The Daily Brief – 29th October 2019

Aarambh, the first ever common foundation course for the 2019 batch probationer civil servants has been launched by the Government of India at the Statue of Unity, Kevadia, Gujarat. Around 500 newly recruited bureaucrats will be undergoing a six-day training programme. The theme for this year is ‘How to achieve the goal of making India a 5 trillion dollar economy?’ World Bank President David Malpass addressed the trainees at the event.

In the light of 4.10 lakh diyas on the banks of river Saryu in Ayodhya, a Guinness World Record was made on 26^th October during the Deepotsav 2019, which was organised by the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Begun in 1955, the Guinness World Record is published annually listing human achievements and extremes of the natural world. It is published in 100 countries in 23 languages.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath launched a scheme “Mukhya Mantri Kanya Sumangala Yojana”, which seeks to provide Rs. 15,000 to every family where a girl child is born. The funds will be released in a phased manner when the girl child completes various milestones like vaccination, admission to class 1, 5, 9 and graduation. The Kanya Sumangala web portal was also launched with the scheme.

India signed an agreement with Pakistan on 24^th October, 2019 to operationalize the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor, which connects the Dera Baba Nanak in the Indian side with the Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara in Pakistan. In November 2018, Government of India had passed a resolution for the construction of Kartarpur Sahib Corridor to celebrate the occasion of the 550^thbirth anniversary of Guru Nanak. A website called prakashpur550.mha.gov.in has also been launched for the pilgrims to register.

US President Donald Trump announced on 27^th October that the Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi had died in a raid by US special forces in northwest Syria. Baghdadi killed himself during the raid by detonating a suicide vest. The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, also known as “Daesh”, gained global prominence in 2014 when it drove the Iraqi government forces out of the key cities in Iraq. The group was designated as a terrorist organization by the United Nations. Baghdadi headed Islamic State between 2013 and 2019.

The first-ever Ladakh Literature Festival is going to be organised by the Ladakh administration from 29^th October to 31^st October, 2019 to celebrate the uniqueness of the region in the fields of literature, art and culture. The festival now will be held every year at places like historic Leh Palace and the Central Asian Museum.

The Union Ministry of Law and Justice has amended the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961 on 22^ndOctober allowing senior citizens and person with disabilities (PwD) in the absentee voter list. The amendment was a recommendation of the Election Commission. Absentee voter refers to a vote cast by someone who is unable to go to polling station. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, about 60.14% of absentee voters voted through e-postal ballot while in the general elections of 2014, this was just 4%.

During the 29^th Ministerial Meet of the BASIC countries that was held in Beijing on 25^th October & 26^th October, 2019, the ministers emphasized comprehensive implementation of the Paris Agreement and also underlined the importance of effective and sustained implementation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The BASIC countries are a block of four large newly industrialized countries – Brazil, South Africa, India and China – formed by an agreement on 28^th November, 2009.