20.01.18 Nagaland(NPSC) Current Affairs

NORTH-EASTERN STATES

· Nagaland stands divided on assembly election announcement

ð The announcement of election dates invited a polarised response in Nagaland, with political parties welcoming the move and local organizations strongly protesting against it – with the apex tribal body of the state threatening to boycott the electoral process.

ð The demand for a resolution of the Naga crisis, talks for which have been on for decades, before the assembly polls has been gaining ground in the state. The Naga peace talks have centred around the creation of Nagalim, or greater Nagaland, encompassing Naga-dominated areas of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur. In 2015, the Centre signed a framework agreement with the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah). Since then, the Naga people have been hoping for a resolution and had expected it to come by the end of 2017, especially after President Ram Nath Kovind hinted at the possibility in December last year.

INTERNATIONAL

· India became 43rd Member of Australia Group

India joined the Australia Group export control regime and has become the 43rd Member of that Group.
It is an informal forum which seeks to ensure that exports do not contribute to the development of chemical or biological weapons.
The inclusion will raise India’s stature in the field of non-proliferation and help in acquiring critical technologies.
India managed entry into Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), the Wassenaar Arrangement and Australia Group despite not being a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Gk bit – Australia Group

The Australia Group (AG) is an informal forum of countries which, through the harmonisation of export controls,seeks to ensure that exports do not contribute to the development of chemical or biological weapons.

Coordination of national export control measures assists Australia Group participants to fulfil their obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention and the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention to the fullest extent possible.

This is achieved by members through the harmonisation of export controls like using licensing measures.

It was established in the background of use of chemical weapons (in the form of nerve agents and sulphur mustard) by Iraq in the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s.

It has 43Members + European Union

· India to offer Yoga classes at World Economic Forum

India will offer Yoga training sessions at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, in a move aimed at promoting Indian traditions abroad.
More than 70 heads of states are expected to attend the summit next week. PM Narendra Modi will be the first Indian Prime Minister to attend the summit in 21 years.
Two yoga teachers from India will hold daily classes next week at the summit, which has attracted 70 heads of state and government, including U.S. President Donald Trump as well as celebrities, chief executives and top bankers.
Modi will be the first Indian prime minister to attend the WEF in 21 years, since when the economy has more than doubled to $2.3 trillion and become the world’s seventh largest.

NATIONAL

MEITY launches Cyber Surakshit Bharat to strengthen Cybersecurity

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), announced the Cyber Surakshit Bharat initiative in association with National e-Governance Division (NeGD) and industry partners at an inaugural event in Delhi.

It will include an awareness program on the importance of cybersecurity; a series of workshops on best practices.

Cyber Surakshit Bharat is the first public-private partnership of its kind and will leverage the expertise of the IT industry in cybersecurity.

Silvassa tops the List of Cities selected in Round 4 of Smart Cities

Shri Hardeep S. Puri , Minister of State (I/C) for Housing & Urban Affairs has announced the Round 4 winning cities of National Smart Cities Challenge.

The Minister informed that Silvassa from Dadar & Nagar Haveli has topped the list of winning cities in this round of competition.

Other winning cities are –

Erode, Tamil Nadu

Diu, Daman & Diu

Biharsharif, Bihar

Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh

Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh

Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh

Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh and

Kavaratti, Lakshwadeep

Maitre-2 bus services to connect India and Bangladesh

Maitre-2, the second passenger bus to Kolkata via Dhaka is started from Agartala, Tripura, to give a boost to the trans-border relationship between India and Bangladesh.

Recently, the Maitre-2 buses were flagged off by Tripura Road Transport Corporation Chairman.

The first Maitre bus service was launched in the year 2015.

Mauritius largest source of FDI in India, says RBI

Mauritius was the largest source of foreign investment in India, followed by the US and the UK, according to a census by the Reserve Bank.

Singapore and Japan were the next two sources of foreign direct investment (FDI), said the Reserve Bank of India.

River and drainage system of Nagaland

River and drainage system of Nagaland

Nagaland, the smallest hilly state situated at the extreme north-eastern end of India, lies between 25° 6′ and 27° 4′ latitude, North of Equator and between the Longitudinal line 93° 20’ E and 95° 15’E.
The state shares its boundary with Assam on the West, Myanmar on the East, Arunachal Pradesh and parts of Assam on the North and Manipur on the South.
The major rivers of Nagaland are Doyang, Dikhu, Dhansiri, Tizu, Tsurong, Nanung, Tsurang or Disai, Tsumok, Menung, Dzu, Langlong, Zunki, Likimro, Lanye, Dzuza and Manglu.
All these rivers are dendritic in nature.
As a river flows, it carries along material or debris, called its load.
A river’s load includes rocks, stones and other large particles, which are washed along the river bed. Finer particles float in the water.
A river grows larger as it collects water from more tributaries along its course. The river ends at a mouth.
In larger rivers there is often also a wider floodplain shaped by flood waters over-topping the channel.
Floodplains may be very wide in relation to the size of the river channel.
Nagaland is dissected by a number of seasonal and perennial rivers and rivulets.
Of the rivers, Dhansiri, Doyang and Dikhu flow westward into the Brahmaputra.
The Tizu River, on the other hand, flows towards east and joins the Chindwin River in Burma.

