The Daily Brief – 16th October 2018

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Union Minister of State (MoS) for Textiles Ajay Tamta the 46th edition of world’s largest IHGF-Delhi Fair was held at India Expo Centre & Mart, Greater Noida from October 14 to 18, 2018. The biannual fair was organized by Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH). It saw participation by over 3200 exhibitors and visit of overseas buyers from over 110 countries. Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts was established as non-profit organisation under Companies Act in 1986-87. It promotes supports, protects, maintains and increase export of handicrafts.
Shekhar Mande
Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has appointed Dr. Shekhar Mande as the Director General of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Secretary of the Department of Scientific and Research (DSIR). He will succeed Girish Sahni who superannuated in August 2018. Dr. Mande, a structural biologist is Director of National Centre for Cell Sciences, Pune. He has worked at Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics, Hyderabad. He is recipient of coveted SS Bhatnagar Prize (2005), the most prestigious science honour in the country. CSIR is an autonomous body established in 1942.
Delhi government has launched Chief Minister’s Urban Leaders Fellowship Programme that seeks to attract young leaders across the country to work with it on addressing some of the most pressing urban challenges. It seeks to attract youth who are passionate about public service and are willing to work for two years. Fellows selected will be assigned to work with ministers or senior officials across various departments Delhi government such as health, education, water, transport, art and culture.
The 6th Interregional Ministerial Meeting of Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) was held in Singapore. The meeting was reviewed after 6th RCEP ministerial meeting held in August 2018. In this meeting, all partner countries agreed to finalize trading deal by the end of this year. RCEP is a proposed free trade agreement (FTA) or comprehensive regional economic integration agreement between the 10-ASEAN countries and 6 FTA-partners.
Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, on October 13, 2018 released an Analytical Report of the National Health Profile 2018. The 12^th edition was prepared by the Central Bureau of Health Intelligence (CBHI), under the aegis of the Directorate General of Health Services. CBHI has been publishing National Health Profile every year since 2005. The National Health Profile 2018 covers demographic, socio-economic, health status and health finance indicators, along with comprehensive information on health infrastructure and human resources in health.
The Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways, Mansukh L Mandaviya, launched the Youth Road Safety Learners Licence programme in New Delhi on October 15, 2018. The first-of-its-kind training programme is a PPP initiative to be run in collaboration with Diageo India and the Institute of Road Traffic Education (IRTE) and attempts to bring a formal and structured training program for the young, first-time drivers as they apply for learner’s license. The programme will help the government achieve its target of reducing road accidents by 50 percent by 2020. India accounts for 12.5 per cent (over 1.45 lakh fatalities a year) of global road accidents, with one road accident occurring every four minutes.
The International Day of Rural Women was observed globally on October 15, 2018 with the theme, “Sustainable infrastructure, services and social protection for gender equality and the empowerment of rural women and girls”. The day aims to recognise the critical role and contribution of rural women, including indigenous women, in enhancing agricultural and rural development, improving food security and eradicating rural poverty. The day was established by the UN General Assembly through a resolution on December 18, 2007 and was observed for the first time in 2008.
India on October 13, 2018 concluded its campaign at the 2018 Asian Para Games in Jakarta, Indonesia with a record medal haul, winning a total of 72 medals that included 15 gold, 24 silver and 33 bronze medals. India was placed ninth in the overall tally. China finished at the top with 319 medals including 172 gold, 88 silver and 59 bronze, followed by South Korea and Iran.
The Union Environment Minister Harshvardhan on October 15, 2018 unveiled an air quality early warning system for the Delhi region. The system has been designed with the help of American and Finnish models to predict extreme air pollution levels. The system will help combat air pollution in the National Capital by getting information 2-5 days in advance. It will also give signs for necessary actions. In May, Delhi was declared the world’s most polluted city, according to the air quality data compiled by the World Health Organisation (WHO).