20 September 2016 Current Affairs

193 countries sign declaration to stamp out drug-resistant infections

The 193 countries of the United Nations (UN) have signed a landmark declaration to rid the world of drug-resistant infections or Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) or superbugs. It is the fourth time a UN declaration has been reached on a health issue, following HIV in 2001, non-communicable diseases in 2011 and Ebola in 2013. The signatory countries now have two years to submit action plan. These submitted plans are expected to address the seriousness and scope of the situation. It will also agree on sustainable, multisectoral approaches to addressing antimicrobial resistance.
Antimicrobial resistance happens when microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites change when they are exposed to antimicrobial drugs such as antibiotics, antifungals, antivirals, antimalarials, and anthelmintics. Microorganisms that develop antimicrobial resistance are sometimes called as ‘superbugs.’


Bangladesh’s Junaid Ahmad new World Bank head in India

Junaid Ahmad has become the World Bank’s Country Director for India, replacing Onno Ruhl who served a four-year term based out of the national capital. Ahmad joined the World Bank in 1991 as a young professional. Later he worked in the World Bank on infrastructure development in Africa and Eastern Europe. He has since held several management positions, leading the bank’s programme in diverse regions, including Africa, the Middle East and North Africa, as well as in India and South Asia. The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries.


Indira Awas Yojana Renamed After Prime Minister

The flagship rural housing scheme Indira Awas Yojana (IAY), started by former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, has been restructured and renamed as Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), which will be launched next month. The IAY will be subsumed by the PMAY from April 1 next year. Under the new scheme, the government is aiming to construct one crore houses by 2019. Under IAY, the government has set a target of constructing 38 lakh houses by end of the current financial year (2015-16), out of which 10 lakh have been completed.
Launched by Rajiv Gandhi in 1985, IAY is a centrally sponsored scheme funded on a cost sharing basis between the Centre and states in the 60:40 ratio, except in case of north east states and Union Territories (UTs). For north east states, the Centre funds 90 per cent of the cost and 100 per cent for the UTs.


ADB clears $631 million loan for Vizag-Chennai industrial corridor

Multilateral funding agency Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved $631 million loan for building India’s first coastal industrial corridor between Visakhapatnam (Vizag) and Chennai. The fund will help develop the first key 800-km section of the planned 2,500-km East Coast Economic Corridor. The coastal industrial corridor is expected to boost development on eastern coast of India and enable seamless trade links with other parts of Southeast and South Asia. The total cost of the project is 846 million dollars and work on it is expected to be over by 2031. The remaining 215 million dollars will be funded by Andhra Pradesh government.


Flipkart becomes 1st e-commerce in India to cross 100 million customers

Flipkart has crossed the 100-million registered users mark, becoming the first e-commerce company to hit the milestone in a single country outside the United States and China. The Bengaluru-based company has doubled its user base over the last year. It added 25 million users in the past six months alone. The e-commerce company’s user-base represented about 63 per cent of the total broadband users in the country.


Misbah-ul-Haq becomes first Pakistani to receive Test mace from ICC

Misbah-ul-Haq has received the prestigious ICC Test Championship mace for inspiring Pakistan to the top of the ICC Test Team Rankings. This is for the first time a Pakistani cricketer has received the award. Misbah-ul-Haq Khan Niazi is a Pakistani cricketer and the current Test captain of the national cricket team, and also the One Day International captain until his retirement from ODI cricket after the 2015 Cricket World Cup. The current rankings system was introduced in 2003.


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