The Daily Brief – 16th July, 2016

The World Youth Skills Day is observed globally on 15 July every year to raise awareness about the importance of investing in youth skills development. This year, the theme is ‘Skills Development to improve Youth Employment’.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has set up an inter-regulatory Working Group to study the regulatory issues relating to Financial Technology (Fintech) and Digital Banking in India. The inter-regulatory Working Group will be headed by RBI’s Executive Director Sudarshan Sen and consist of 12 members. The report is to be submitted six months from the date of constitution of the committee.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has certified India as a Yaws, Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus free country. In this regard, WHO presented certificates to Union Health and Family Welfare Minister J P Nadda in New Delhi. India was declared Neonatal and Maternal Tetanus free country in August 2015. Besides, it was also declared yaws-free in May 2016.

The Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) successfully conducted proof firing tests of the armament system for the New Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS). The tests were conducted as part of technical trials at Balasore, Odisha.

New numbers released from the Census 2011 show that literacy rate among the disabled has increased from 49.3 per cent in 2001 to 54.5 per cent in 2011. However, this is significantly lower than the overall literacy level of India which stands at 74 per cent.

The National Democratic Alliance government is likely to introduce a Bill in the monsoon session of Parliament to amend the definition of “illegal migrants” in the Citizenship Act. This will enable the government to grant citizenship to minorities, mostly Hindus, from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, who have fled their country fearing religious persecution.

A coup attempt has been made by a section of the armed forces in Turkey. At least 60 people were killed, and 150 wounded in the violence that erupted across Ankara in Turkey. The President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, however, could not be overthrown, and has received massive support from the people. Erdogan has been ruling Turkey since 2003. Several Generals and Colonels have been sacked following the coup attempt.

The 11^th edition of the Asia-Europe Meeting Summit has issued the Ulaanbaatar Declaration. The declaration seeks to engage in informal political dialogue in economic and socio-cultural fields.

The ruins of the Nalanda University in Bihar has been included in the Tentative List of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites. The University was founded by Kumargupta I of the Gupta Dynasty in the 5th Century and is regarded as the earliest planned university in the Indian subcontinent.

Madhya Pradesh is the first state to have a ‘Happiness Department’ that will function in the way Bhutan does by creating a knowledge resource centre on the subject of ‘happiness’.