The Daily Brief – 1st November 2019

Leeladhar Jagoori, Hindi poet and writer, was conferred the Vyas Samman for the year 2018 by renowned author and scholar Govind Mishra, for his poetry collection ‘Jitne Log Utne Prem’ in New Delhi. Started in 1991, the award is conferred by the K K Birla Foundation for an outstanding literary work in Hindi authored by an Indian citizen published during the last ten years. The KK Birla Foundation also confers the Saraswati Samman and the Bihari Puraskar for literature in Indian languages.

Leeladhar Jagoori receiving the Vyas Samman

India signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Saudi Arabia to launch the RuPay card in the country, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the country. It will benefit not only 2.6 million Indians in the Gulf Kingdom but also the pilgrims visiting Haj and Umrah. India has already launched RuPay card in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Bhutan and Singapore.

People’s Liberation Army (PLA) organised a Border Personnel Meeting (BPM) with the Indian Army on 30^th October, 2019 on the Chinese side at Bum La, Tawang district, Arunachal Pradesh, India. Discussions to enhance existing mutual trust and bonhomie between the two largest armies in the world were held. The conducting of BPM every year on 30^th October is in vogue since the Border Peace and Tranquility agreement that was signed between India and China on 7^th September, 1993.

The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has now permitted an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) to enroll in the National Pension Scheme (NPS) at par with Non-Resident Indians on 29^th October 2019. Now, any Indian citizen, resident or non-resident and OCIs are eligible to join the till the age of 65 years. The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) is a statutory authority established on 23^rd August, 2003 to regulate, promote and ensure orderly growth of the National Pension System (NPS).

The Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr. Harsh Vardhan released the 14^th National Health Profile (NHP) 2019, prepared by the Central Bureau of Health Intelligence (CBHI), on October 30, 2019. The life expectancy in India has increased from 49.7 years in 1970-75 to 68.7 years in 2012-16 and the life expectancy of females is 70.2 years and males is 67.4 years. The Infant Mortality Rate has declined from 33 per 1000 live births in 2016 to 37 in rural and 23 in urban in 2019. The highest population density was reported in Delhi with 11,320 people per square km and the lowest population density was reported in Arunachal Pradesh with 17 people per square km.

Nagaland Government has launched Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio’s initiative ‘Nagaland Government Ex-gratia Scheme for Students Studying outside Nagaland’ (NGESSO) to provide a financial assistance of Rs. 5 lakh as a one-time payment to the families of students in case of the unfortunate death of any student while studying outside the state. The scheme will be implemented by the department of higher education with effect from the year 2019-20.

Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Dr. Harsh Vardhan inaugurated the National Symposium on the theme ‘United to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis’ on 30^th October, 2019. The minister also signed the “Call to Action to eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis by 2021”. The Government of India launched the Accelerate Plan for Elimination of Lymphatic Filariasis (APELF) in 2018.

The World Cities Day (WCD) is observed every year on 31^st October to promote the international community’s interest in global urbanization. Under the general theme “Better City, Better Life”, the sub theme this year is ‘Changing the world: Innovations and better life for future generations’. Established in 2013, the day aims to address the challenges of urbanization and to contribute to sustainable urban development around the world.