By: D.K Chaudhary
1. SCO Secretary-General in India to Hold Talks with Union Ministers
i. Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Secretary-General Rashid Kutbiddinovitch Alimov arrived in New Delhi to hold talks with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and other Union ministers. Alimov is scheduled to hold talks on a wide array of matters.
ii. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will hold a bilateral meeting with Alimov in Delhi.
ii. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will hold a bilateral meeting with Alimov in Delhi.
- India became a full member of SCO in June 2017, at an international summit held in Astana, Kazakhstan.
2. CBDT Approves Amendment of India-Kuwait Tax Agreement
i. The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) notified the protocol amending the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) between India and Kuwait.
ii. The protocol updates the provisions in the DTAA for the exchange of information as per international standards, and also enables sharing of information received from Kuwait for tax purposes with other law enforcement agencies, subject to an authorisation of the competent authority of Kuwait and vice versa.
ii. The protocol updates the provisions in the DTAA for the exchange of information as per international standards, and also enables sharing of information received from Kuwait for tax purposes with other law enforcement agencies, subject to an authorisation of the competent authority of Kuwait and vice versa.
- Kuwait Capital- Kuwait City, Currency- Kuwaiti dinar.
3. India, Sri Lanka Agree on Information Exchange for Drug Control
i. India and Sri Lanka agreed on cooperation on exchange of information and other aspects to tackle smuggling of drugs in both countries.
ii. A decision to this effect was taken at the third bilateral meeting between delegations from India’s Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and Sri Lanka’s Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) on narcotics, drugs and psychotropic substances and related matters in New Delhi.
ii. A decision to this effect was taken at the third bilateral meeting between delegations from India’s Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and Sri Lanka’s Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) on narcotics, drugs and psychotropic substances and related matters in New Delhi.
- Srilanka Capital- Colombo (commercial capital), Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte (Official Capital), Currency- Sri Lankan rupee, President- Maithripala Sirisena.
4. Skill India Organized ‘Ajeevika and Kaushal Vikas Mela’ in Bhubaneswar
i. Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD), together joined hands to amplify the “Gram Swaraj Abhiyaan” of the current incumbent government which is promoting social harmony and awareness around the pro-poor initiatives of the government.
ii. MSDE organized a Kaushal and Rojgar Mela at New Women’s College in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, where more than 5000 people from different walks of life participated. More than 29 state of art multi-skill ‘Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendras’ were also launched digitally across the country.
ii. MSDE organized a Kaushal and Rojgar Mela at New Women’s College in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, where more than 5000 people from different walks of life participated. More than 29 state of art multi-skill ‘Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendras’ were also launched digitally across the country.
- Odisha Capital- Bhubaneshwar, CM- Naveen Patnaik, Governor- Satya Pal Malik (In-charge).
5. Social Justice Ministry Organised ‘Cochlear Implant Awareness Programme’
i. The Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) under Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment organised a ‘Cochlear Implant Awareness Programme’ at Huda Convention Centre in Faridabad, Haryana.
ii. The Minister of State for Social Justice & Empowerment, Krishan Pal Gurjar was the Chief Guest in the programme. Under the Assistance to Disabled persons (ADIP) scheme of the DEPwD, there is a provision for Cochlear Implant surgeries of hearing impaired children up to the age of 5 years at the cost of Rs 6.00 Lakhs per unit.
ii. The Minister of State for Social Justice & Empowerment, Krishan Pal Gurjar was the Chief Guest in the programme. Under the Assistance to Disabled persons (ADIP) scheme of the DEPwD, there is a provision for Cochlear Implant surgeries of hearing impaired children up to the age of 5 years at the cost of Rs 6.00 Lakhs per unit.
- The cochlear implant (CI) is a surgically implanted electronic device that provides a sense of sound to a person who is profoundly or severely deaf in both ear.
