23 March 2016 Current Affairs
Development of Zika Virus Vaccine Underway In India
India is among five countries where projects are underway to develop vaccines to fight the Zika virus currently circulating in 38 countries. For vaccines, 23 projects are being worked on by 14 vaccine developers in the US, France, Brazil, India and Austria. Zika virus is posing severe public health implications and is linked to neonatal malformations and neurological disorders affecting newborns.
Union Cabinet Approves Construction of 2.95 cr Rural Houses
Union Government on 23 March decided to construct 2.95 crore houses in rural areas under its ambitious Housing for All by 2022 scheme. The Union Cabinet, in a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, gave its nod for the implementation of the rural component of the scheme. The government will have to spend nearly Rs 81,975 crore over construction of the one crore houses in the first three years of the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Gramin under which it will provide financial assistance of Rs 1.20 lakh to those living in plain areas and Rs 1.30 lakh to those in hilly and difficult areas.
Union Cabinet Approved World Bank Project For Swachh Bharat
Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 23 March approved the 1500 million US dollar project of World Bank to support Swachh Bharat Mission – Gramin (SBM-G). The approval seeks to provide for the mechanism of incentivisation of States under the SBM-G through World Bank credit. The incentivisation of the States on the basis of their performance under the SBM-G was approved by the Union Cabinet on 24 September 2014. The project is aimed at supporting government efforts to achieve universal sanitation in rural areas and end the practice of open defecation in the countryside by 2019. The project will also put in place a robust and credible independent verification system for annual measurement of improvement in rural sanitation.
PM Narendra Modi Inaugurates 100-MW power Supply For Bangladesh
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 23 March 2016 inaugurated broadband connectivity to North Eastern States via Bangladesh to strengthen telecom services in the region. Under the project, an international gateway for broadband connectivity will be set up at Agartala in Tripura. Using this platform, connectivity will be provided to other North Eastern States like Manipur, Nagaland, etc through Bangladesh. The cost of the project is around 19 crore rupees and BSNL will bear annual operational expenditure of around seven crore rupees from its own resources.
India – France Signed MoU For Construction of Nuclear Reactors
India and France have signed an MoU for the construction of six nuclear reactors at Jaitapur in Maharashtra, two months after the two countries decided to conclude the techno-commercial negotiations for the project by the year end. The pact was on 23 March signed at the end of the two-day visit of a high-level delegation of Electricity de France (EDF – French public utility) to Mumbai for holding discussions with National Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) on the construction of the plants.
India To Accede To The Ashgabat Agreement
The union cabinet on 23 March gave its approval for India to accede to the Ashgabat Agreement, an international transport and transit corridor facilitating transportation of goods between central Asia and the Persian Gulf. The Ashgabat Agreement has Oman, Iran, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan as its founding members. Kazakhstan also joined this arrangement later. India would become party to the Agreement upon consent of the founding members.
US lawmakers Introduce Legislation To Help India Join APEC
A group of influential US lawmakers have on 23 March introduced a Bill in the Congress asking the US President Barack Obama administration to help India join the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). The legislation has been introduced by Matt Salmon, Chairman of the House Sub-committee on Asia and the Pacific.India’s membership to the APEC would provide it a constructive forum to glean insight from other Asian countries that have already taken significant steps to advance their economies. Indian Government is striving for major economic reforms to open India’s markets, improve trade volume, and facilitate his growing population’s need for continued job growth. US-India partnership is vital to the US strategic interests in the Asia-Pacific region and across the globe. Economically prosperous India benefits the US’ strategic goals in Asia.