Daily Current Affairs
Daily Current Affairs (14 Nov.2017)
November 14, 2017
11 (excluding USA) countries agree on TPP ‘framework’ advance deal
- Countries in the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal have agreed on the core elements and to move ahead without the United States.
- S. President Donald Trump ditched the TPP this year.
- The agreement, which still needs to be finalised, would now be called the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)
- The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), or the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), is a trade agreement between Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam.
- The agreement, originally signed on 4 February 2016, is being renegotiated after the United States withdrew.
- The TPP began as an expansion of the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership Agreement (TPSEP or P4) signed by Brunei Darussalam, Chile, New Zealand, and Singapore in 2005.
Topic- GS-2- Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests
Source- Hindustan Times
Railways to start 9-month ‘upskilling’ exercise, Project Saksham, for employees
- The Indian Railways will launch the country’s largest time-bound skilling exercise for government employees to upgrade the skillsets of its 13 lakh-strong workforce.
- Named Project Saksham, the exercise will start in January 2018 and go on till September.
- Everyone from low rank to high rank will undergo the training.
Topic- GS-2- Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability, e-governance- applications, transparency & accountability and institutional and other measures.
Source- Indian Express
India sixth most vulnerable country facing extreme weather events: Report
- India is the sixth most vulnerable country in the world in terms of facing extreme weather events with Haiti, Zimbabwe, Fiji, Sri Lanka and Vietnam taking top five positions in the fresh list of nations facing climate risk.
- The ranking was released by the German watch, an independent Berlin-based development and environmental organisation in its latest global climate risk index (CRI).
- The Index put the United States (US) at 10th position.
Topic- GS-3- Environment
Source- Economic Times
Pollution severe in North India, Varanasi tops the list
- Cities across North India continued to be “severe” on the Air Quality Index (AQI) as per the report by CPCB (Central Pollution Control Board).
- Varanasi topped the list at 491, followed by Gurgaon at 480, Delhi at 468, Lucknow at 462 and Kanpur at 461.
- The stubble burning by farmers in Punjab and Haryana are speculated to have added to pollution in the NCR.
Air Quality Index
- AQI is a number used to communicate to the public how polluted the air currently is or how polluted it is forecast to become.
- Different countries have their own air quality indexes, corresponding to different national air quality standards.
- There are six AQI categories, namely Good, Satisfactory, Moderately polluted, Poor, Very Poor, and Severe.
Good- 0-50 µg/m3
Satisfactory- 51-100 µg/m3
Moderately Polluted- 101-200 µg/m3
Poor- 201-300 µg/m3
Very Poor- 301-400 µg/m3
Severe- 401-500 µg/m3
Moderately Polluted- 101-200 µg/m3
Poor- 201-300 µg/m3
Very Poor- 301-400 µg/m3
Severe- 401-500 µg/m3
- Each of these categories is decided based on ambient concentration values of air pollutants and their likely health impacts (known as health breakpoints).
- AQ sub-index and health breakpoints are evolved for eight pollutants (PM10, PM2.5, NO2, SO2, CO, O3, NH3, and Pb).
Topic- GS-3- Environment
Source- Economic Times + CPCB
10th South Asia Economic Summit to begin in Kathmandu
- The 10th South Asia Economic Summit (SAES) will begin today in Kathmandu.
- The theme of 3-day summit is "Deepening Economic Integration for Inclusive and Sustainable Development in South Asia".
South Asia Economic Summit
- South Asia Economic Summit (SAES) was started in 2008.
- It is a regional platform for discussing and analysing economic and development issues and challenges faced by South Asian countries and advancing the cause of regional integration and cooperation.
- The whole process is led by a group of five eminent think tanks that take turns to organize the annual event in one of the SAARC countries.
- The think tanks are-
Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), Bangladesh
2. Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS), India
3. South Asia Watch on Trade, Economics and Environment (SAWTEE), Nepal
4. Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), Pakistan
5. Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka (IPS), Sri Lanka
Topic- GS-2- Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests
Source- AIR
Union Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore releases the India Youth Development Index 2017
- The objective of constructing the India Youth Development Index (YDI) 2017 is to track the trends in Youth Development across the States.
- The Index enables recognizing the high and low performing states, identifies the weak domains and informs the policy makers the priority areas of intervention for youth development in the states.
- The Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development (RGNIYD), Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, an Institute of National Importance has come out with Youth Development Index and Report 2017.
- Constructing Youth Development Index for the year 2017 was done using the latest definition of youth as used in National Youth Policy – 2014 (India) and World Youth Development Report of Commonwealth (15 – 29 years).
- In the India Youth Development Index 2017, the first five dimensions are retained same as that of Global YDI.
Topic- GS-2- Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.
Source- PIB
APEC Summit 2017
- APEC summit 2017 was held at Da Nang in Vietnam on 10-11 November.
- From India side Prime Minister attended the summit.
- Vietnam is hosting the APEC Summit second time. Previously it hosted the summit in 2006.
APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation)
- Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is a forum for 21 Pacific Rim member economies that promotes free trade throughout the Asia-Pacific region.
- Its headquarter is in Singapore.
- It has 21-members.
- India is not a member of APEC.
Topic- GS-2- Important International institutions, agencies and fora- their structure, mandate.
Source- The Hindu
37th India International Trade Fair begins in New Delhi
- 37th edition of India International Trade Fair (IITF) has been inaugurated by the President Ram Nath Kovind at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi.
- This year the theme of the fair (IITF-2017) is "Startup India Standup India".
- This year over 7,000 participants from 22 countries are taking part in the fair and the Partner Country is Vietnam while the Focus Country is Kyrgyzstan.
- Jharkhand is participating as a Partner State in the event.
Note:
- The 2017 IITF has been organized by the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO), under the aegis of Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
Topic- GS-1- Indian Culture
Source- AIR
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