INDIAN Current AFFAIRS 16th Jan 2017

By: D.K Choudhary

Expert Group on SECC submits report to Ministry of Rural Development
i. An Expert Group Committee under the Chairmanship of former Finance Secretary Shri Sumit Bose presented its report on the Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC) to the Minister of Rural Development, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar on January 13, 2017 for better planning and identification of beneficiaries and for generating priority list of beneficiaries under its programmes.
ii. The Expert Group report would help the Ministry to make inter –state allocation based on SECC data to cover households under Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana (PMAG) and Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana–National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY-NRLM).
iii. The committee was formed by the ministry to study the objective criteria for allocation of resources to States and identification and prioritization of beneficiaries under various programme using Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC) data.
iv. However, the Expert Group observed that regular updation and verification of SECC data is prerequisite for better decision of allocation in the long run

Annual Two day Camel Festival Held in Bikaner
i. The annual camel festival was held in Bikaner, Rajasthan from January 14-January 15, 2017 in the presence of domestic as well as foreign tourists.
ii. The two-day festival was organised by the Rajasthan Tourism Department and the Bikaner district administration. The District Collector, Ved Prakash flagged off a procession from Junagarh which ended at Karni Singh Stadium in Bikaner, Rajasthan.
iii. The inaugural ceremony was marked by the performance of the Army band. The festival saw many fun activities including camel safaris, camel dance, milking and fur cutting design competitions and camel races.

Madhya Pradesh Launches Digital Dakiya Scheme For Digital Literacy
i. Madhya Pradesh government inaugurated a first of its kind scheme of the country, “Digital Dakiya” in Indore on January 14, 2017 to encourage cashless transaction in the state.
ii .Under the scheme, a Digital Postman referred as Digital Dakiya would visit door to door in both urban and rural areas to train households specially women and elderly people about digitized transactions.
iii. The scheme was inaugurated by the State Finance Minister Jayant Malliya. State government will provide Identity cards to the volunteers deployed in this programme.

BSF launches operation ‘Sard Hawa’ at Rajasthan border
i. Border Security Force (BSF) has launched its 14 day operation Sard Hawa at the western international border of Rajasthan on January 15, 2017 to check the instances of infilteration due to the dense fog in the area.
ii. Aim: To keep a hawks eye on the international border, where vigil has been beefed-up and officers have also been asked to be part of operation to motivate jawans.
iii. The operation will end on January 28, 2017.
Border Security Force (BSF) :
♦ The Border Security Force (BSF)  is the primary Border guarding force of India. It is one of the five Central Armed Police Forces of the Union of India.
♦ Headquarters New Delhi
♦ Minister responsible : Rajnath Singh, Minister of Home Affairs
♦ Formed 1 December, 1965

2017 National conference “Jal Manthan-III” held in New Delhi
i. The third National conference  “Jal Manthan-III”  was inaugurated by Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Uma Bharti in New Delhi.
ii. The conference was organized by the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.
Discussions :
♦ Discussions on Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana, River Basin Management, River Rejuvenation and Ecology, Flood management, Water use efficiency and Participatory irrigation management held as a part of the conference.
♦ 700 participants comprising Union Ministers of related Ministries/Departments, Chief Ministers of some States/Union Territories, Irrigation/ Water Resources Ministers of States/UTs, eminent experts in water sector, representatives of NGOs and senior officers of the Central and State Governments  attended the event.

First Edition of ABU International Television Dance Festival Held in Hyderabad
i. The first edition of the ABU International Television Dance Festival (AIDF) organized by the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) was held in Hyderabad from January 13 to January 15, 2017.
ii. Objective: To create a bridge between young people from different parts of the world through dance.
iii. The event showcased the traditional and contemporary dance performances by artistes from over 10 counties across the Asia-Pacific region.
iv. The festival was inaugurated by the Union Information & Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu while the Chief Minister of Telangana, K. Chandrashekar Rao was the guest of honour.
v. The first edition of the mega event was hosted by the Indian Public Service Broadcaster, Prasar Bharti.
vi. Dancers between the age group of 18-25 years from various countries like Maldives, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Philippines, Fiji, Azerbaijan, Malaysia, India and Indonesia performed in the event.
About Asia- Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU)
♦ Asia- Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) was established in 1964 as a non-profit, non-government, professional association to assist the development of broadcasting in the region.
♦ ABU International Television Dance Festival is conceptualized so as to bring the cultural diversities from across the world into limelight, by breaking cultural barriers.

Rabi Crop Sown Across 616 Lakh Hectare of Land Past One Year
i. As per the data released by the Ministry of agriculture, as on January 13, 2017, the total area under which Rabi crop was sown 2017 was calculated to be 616.21 lakh hectares as compared to 581.95 lakh hectare in January 2016.
ii. The 616.21 lakh hectare of area sown with Rabi crop includes