Current Affairs 17th November 2018

Current Affairs 17th November 2018 - Important Points

• UNSC lifts asset freeze, travel ban imposed on Eritrea after - 9 years
• World Tolerance Summit held in Dubai on - 16th November 2018
• Government to refund employers for seven weeks of maternity leave given to employees by - The Union Women and Child Development Ministry
• 9th Annual Defence and Security Dialogue between India and China held in - Beijing
• NITI Aayog constitutes Himalayan State Regional Council for development of - Himalayan region
• Indian Navy completes refit of Maldivian Coast Guard Ship Huravee in - Visakhapatnam
• 2nd Mega Food Park in Maharashtra inaugurated in - Aurangabad

Current Affairs 17th November 2018 - Details

UNSC lifts asset freeze, travel ban imposed on Eritrea after  - 9 years

The United Nations Security Council in an undisputed vote settled to lift the permissions imposed against Eritrea, after 9 years. The Security Council had forced an arm ban, asset freeze and a travel embargo on Eritrea, amidst claims that the NorthEast African country, supported al-Shabab militants in Somalia. However, Eritrea has always denied the allegations.
Important Highlights

• The 15 membered United Nations Security Council accepted a United Kingdom drafted Resolution 2444, calling for an end to the 9-year-old restriction on the penurious nation as it rebuilds ties with its neighbouring country Ethiopia succeeding almost decades of animosity, fight and standoff.
• Eritrea and Ethiopia had both approved to ink a peace pact in July 2018, finishing a long stalemate resulting from the conflict between the two nations from 1998-2000 that resulted killing of a projected 100,000 people.
• The United Nations had 1st imposed bans on Eritrea in 2009 after the country was suspect of supporting armed terrorist groups, including Somalia's al-Shabab.
• Eritrea had also been criticised for human rights exploitations and mandatory National Service
  Conscription, which had resulted into tens of thousands of young Eritreans to escape the nation for Europe.
• The Eritrean government had opposed the designation as baseless. United Nations investigators also cleared that there is no evidence that Eritrea has supported terrorism in the past five years.
• Hence, United Nations Security Council lifted the ban, travel restrictions and asset freezes forced on the country with immediate effect. The Security Council also renewed its arms ban against Somalia.

Government to refund employers for seven weeks of maternity leave given to employees by - The Union Women and Child Development Ministry

The Union Women and Child Development Ministry finalised on November 15th, 2018 that the government will reimburse the employers the salaries for the 1st 7 of the 26 weeks of maternity leave for females earning above Rupees 15,000 in a month.
The Ministry’s decision came in the wake of criticisms that many organisations were unwilling to hire
pregnant females after maternity leave was stretched from 12 to 26 weeks and few were even dismissing female workers.
Important Highlights

• The decision id for both the government and the private sector.
• The government has finalised to use the funds with the labour welfare cess to pay the workers.
• The usage of the cess lying with the state governments has been identical a smaller amount.
• Therefore, the government finalised following talks with the Labour Ministry that the 7 of the 26 weeks of maternity leave for all female employees in the private as well as government employees getting above Rupees 15,000 per month would be paid from that fund.
• The maternity leaves for pregnant females were stretched from twelve weeks to 26 weeks in 2017.

Did you know?
The Lok Sabha on March 10th, 2018 sanctioned the Maternity Benefits (Amendment) Bill, 2016, forming the way for replication of the maternity leave from 12 to 26 weeks. The Rajya Sabha, approved the bill in August 2017 during the monsoon session.

World Tolerance Summit held in Dubai on - 16th November 2018

The World Tolerance Summit- WTS 2018 was initiated on November 16th, 2018 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The subject of the summit was “Prospering from Pluralism: Embracing Diversity through Innovation and Collaboration”.
The 2-summit is the mega gathering of government leaders, diplomats, change-makers and crucial figures from the public as well as private sectors. More than 2,000 ministers and government leaders worldwide are supposed to take part in the programme. It is being organised in the United Arab Emirates for the 1st time.
Important Highlights

• The summit is being organised to celebrate the United Nations nominated International Day of Tolerance.
• UNESCO had acknowledged November 16th as World Tolerance Day.
• The interactive summit will involve international thought leaders, decision makers, and influencers in thought-making debates in technology, social innovations and global networking can play an imperative role in forming a conducive environment to bring about positive modification in people’s lives.
• Through a wide array of activities, it will investigate deep into the ways by which individuals, groups and countries can be open-minded, understanding and welcoming others’ opinions and views for a peaceful co-existence and collaborate in creating new ideas to shape a prosperous and sustainable future.
  Consequence
• Education and knowledge are the means to instruct deep values of peace and tolerance for diversity and to augment the social fabric of the community.
• It will also assist discover how technology can empower societies to unite people from different religions, creeds and class and further progress innovative traditions to share positive messages to generate cohesive and vibrant societies.

