The Daily Brief – 17th April 2019

For the first time in three years, India was the net importer of steel during the financial year 2018-19. This was attributed to India losing market share among its traditional steel buyers and an increase in imports of higher-quality steel domestically. Indian steel exports fell by 34 percent to 6.36 million tonnes. India’s finished steel imports rose 4.7 percent to 7.84 million tonnes. This is because of the tariff imposed by US on rival steelmakers in China, Japan, South Korea and Indonesia.

International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) is going to organise the 4th Resilient Cities Asia-Pacific 2019 Congress that will be hosted by South Delhi Municipal Corporation in New Delhi. The congress will offer cities & regions from Asia-Pacific a variety of innovative solutions that build resilience to climate change at the sub-national level.

Himachal Pradesh celebrated 72nd Himachal Day on 15th April to commemorate its creation. Before independence, most of the areas of Himachal Pradesh were part of Punjab state. After the independence, in 1948 the state was declared as a union territory. On the 15th April Chief Commission inaugurated this territory and after that this day was celebrated as ‘Himachal Day’ every year. On 25th January 1971, it became the 18th state of the country.

The Ministry of External Affairs has set up an Indo-Pacific division in the foreign office. The Indo-pacific division is intended to give a coherent architecture to the Indo-Pacific policy articulated by PM Narendra Modi at the Shangri-La Dialogue in 2018. The Indo-Pacific Wing is currently headed by joint secretary Vikram Doraiswami. The Indo-Pacific Wing integrates the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), ASEAN region and the Quad.

The report by the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy (CDDEP) in the US about the healthcare system in India has been released. India has a shortage of an estimated 600,000 doctors and 2 million nurses. About 65% of health expenditure is out-of-pocket in India. There is one government doctor for every 10,189 people in India against the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) recommendation of having a ratio of 1:1, 000 doctors to patients. The report attributes the sorry state of health affairs to the low expenditure on healthcare by the government.

In his report on improving the financial situation of the world body, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said, as of March 31, 2019, the total amount payable to troop- and police-contributing countries with respect to active peacekeeping missions was USD 265 million. Of this, the UN owes USD 38 million (highest amount) to India, followed by Rwanda (USD 31 million), Pakistan (USD 28 million), Bangladesh (USD 25 million) and Nepal (USD 23 million), Guterres said in his report.

Home Ministry has cancelled the business visa of Bangladeshi actor Ferdous Ahmed and issued him a leave India notice for campaigning for Trinamool Congress in West Bengal for Lok Sabha polls. The decision was taken after receiving a report from the Bureau of Immigration regarding visa violations committed by him. The Ministry has also blacklisted Mr Ahmed.