♦ The exercise covered a broad range of naval operations, such as air defence procedures and communication drills.
♦ The exercise benefited both parties by improving interoperability and consolidating combined operations against maritime threats.
Major Indian Maritime Exercises:
♦ SLINEX – Sri Lanka
♦ Bongosagar and IN-BN CORPAT – Bangladesh
♦ JIMEX – Japan
♦ Naseem-Al-Bahr – Oman
♦ Indra – Russia
♦ Za’ir-Al-Bahr – Qatar
♦ Samudra Shakti – Indonesia
♦ Indo-Thai CORPAT – Thailand
♦ IMCOR – Malaysia
♦ SIMBEX – Singapore
♦ AUSINDEX – Australia
♦ Malabar Exercise – Japan, and the USA