The Daily Brief – 8th September 2017

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• India has declined to include itself in the Bali Declaration adopted at the end of World Parliamentary Forum on Sustainable Development held in Bali, Indonesia to show solidarity with Myanmar. It was not adopted because it made “objectionable” reference to violence in Rakhine State from where 1,25,000 Rohingya people have fled to Bangladesh and was not in line with the accepted Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). India stated that the purpose of convening the World Parliamentary forum was to arrive at a mutual consensus for implementation of SDGs which required inclusive and broad-based development processes. So, the proposed reference to violence in Rakhine region in the declaration was considered inappropriate and not consensus-based.
• The Indian Army has accepted the final plan to induct women in military police breaking the gender barriers in the Defence forces of the country. Under this plan, 800 women will be inducted initially with an annual intake of 52. The induction of women into the Military Police will aid investigation of gender specific criminal offences.
• The Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises has extended the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles (FAME)-India scheme by six months. FAME India scheme was launched in 2015 under the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan (NEMMP) to promote eco-friendly and hybrid vehicles in the country. Its aim is to provide fiscal and monetary incentives for adoption and market creation of both hybrid and electric technologies vehicles in India.
• Viveck Goenka, chairman and managing director of Express Group was unanimously elected as Chairman of Press Trust of India (PTI). N Ravi, former editor-in-chief of the Hindu was elected Vice-Chairman.
• According to a study, Parali I island, one of the biodiversity-rich uninhabited islands part of the Lakshadweep group has disappeared due to coastal erosion and environmental degradation.
• The International Literacy Day (ILD) is observed annually on 8 September to emphasize the importance of literacy among all individuals across communities. This year it is the 51st International Literacy Day. The theme declared by UNESCO for this year is `Literacy in a digital world’.