Daily Current Affairs, 17th November 2018

1) Nongkrem Dance Festival Celebrated In Meghalaya

•Nongkrem dance festival, an annual event during which prayers are offered for good harvest, peace, and prosperity of the community was celebrated with great zeal and enthusiasm by the inhabitants of the Khasi Hills in Shillong, Meghalaya.

•The unique dance is performed by the members of Hima Khyrim, a sub-tribe of the indigenous Khasi tribe. During which young men, women and kids dancing to the tunes of drums and pipes are seen clad in their exquisite ethnic attire of red and yellow.

2) Odisha Government Announced New Biotechnology Policy

•The Odisha government announced a new Biotechnology Policy 2018 to attract investments in the sector at the concluding day of the Make in Odisha Conclave, held in Bhubaneswar.

•Odisha’s Science and Technology Minister B N Patra said that the government will provide its full support for the development of the biotechnology sector by forming Public Private Partnership, bio-incubation centers and bi-tech finishing schools. The state government aims to make the state a top biotech investment destination in the country.

3) Kerala Government Launched Gau Samridhi Scheme For Dairy Farmers

•Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan launched the ‘Cow Samridhi Plus Scheme’ to provide insurance coverage to dairy farmers in the state. The government subsidized scheme, as proposed, will give insurance coverage to dairy farmers at low premium rates.

•Moreover, farmers belonging to the general category will be getting 50% subsidy on premiums while those belonging to Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) category would get 70% subsidy on the premium.

4) 9th Session of India-Kyrgyz IGC Held in New Delhi

•The 9th Session of the India-Kyrgyz Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technological Cooperation (IK-IGC) was held in New Delhi. The IK-IGC was co-chaired by The Union Minister for Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation, Suresh Prabhu, and Mr. Kosmosbek Cholponbaev, Minister of Health, Government of the Kyrgyz Republic.

•India and Kyrgyzstan have identified potential sectors where both sides may engage in areas like healthcare and pharmaceutical, environmental and technical safety, agriculture, information, tourism and culture, textiles and clothing, banking, labor and social development, mines and standards, metrology and certification sector.

5) 26th Conference of Central and State Organizations Held In Himachal Pradesh

•The 26th edition of Central and State Statistical Organizations(COCSSO) Conferencewas organized by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) in collaboration with Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Government of Himachal Pradesh at Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh. The theme of the 26th Conference was “Quality Assurance in Official Statistics”.

•Union Minister of State for Statistics and Programme Implementation, Shri Vijay Goel inaugurated the conference. COCSSO is an annual conference which provides a platform for the Central and State statisticians to exchange views and discuss common issues relating to statistical activities.

6) India and ADB Signed $105 mn Loan Agreement For Himachal Pradesh

•India and Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a 105 million dollar loan agreement to continue financing the transmission system upgrades in Himachal Pradesh for increased supply of hydropower.

•The third tranche loan is a part of the 350 million dollar multi-tranche financing facility for Himachal Pradesh Clean Energy Transmission Investment Programme. The programme is aimed at developing and expanding the transmission network to evacuate clean and renewable power generated from the State’s hydropower sources.

7) List of Loan Agreements Signed With Asian Development Bank

•India and ADB have signed 3 important loan agreements in various fields/projects in New Delhi. The signatories to the loan/projects Mr. Sameer Kumar Khare, Additional Secretary (Fund Bank and ADB), Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance; and Mr. Kenichi Yokoyama, Country Director of ADB’s India Resident Mission, who signed for ADB.

•The 3 Loan Agreements Signed between India and ADB are: 

1.A $300 million Loan Agreement to support lending by India Infrastructure Finance Company Limited (IIFCL). 

2.A $169 million loan as the First Tranche of a $500 million multi-tranche financing to develop climate-resilient water supply, sewerage, and drainage infrastructure in at least 10 cities in the State of Tamil Nadu.

3.A $105 million loan to continue financing the transmission system upgrades in Himachal Pradesh for increased supply of hydropower to the state and the national grid.