ASSAM

 

• India and World Bank Signed $200 Million Loan Agreement for Assam

 

• The Government of India and the World Bank signed a $200 million LoanAgreement for the Assam Agribusiness and Rural Transformation Project.
• The Project will support Assam to facilitate agri-business investments, increase agricultural productivity and market access.
• The Project will be implemented in over 16 Districts of Assam. Over 500,000 farming households will directly benefit from the Project.

 

• The $200 million loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), has a 7-year grace period, and a maturity of 16.5 years.

 

INTERNATIONAL

 

·       India Makes it to Top 100 in ‘ease of doing business World Bank

 

• India broke into the top 100 in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business rankings, notching up the biggest improvement among all countries on the back of big gains on a number of measures.
• The rise to the 100th position from 130 last year made India one of the top 10 best-improved countries and rounded off a day of good news on the economic front for the government.
• The World Bank’s ‘Doing Business 2018is Reforming to Create Jobs’ report ranks 190 countries on the basis of a combined score on 10 parameters.
• India is the only large country this year to have achieved such a significant shift.

 

• India tops list of new tuberculosis cases in 2016: WHO

 

• India topped the list of seven countries, accounting for 64 per cent of the 10.4 million new tuberculosis (TB) cases worldwide in 2016, according to a new report by the World Health Organisation.
• India was followed by Indonesia, China, Philippines, Pakistan, Nigeria and South Africa, according to a Global TB Report 2017 released by the WHO.
• An estimated 1.7 million people died from TB in 2016, including nearly 400,000 people who were co-infected with HIV, recording a drop by 4 per cent as compared to 2015, the report said.

 

 

 

NATIONAL 

·       Bhutan King to Arrive in India for Four-Day Visit

 

• King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck has arrived in New Delhi on a four-day visit to India.
• He was accompanied by his wife, Queen Gyaltsuen Jetsun Pema Wangchuck.
• During the visit, the King will meet with President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

 

·        IAF contingent leaves for Israel to Participate in ‘Ex Blue Flag-17’

 

• A 45 member contingent of the Indian Air Force left for Israel today to participate in exercise ‘Blue Flag-17’.
• Blue Flag is a bi-annual multilateral exercise which aims to strengthen military cooperation amongst participating nations.
• Indian Air Force is participating with the C-130J special operations aircraft along with Garud commandos.
• The exercise is being conducted at Uvda Air Force Base in Israel from 02-16 Nov 17.

 

·       Haryana Government Announces Lifetime Pensions for ‘Hindi Satyagrahis’

 

• The state government of Haryana has announced lifetime monthly pension of Rs 10,000 for ‘Hindi Satyagrahis’ and those from the state who were jailed during the Emergency.
• The state government also announced that it would be providing enhanced financial assistance to World War-II veterans and their widows.
• Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu was the Chief Guest for the occasion.

 

·       Vikram Singh Appointed Private Secretary to President

 

• Railway officer Vikram Singhwas appointed Private Secretary to President Ram Nath Kovind. Singh is a 1997 batch officer of the Indian Railway Traffic Service.
• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved his appointment to the post for a period of two years.
• IAS officer P C Meena was appointed Private Secretary to Minister of State for Commerce and Industry C R Chaudhary.