The Daily Brief – 31st January 2020

Indian Railways has taken up Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) project to automatically and accurately track and trace rolling stock with a special focus on improving their safety and reliability. All Rolling Stock, roughly 3,50,000 vehicles, are expected to be tagged by 2021. The RFID project undertaken by CRIS, the IT arm of Indian Railways, can read data even at a speed of 182 kmph.

SAMPRITI-IX, a joint military training exercise between India and Bangladesh will be conducted at Umroi, Meghalaya from 3^rd to 16^th February, 2020. During the joint exercise, Command Post Exercise and Field Training Exercise is to be conducted according to the United Nations Charter. The exercise aims to build, strengthen and promote positive relations between the Armies of India and Bangladesh. It is hosted alternatively by both the countries.

Assam topped in the budget formulation according to the survey conducted by Transparency International. Assam was followed by Odisha and Andhra Pradesh in ranking. Goa, Maharashtra and Punjab were ranked at the lower positions. The survey was based on four parameters -budgetary process, public disclosure, post budget fiscal management and efforts to make budget citizen friendly. Headquartered in Germany, Transparency International releases Global Corruption Index annually.

Telangana with a score of 82 emerged as the best performing state based on the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) as per the United National Development Programme (UNDP). It was followed by states of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka together with a score of 72. The states have been scored based on Sustainable Development Index. In December 2019, India became the first country to release SDG India Index.

The 34^th Surajkund Mela, an International Crafts Fair, will be inaugurated by the President Ram Nath Kovind on 1^st February, 2020. The fair is being organized by the Haryana Government in Faridabad. The partner country of the fair is Uzbekistan. The theme state of the fair is Himachal Pradesh. Around 20 countries and the states of India are participating in the fair.

Assam Rifles constructed a combined war memorial at Mokokchung in Nagaland for the 357 Army and Assam Rifles personnel, killed while fighting insurgency in the northeastern state. Christened “Veer Samriti”, the memorial is spread over 13,500 sq ft. Nagaland also has the famous Second World War Cemetery at Kohima. Assam Rifles, which was raised in 1835, has also been carrying out counter-insurgency operations in militancy- infested states in the northeastern region.

Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the amendments in the National Commission for Homoeopathy Bill, 2019 that seeks to replace Homoeopathy Central Council (HCC) Act, 1973. The bill was pending in Rajya Sabha. The amendments will ensure necessary regulatory reforms in the field of Homoeopathy education and enable transparency and accountability for protecting the interest of the general public. The HCC Act 1973 has been modelled on the pattern of the Indian Medical Council Act, 1956.