Current Affairs : June 18, 2011

Foreign Secretary-Level talks b/w India and Pakistan from June 23, 2011

• India and Pakistan to hold Foreign Secretary-Level talks in Islamabad from June 23, 2011
  
• The Indian side is expected to press for effectual feat against those behind the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks
  
• This will be the 2^nd meeting in 4 months
  
• The Indian side probable to put its concern over the nexus b/w ISI and 26/11 attackers
  
• Ms. Nirupama Rao (Indian Foreign Secretary) to meet her Pakistani counterpart Mr. Salman Bashir
  

Second term approved for Ban Ki-Moon by United Nations Security Council

• The UNSC has approved a 2nd five-year term for its current Secretary-General Mr. Ban Ki-Moon.
  
• The 15 member Council voted by applause for Ban Ki-Moons’s second term from 2012-2016
  
• For his Appointment, the 192-member General Assembly will vote on Tuesday June 21, 2011
  
• This will be the final step to his appointment
  
• No competitors against the former South Korean foreign minister
  
• Ban, succeeded Kofi Annan in 2007 as the 8^th Secretary General of the UN

   

8.2% growth for India projected in 2011: IMF

• For 2011, IMF- International Monetary Fund projected 8.2 % growth in the Indian Economy
  
• Statement appeared in the World Economic Outlook Report released in Washington
  

US ruminates sanctions against Syria

• USA considering Economic sanctions against Syria’s oil and gas sectors
  
• USA also considering to bring war crimes charges against Bashar al-Assad (Syrian president) as part of a larger diplomatic effort to force his Govt to end its crackdown on dissent
  

Tax incentive for exporters to be extended by Government

• Govt extended the Tax incentive scheme for exporters, Duty Entitlement Pass Book (DEPB), till September 30
  
• The step will benefit the exports sector
  
• Scheme gets an extension of 3 months from June 30 to September 30th 2011.
  
• The Govt spends yearly about Rs 8,500 crore for re-reimbursing exporters on the taxes paid on import equivalent content of export products under the 14-year-old DEPB scheme
  
• Under the DEPB, a Lion’s share of about 60% of the funds goes to exporters in the chemical and engineering sectors 
  

In MGNREGA scheme implementation Sikkim excels

• Despite its geographically little size and small population, Sikkim stand out in implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee (MGNREGA) Scheme
  
• About 3/4 of the one lakh rural households of the state have been provided with the job cards under the scheme so far
  
• The Scheme started in the state five years ago
  
• Rs 84 crore were used up under the scheme previous year while a sum of Rs 118 crore is expected to be spent this year under MGNREGA Scheme
  
• Avg 85 days employment was provided to the beneficiaries last year with 46 per cent people getting 100 days job
  
• No complaints have been acknowledged on implementation of the MNNREGS in Sikkim by the Courts so far
  

Institute of Election Studies launched in Delhi

• The EC (Election Commission) launched the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIDEM) in New Delhi
  
• A higher resource centre of Training, Research, Learning and an extension for participatory democracy and election management. 

  A national and international hub for exchange of good practices in election management
  

• Inaugurated by the Chief Election Commissioner Dr S Y Quraishi at Nirvachan Sadan 

  IIDEM to work for
  

• Increasing voter education
  
• building human resource for a well organized conduct of free and fair elections in India
  
• building mutually beneficial partnership with other nations
  
• The institute has four components which include:
  
  • Training and Capacity Development
    
  • Voter Education and Civic Participation
    
  • Research, Innovation and Documentation
    
  • International Projects and Technical Collaboration
    
• First course of IIDEM will be launched last part of June for the Electoral Commission of Kenya
  

Brij Bihari Pandey: The Oldest prisoner of India freed

• India’s oldest prisoner, Brij Bihari Pandey (108) freed from the Gorakhpur Jail
  
• He spent 24 years behind bars for committing multiple murders
  
• Bihari (when 84) along with 15 others killed 4 people in Maharajganj district on June 15, 1987.
  

Ms. Pratibha Devisingh Patil: The President of India to declare her assets public

• The President of India Ms. Pratibha Devisingh Patil decided to declare her assets
  
• First time that a President of India will be making assets public though there is no law that mandates her to do it
  
• The decision came after a proposal from the CIC (Central Information Commission) that the President of India should take a call on introduction of her and her family’s property details in public domain
  
• The President actually is not required to declare his/her assets to any public authority, however, President Patil would declare it
  

Abhinav Bindra qualifies for London Games

• Former Olympic Shooting Champion from India: Abhinav Bindra qualified for the next year’s London Olympic Games
  
• Bindra qualified despite finishing a low 8th in the 10 m air rifle event of the Shooting World Cup in Munich, Germany
  
• India’s first individual Olympic gold medalist, Bindra shot a qualification score of 596

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Month: Current Affairs - June, 2011

Category: Government Schemes Current Affairs