The Daily Brief – 15th December 2019

The Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare organised the three-day International Seminar on Climate Smart Farming systems for BIMSTEC countries on 11^th December, 2019 in New Delhi. The seminar was attended by all the seven BIMSTEC countries – Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh, India, Thailand and Myanmar. The objective of the seminar is to improve the tropical small holder farming system that is resilient to climate change and provide greater productivity.

Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the signing of the Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) between the Government of India and the Government of Japan to constitute the ‘India-Japan Steel Dialogue’ to strengthen cooperation in steel sector. It will help in capacity building for high grade steel manufacturing in India. The ‘India-Japan Steel Dialogue’ envisages enhancement of mutual understanding to secure sustainable growth in the steel sector.

The Parliament passed the Arms (Amendment) Bill, 2019 that seeks to enhance the punishment for existing offences on 10^th December, 2019. It amends the Arms Act, 1959. This Bill reduces the number of permitted firearms under the Arms Act, 1959 from three to one. The bill also increases the duration of the validity of a firearm license from 3 years to 5 years.

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved ex-post facto the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) and the Saudi Food and Drug Authority in the field of the Medical Products Regulation, which was signed on 29^th October, 2019 during the visit of Mr. Modi to Saudi Arabia. It would facilitate better understanding of the regulatory aspects between the two sides and help in increasing India’s export of medical products to Saudi Arabia. It will also enable better coordination in the international fora.

Abu Dhabi (UAE) has been selected as the world’s leading sports tourism destination for the seventh consecutive time at the 26^th edition of the World Travel Awards (WTA) held in Muscat, Oman. Established in 1993, the WTA acknowledges and rewards excellence across all key sectors of the travel, tourism and hospitality industries.

The Union Ministry of Culture approved Rs 2.95 crores financial assistance for the development of the Gandhi Encyclopedia (Gandhi Paedia) by the National Council of Science Museums, Kolkata for promotion of the appropriate Gandhian philosophy and thoughts through social media platforms under the 150^th birth anniversary celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi.

The fourth edition of the International Seminar cum Exhibition on Naval Weapon Systems ‘NAVARMS-19’ under the theme ‘Make in India – Fight Category: Opportunities and Imperatives’ was held on 12^th December and 13^th December, 2019 in New Delhi. Organized by the Ministry of Defence (MoD), it focused on creating awareness and identifying emerging prospects for the Indian/International defence industry in the domain of Naval Weapon Systems. The first three editions of seminars were held in 2007, 2010 and 2013. The NAVARMS is the only international seminar and exhibition on the Naval Arms System in India.

Exercise Iron Union 12, a joint military exercise between the ground forces of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the United States, commenced on 10^th December, 2019 to enhance combat efficiency and tactical expertise between the two countries. It was commenced in the presence of Lieutenant General Terry Ferrell, Commander of the US Army Central (USARCENT) and Major General Saleh Mohamed Saleh Al Amiri, UAE Commander of the Land Forces.