DOYANG

It is the longest river in the state originating from the Japfü Hill near the Southern slope of Mao in Manipur and moves in a south west direction passing through Kohima district and flows northward into Zunheboto and Wokha District.
It passes through a great part of Wokha District and flows south westerly into Dhansiri in Sibsagar, District of Assam.
The main tributaries of Doyang are Chubi River which flows southward from Mokokchung District and Nzhu River, originating from Nerhema area of Kohima district and flows through Miphong in Tseminyu area and finally pours itself to Doyang.

DIKHU

River Dikhu, which has a total length of about 160 km, originates from Nuroto Hill area in Zunheboto district.
The river traverses towards north along the border of Mokokchung and Tuensang districts.
The main tributaries of river Dikhu are Yangyu of Tuensang district and Nanung in the Langpangkong range in Mokokchung district.
The river flows further northward and leaves the hill near Naginimora and finally merges with the Brahmaputra River in the plains of Assam.

DHANSIRI

Dhansiri flows through the southwestern part of the state through Rangapahar-Dimapur Plains of Dimapur District.
This river receives almost all the western and southern drainages of Nagaland.
Its main tributaries are river Dzuza and Diphu.
At the extreme southwest of the state, it assumes a northwardly course forming a natural boundary with North Cachar Hills of Assam which finally drains into the Brahmaputra.

TIZU

The Tizu River forms an important drainage system in the eastern part of the state.
It originates from the central part of the state and runs through a northeast direction flows through Zunheboto, Phek district and empties itself in the Chindwin River of Myanmar.
The main tributaries of River Tizu are river Zunki, Lanye and Likimro.

MILAK

Milak is another important river which flows through Mokokchung District.
One of its main tributary is Tsurong.

ZUNGKI

The Zunki River which is the biggest tributary of Tizu, starts from the northeastern part of Changdong forest in the south of Teku and flows in southernly direction towards Noklak, Shamator and Kiphire and finally joins Tizu below Kiphire.

River and drainage system of Nagaland

Drainage systems, also known as river systems, are the patterns formed by the streams, rivers, and lakes in a particular drainage basin. They are governed by the topography of the land, whether a particular region is dominated by hard or soft rocks, and the gradient of the land.

River is the biggest source of water.
Rivers provide water to drink, irrigation, electricity, cook, clean things and easy & cheap transportation.
It is also a source of fresh water that flowing naturally towards an ocean, lake, sea or another river.
Rivers flow in channels.
The bottom of channel is called the bed and sides of the channel are called the banks.
Sometimes a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of water.
Rivers begin at their source in higher ground such as mountains or hills, where rain water or melting snow collects and forms tiny streams.
When one stream meets another and they merge together, the smaller steam is known as a tributary.
It takes many tributary streams to form a river.

28-29.01.18 Nagaland(NPSC) Current Affairs

NORTH-EASTERN STATES

Northeast children dominate list of bravery award winners

Four children from Nagaland, two from Mizoram and one of each from Manipur and Meghalaya are among the 18 bravehearts honoured with the National Bravery Awards 2017.

Among the eight from the northeastern states, two — F. Lalchhandama from Mizoram and Km Loukrakpam Rajeshwari Chanu from Manipur — were honoured posthumously.

Of the eighteen children selected for National Bravery awards this year, seven are girls. Nazia from Uttar Pradesh was honoured with the Bharat Award for raising her voice against illegal gambling and betting which has become rampant in her neighbourhood.

Last year the National Bravery Awards was given to 25 children from different parts of the country. Five of the awardees were from the North-Eastern states. The children for National Bravery Award are selected by a committee comprising representatives of various Ministries, NGO’s and office bearers of Indian Council for Child Welfare ( ICCWF). The national Bravery Award was initiated by the ICCWF to give recognition to children for outstanding deeds of bravery.

INTERNATIONAL

· India To Host Informal WTO Ministerial Gathering In New Delhi

Trade ministers from various countries including Australia, Japan, and Switzerland met for an informal WTO ministerial gathering in Davos, Switzerland.
India was represented by Deepak Jagdish Saksena, ambassador and permanent representative to the WTO.
India announced that it will host an informal WTO Ministerial gathering in March 2018.
The meeting would be held in New Delhi on March 19-20.

