JANUARY 2016 CURRENT AFFAIRS (PART-10)

• Krishi Karman Awards are given to Best performer States for raising country’s food grain production. It comprises of three awards for total food grain production and four awards for production of crops that constitute the food grain viz. rice, wheat, coarse cereals and pulses. Madhya Pradesh has been Chosen for being the best performing state in overall foodgrains production among category-I states. Himachal Pradesh and Odisha has been Chosen for being the best performing state in overall foodgrains production among category-II states. Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya has been Chosen for being the best performing state in overall foodgrains production among category-III states. Chhattisgarh has been Chosen for achieving growth in production of pulses. Haryana and Assam has been Chosen for achieving growth in production of Rice. Rajasthan has been Chosen for achieving growth in production of wheat. West Bengal has been Chosen for achieving growth in production of Oil Seeds.
• The World Hindi Day is being observed annually on 10 January. World Hindi Day was first observed on 10 January 2006. It is in addition to present National Hindi Divas which is being observed annually on 14 September to mark the day 14 September 1949 on which the Constituent Assembly adopted Hindi written in Devanagari script as the Official Language of the Union.
• The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its approval to Policy on Promotion of City Compost. This policy will help in circulating compost produced from city waste for the purpose of farming and agriculture. For increasing production and consumption of City Compost, provision for Market development assistance of Rs. 1500 per tonne of city compost has been added. Farmers will be benefitted from lower MRP of city compost as result of Market development assistance. To ensure that environment friendly quality city compost, eco-Mark standard has been made mandatory. Fertilizer companies will co-market City Compost along with chemical fertilizers. For promoting the use of compost, these companies will adopt villages. It will be mandatory for Public Sector undertakings and Government Departments to use City Compost for purpose of their horticulture. Concerned Ministries will undertake campaigns.
• Union Government has signed 250 million dollars Financing Agreement with World Bank for Bihar Kosi Basin Development Project. The loan has been sanctioned by the World Bank’s concessionary lending arm International Development Association (IDA). The loan has implementation period of 5 years and Bihar Government is the implementing agency.
• The Union cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has recommended imposition of President’s Rule in Arunachal Pradesh under Article 356 (1) of the Constitution. Union Government took this decision after state assembly failed to comply with the provisions of Article 174 (sessions of the state legislature, prorogation and dissolution) of the Constitution. As per the provisions of Article 174, the session of state assembly was to be held in 21^st January 2016, six months after the last sitting. But the state assembly failed to comply with this provision which may led to constitutional breakdown.
• The Union Ministry of Urban Development has shortlisted 20 cities from 11 States and Delhi Union Territory in the list of first batch of Smart Cities Mission. These shortlisted cities were selected from Smart City Challenge competition in which 97 cities and towns had participated from 23 States and UTs. Top 3 shortlisted smart cities are Bhubaneswar (Odisha), Pune (Maharashtra ), Jaipur (Rajasthan).
• Union Government and Asian Development Bank have signed $80million loan agreement to improve urban services in two North Eastern cities Agartala and Aizwal. This loan agreement is the third tranche of a $200 million financing facility of ADB under its North Eastern Region Capital cities Development Investment (NERCDI) Program.
• The Union Cabinet has approved creation of a Credit Guarantee Fund (CGF) for Micro Units Development Refinance Agency (MUDRA) loans. The CGF is expected to guarantee more than 1,00,000 crore rupees worth of loans to micro and small units in the first instance. Credit Guarantee Fund for MUDRA Units (CGFMU) will guarantee loans sanctioned under Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY) to reduce the credit risk to Banks and other financial intermediaries who are Member Lending Institutions.
• India has submitted its first Biennial Update Report (BUR) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) towards fulfilment of the reporting obligation. BUR has been prepared by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (UNFCC) under its NATCOM project funded by Global Environment Facility (GEF). In the conference of Parties (COP)-16 of UNFCCC held in Cancun (Mexico) in 2010 it was decided that the developing countries will submit updates in the form of BUR.
• Union Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation deployed the first company of Ganga Task Force Battalion to fast track implementation of Namami Gange Programme. It was deployed at Garhmukteshwar town in Hapur district of UP.