23 September 2016 Current Affairs

India, Russia begin joint military exercise in Vladivostok

The 8th edition of the Indo-Russia joint military exercise ‘Indra 2016’ was flagged off in Vladivostok in Russia. Indra, a portmanteau of the names of both the countries, is a biannual exercise which has been carried out between the two allies since 2003. This year, the focus is on Counterterrorism Operations in Semi Mountainous and Jungle Terrain under United Nations Mandate. Interestingly though, Russian troops arrived in Pakistan the same day for the first-ever Pakistan-Russia joint military exercise dubbed “Friendship-2016”.


India, France ink deal for 36 Rafale fighter jets

The Union government has cleared the deal with France for buying 36 Rafale fighter jets in fly away condition at a cost of €7.878 billion. The deal will be signed, in the presence of French Defence Minister Jean Yves Le Drian. The contract for the deal was cleared by the Cabinet Committee on Security earlier. The price was fixed in May. The government also cleared the Inter-Governmental Agreement.


Union Government to launch Mission Parivar Vikas for improved family planning services

The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is going to launch Mission Parivar Vikas for improved family planning services in 145 High Focus districts in seven states. The objective of mission is to accelerate access to high quality family planning choices based on information, reliable services and supplies within a rights-based framework. These districts are located in the seven high focus states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Assam. They are having the highest total fertility rates and constitute 44% of the country’s population. They also have a substantial impact on maternal and child health indicators. As about 25 to 30% of maternal deaths and 50% of infant deaths occur in these districts.


2nd SAARC Anti-Terrorism Mechanism held in New Delhi

The second meeting of the High Level Group of Eminent Experts to strengthen the SAARC Anti-Terrorism Mechanism was held in New Delhi. Delegations from all eight SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) member countries participated in the conference. SAARC members are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Issues of terrorism and the measures to strengthen the SAARC anti-terrorism mechanism were discussed. Besides, other important issues discussed during the meeting included terrorism financing, drugs trafficking and cybercrimes.


Sanjiv Singh is new Chairman of IOC

Sanjiv Singh will be the new Chairman of Indian Oil Corporation Ltd, the nation’s largest company. Singh, 56, who is currently Director of Refineries at IOC, was selected for the top job after government head hunters Public Enterprise Selection Board (PESB) interviewed eight candidates. IndianOil Corporation Ltd is India’s largest commercial enterprise.


President, PM launch VP’s book titled “Citizen and Society”

President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched Vice President Mohd Hamid Ansari’s book titled “Citizen and Society” at the Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi. The book is a collection of lectures delivered by Hamid Ansari ranging from the role of women in a multicultural society to other dynamics of a democratic nation. Mohammad Hamid Ansari is the 12th and current Vice President of India, in office since 2007. Ansari is the only person to get re-elected for the post of Vice President of India after Dr. Radhakrishnan.


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