· Worlds second largest food producer India ranks under Severe Hunger Levels

One of the highest food producers- India stands on the 100th rankfor the title ‘Hungry’.
Out of 119, India stood on 100th rank which is disturbing for the nation with the highest population.
‘Global Hunger Index’ carried out by International Food Policy Research Institute chalked out nations that fall under ‘Starving’ category.
The 100 out of 119 countries on the GHI, while last year it was at 97 out of 118.
Even though India’s 2017 GHI score—31.4—has improved over the years, its hunger problem remains categorized as “serious.”
The rankings are based on four indicators: undernourishment, child mortality, child wasting, and child stunting.
A GHI score of between 20 and 34.9 points reflects serious hunger levels; between 35 and 49.9, it is alarming, and extremely alarming if over 50.

· Doklam issue heated up

What is Doklam issue ?

Doklam, or Donglang in Chinese, is an area spread over less than a 100 sq km comprising a plateau and a valley at the trijunction between India, Bhutan and China. It is surrounded by the Chumbi Valley of Tibet, Bhutan’s Ha Valley and Sikkim.
Despite several rounds of engagement between China and Bhutan, the dispute between the two over Doklam has not been resolved. It flared up in 2017 when the Chinese were trying to construct a road in the area, and Indian troops, in aid of their Bhutanese counterparts, objected to it, resulting in the stand-off. Doklam is strategically located close to the Siliguri Corridor, which connects mainland India with its north-eastern region. The corridor, also called Chicken’s Neck, is a vulnerable point for India.
India and China have one of the world’s longest disputed borders and areas — which include 37,000 sq km of uninhabited Aksai Chin and Arunachal Pradesh with 1.4 million residents and over 84,000 sq km.
Despite several rounds of negotiations between Special Representatives, the dispute is nowhere near a solution.

NATIONAL

· 2017 witnessed a 38% rise in social media URL blocking

A total of 1,329 social media URLs were blocked or removed on the recommendation of a government committee to deal with “objectionable content” last year till November 2017.
This is an increase of nearly 38% from 964 social media URLs blocked or removed for the whole of 2016.
URLs that were blocked or removed on account of court orders during the same period came down from 100 in 2016 to 83 in January-November 2017, according to an internal note of the Ministry of Electronics and IT
Also, the widespread usage of social networking sites and lack of awareness among users about the methods of cybercriminals, it added, is leading to a rise in the spread of malware such as Trojans and bots, and the theft of sensitive personal information.
Blocking is a sovereign power that is given to the government by virtue of Section 69A of the Information Technology Act. So under certain specified considerations, the power of blocking can be exercised… This power was inserted in the IT Act by virtue of the Information Technology (Amendment) Act, 2008, which came into effect from October 2009.

· Sensors in Andamans to monitor earthquakes

The Indian Tsunami Early Warning System (ITEWS) of the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) is in the process of setting up an elaborate system of sensors on the Andaman & Nicobar Islands for real-time monitoring of earthquakes.
Strong Motion Sensors with Global Positioning Systems (GPS) have been installed at 28 locations on the islands.
INCOIS, which comes under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, has in place a fail-safe satellite-based communication system, Emergency Operation Centres (EOCs), with VSAT based VoIP phone and fax, electronic display board, a computer-based earthquake alert and web access system.
The system is capable of displaying ticket messages related to tsunami events and triggering of a built-in siren alert system audible for up to 1 km, which can be triggered by INCOIS or by the EOCs.
The real-time data is collated at INCOIS in collaboration with the Indian Meteorology Department, the National Institute of Ocean Technology, the Survey of India and international sources.
It detects globally occurring earthquakes of 5 magnitude and above within 5-10 minutes of the event.

· Finance Minister Arun Jaitley aim to ease doing business in India

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley reiterated that the government aims to provide an easy environment for doing business in India.
He was addressing a function to mark the International Customs Day in New Delhi.
He urged the officers of the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) to be very sharp in the detection process to avoid tax evasion.
The role of customs in terms of detection changed a lot.
The appealed the officers to perform the role of trade facilitator to cut down costs, time and bring efficiency to the system.
He also launched ICETRAK app of CBEC.
The app tracks the status of consignments.

· Bharat Net opens door for telemedicine and e-education facilities in Gram Panchayats

Under the purview of the telecommunication industry, the Gram Panchayats in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan are been provided access to telemedicine and re-education facilities riding on Bharat Net infrastructure.
With the aim of dreaming of a nation to use internet services, the government has taken immense efforts and pressure to provide people with easy access and availability of resources.
The rural area development has grown and the nation is moving towards progress at a faster pace.
The access to the internet has made the people more prone to the internet and use telecommunication at a higher level. Educating the masses and likewise providing them.
According to the survey it is found that Hamira is one among the one lakh Gram

panchayat covered under the BharatNet phase 1.

In total Rajasthan comprises of over8117 Gram panchayats under the BharatNet service.