MAHARASHTRA

• AIIB to lend USD 500 mn to India to develop suburban rail network

 

• Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) is to lend a $500-million loan to develop a suburban rail network in Mumbai. It will also fund $75 million to help finance renewable energy projects in India.

 

• AIIB plans to scale up lending operations to $10 billion every year. Until now, it was lending $4.2 billion. India’s share in the total borrowing is about 30%. India is the largest borrower from AIIB. The total funding India received from AIIB, so far, is $2.9 billion.

 

• The fund will be used for the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP) for the quadrupling of the Virar-Dahanu Road corridor of 64 kilometers. It will provide an extension of the suburban railway service to connect peripheral areas with Mumbai. Under the project, a new suburban railway corridor between Panvel and Karjat will be constructed. The funding will also help develop other safety measures around the rail infrastructure to reduce fatalities.

 

 

INTERNATIONAL

 

·       India pledged USD5 mn to the UN Palestine refugee agency

 

• India has announced that it is to contribute $5 million in 2020to theUN Palestine refugee agency. It aims to provide services to refugees in the fields of education and health. The move is to mark solidarity with the Palestine refugees.

 

• The announcement was made by India’s Deputy, Permanent Representative to theUN Ambassador K Nagaraj Naiduat the General Assembly Fourth Committee meeting on the UNRWA for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.

 

• Indian government increased its annual financial contribution to the core budget of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) from$1.25 million in 2016to $5 million in 2018. In 2019, India pledged $5 million. The country has decided to contribute $5 million in 2020. 

 

• The term Palestine refugees originally referred to both Arabs and Jews whose normal place of residence had been in Mandatory Palestine. Palestine Refuge are people who lost their livelihoods as a result of the 1948 Palestine war.

 

• UNRWA is the only UN agency dedicated to helping refugees from a specific region or conflict and is separate from UNHCR Formed in 1950.  UNHCR is the main UN refugee agency. It is responsible for aiding other refugees all over the world.

 

• India bags first position at BRICS Young Scientist forum

 

• India has received the first prize at BRICS Young Scientist forum’s conclave in Brazil.

 

• The fourth conclave was held in Brazil from 6- 8 November.

 

• Ravi Prakash, who is a PhD scholar from Indian Council of Agricultural Research-National Dairy Research Institute, has bagged the first position for inventing an affordable indigenously designed milk chilling unit for small to marginal rural dairy farmers.

 

• The first BRICS Young Scientist Conclave hosted by India in September 2016.

 

• South Africa hosted the third Conclave during June 2018 in Durban.

 

NATIONAL

 

·       National Childrens day is observed on 14 November

• Children’s dayis celebrated on14 November in India every day. The day pays tribute to the first Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, by celebrating his birth anniversary. The day acknowledges Nehru for his contribution towards building the nation and for his love for Children. The nation fondly remembers him as Chacha Nehru.

 

• Until 1964, the Children’s Day was celebrated on 20 November in India. The day is observed as the Universal Children’s Day by the United Nations. After the demise of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru in 1964, the nation unanimously decided to commemorate his birth anniversary on Bal Diwas due to his love and affection towards children.
  The United Nations still celebrates Universal Children’s Day on 20 November across the world every year. It aims to promote peace, togetherness, and awareness among kids.

·       Mihir Shah Committee to draft New National Water Policy

 

• The government of India formed a high-powered committee led byMihir Shah to analyze and draft new water reforms. The announcement about the team was made by the Union Ministry of Water Resources on 11 November 2019.
  The ten-member committee has been tasked to bring both the Central Water Commission (CWC)and the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) in its ambit. The team will analyze the various gaps left unaddressed by the two agencies.

 

• National Water Policy was formulated by the Ministry of Water Resources. The policy will govern the planning and development of water resources and their optimum utilization. In September 1987,the first National Water Policy was adopted. It was reviewed and updated for thefirst time in 2002 and later in

 

• Supreme Court puts CJI office in RTI ambit

 

• The office of the Chief Justice of India would now fall within the ambit of the Right to Information Act.
• In a significant judgment, the Supreme Court said that the CJI’s office is a public authority under the RTI Act.

 

• A five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi upheld the 2010 Delhi High Court verdict and dismissed the appeals filed by Secretary-General of the Supreme Court and the Central Public Information officer of the apex court.

 

• It was RTI Activist S C Agrawal who first raised the issue of CJI’s office falling within RTI ambit.

 

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