05 March 2016 Current Affairs
Uttar Pradesh Assembly passes UP Revenue Code (Amendment) Bill, 2016
On 4 March 2016, Uttar Pradesh Assembly passed the UP Revenue Code (Amendment) Bill 2016 replacing an ordinance issued by the Governor Ram Naik. The Bill allows Dalits of the state to sell their land to non-Dalits in the state without approval of the administration even if their remaining holding is less than 3.5 acres.
The first Raisina Dialogue kicks off in New Delhi
The Ministry of External Affairs has co-hosted the first Raisina Dialogue with the Observer Research Foundation on 1-3 March 2016, in New Delhi. The Raisina Dialogue saw the participation of more than 450 participants from around 40 countries. The theme of the dialogue was ‘Asia: Regional and Global Connectivity’. The inaugural address was given by India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. The conference has been organized on the lines of the Shangri-La Dialogue held in Singapore.
First India-US Workshop on Traditional Medicine
The two (3-4 March 2016) days India-US Workshop on Traditional Medicine concluded successfully in New Delhi. The Workshop was organized under the auspices of the first U.S.-India Health Dialogue held in September, 2015 in Washington, D.C.Nearly 175 participants including experts related to traditional systems and modern medicine, biologists, and researchers from India and the U.S. took part in the first of its kind Workshop. American President and Prime Minister of India emphasized to promote bilateral dialogue on Traditional Medicine. The Workshop was jointly inaugurated by the Minister of State for AYUSH (Independent Charge) and Health & Family Welfare, Shri Shripad Yesso Naik and U.S. Ambassador to India, Mr. Richard Verma and Assistant Secretary of Global Affairs at HHS, Ambassador Jimmy Kolker on 3rd March, 2016.
India files trade complaint against U.S. over temporary work visas
India has filed a complaint against the United States decision to impose high fees L-1 and H-1B categories of temporary working visas in the World Trade Organisation (WTO). US had imposed fees on certain applicants for L-1 and H-1B categories of non-immigrant temporary working visas into the country. In December, the US Congress doubled the cost of sponsoring H-1B visas to $4,000 each and L-1 visas to $4,500 each as part of a major spending bill. Indian business lobby NASSCOM estimated that would inflate costs for Indian IT export firms by $400 million a year.