9th Annual Defence and Security Dialogue between India and China held in - Beijing

The Ninth Annual Defence and Security Dialogue between India and China organised in Beijing. It organised between the 2 defence delegations led by defence secretary Sanjay Mitra and China’s deputy chief of Joint Staff Department of the Central Military Commission. Mitra was escorted by senior officials of Ministry of Defence and Indian Army, Navy and Air Force.
The defence discussion was also organised ahead of 21st round of border debates between the special
councils of the 2 nations in Chinese city of Dujiangyan on November 23-24th, 2018. National security
advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese state senate and foreign minister Wang Yi are elected special
representatives for the border debates.
Outcomes of 9th Dialogue

• Both nations agreed to improve exchanges and communications via reciprocal high-level visits between both defence ministries as well as between military commands, joint training trainings, mutual visits by defence personnel including mid-level and cadet officials were also settled.
• They also repeated significance of maintaining peace and tranquillity in border areas, executing
  consensus reached between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping and
  specific extra confidence-building measures at the operational level.
• They emphasized reputation of this dialogue as significant mechanism between both nations for
  discussions on defence and security issues.
• They stressed necessity to further fortify military-to-military relations in order to toughen political and strategic joint trust between the both nations.

NITI Aayog constitutes Himalayan State Regional Council for development of -  Himalayan region

NITI Aayog has formed Himalayan State Regional Council to make sure sustainable development of
Indian Himalayan area. It will be presided by Dr.V.K.Saraswat, Member NITI Aayog and will involve Chief Secretaries of Himalayan States and Secretaries of important Central Ministries, senior delegates of NITI Aayog as well as special invitees.
Important Facts

• The Council has been formed to review and execute identified action facts based on Reports of 5
  Working Groups, which were recognized along thematic areas to formulate a roadmap for action.
• It will be nodal agency for Sustainable development in Himalayan Region which include 12 States specifically J&K, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, 2 districts of Assam Dima Hasao and KarbiAnglong and Darjeeling and Kalimpong in WB.
  Terms of reference of Council
• It will check execution of action facts for Central Ministries, Institutions and 12 Himalayan State
  Governments in Indian Himalayan Region.
• It will progress, implement and monitor tourism sector standards along with policy coherence, reinforcing skill and entrepreneurship with emphasis on identified priority sectors, among other action points.

Indian Navy completes refit of Maldivian Coast Guard Ship Huravee in - Visakhapatnam

Indian Navy has magnificently accomplished refitted Maldivian Coast Guard Ship- MCGS Huravee at
Naval Dockyard Visakhapatnam and was officially handed over. The ship was renovated in 4-months as part of Indian Navy initiative undertaken in continuance of its diplomatic outreach to approachable
foreign navies in Indian Ocean Region.
Important Points

• During the refit, major maintenances were undertaken on Maldivian Coast Guard Ship Huravee’s hull, main propulsion and auxiliaries.
• In addition, number of apparatus and systems of ship were advanced for better performance and dependability.
• Moreover, all apparatuses were put through extensive harbour and sea tests to attain complete combat capability of ship and make sure its nonstop availability for operations to Maldives Coast Guard for next working cycle.
  Maldivian Coast Guard Ship Huravee
• It was formerly commissioned as INS Tillanchang, a Trinkat class patrol vessel manufactured by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers, Kolkata in March 2001.
• It was later gifted to Maldives by Government of India in April 2006 to fortify strategic partnership between both nations and work together to make sure maritime safety of Indian Ocean Region.
• The Indian Government via Indian Navy has undertaken such political considerations formerly when it undertook refit of ship in 2015.

2nd Mega Food Park in Maharashtra inaugurated in - Aurangabad

Union Minister for Food Processing Industries Harsimrat Kaur Badal initiated second Mega Food Park in Maharashtra, in Wahegaon and Dhangaon village in Paithan taluka, Aurangabad. It was released under Mega Food Park Scheme and is encouraged by Paithan Mega Food Park Pvt Ltd. The 1st park was initiated in Satara district in March 2018. 3rd jumbo food park has been approved by Union Ministry of Food Processing Industries in Wardha, Maharashtra.
Paithan Mega Food Park

• It has been initiated in 102-acre of land at cost of Rupees 124.52 crore.
• The amenities at Central Processing Centre of this mega food park consist dry warehouse of 10,000 MT, cold storage, pre-cooling facility of 10 MT, ripening chambers of 400 MT, individual quick-freezing provision of 1.5 MT/hour.
• It also has freezer room, steam sterilisation and generation unit of 4 MT/H, food testing laboratories refer vans of 30 MT and milk tankers of 50 MT, milk processing ability of 1,00,000 lts/day with bulk milk chilling of 20,000 litre and other food processing amenities.
  Importance
• The contemporary infrastructure for food processing formed at mega food park will profit the farmers, growers, processors and consumers of Maharashtra and adjoining areas.
• This mega food park will advantage the people of Aurangabad district and adjoining districts of Nashik, Dhule, Jalgaon, Buldhana, Jalna, Bid and Ahmednagar.
• It will deliver direct and indirect employment to 5,000 persons and profit approximately 25,000 farmers in CPC catchment areas.