NATIONAL NEWS
Mobile application for Global Aviation Summit 2019 launched
The civil aviation ministry along with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) launched an official mobile app for the global aviation summit to be held in Mumbai next month.
- The app named 'GAS 2019,' which is available on both play store and iOS, enables users to interact with the co-delegates and speakers besides providing a platform for networking through personal and group chats. The two-day summit which will take place from January 15, is expected to be attended by a host of dignitaries from India and abroad.
Govt launches conservation project for Asiatic lions
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has launched the "Asiatic Lion Conservation Project" with an aim to protect and conserve the world's last ranging free population of Asiatic Lion and its associated ecosystem.
- Union Environment Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan said that the project will strengthen the ongoing measures for conservation and recovery of Asiatic Lion.
- The total budget of the project for three years that amounts to nearly Rs 9,784 lakh will be funded from the Centrally Sponsored Scheme- Development of Wildlife Habitat (CSS-DWH) with the contributing ratio being 60:40 of Central and State share.
India fifth-most deadliest place to be a journalist, Afghanistan worst: Reporters without Borders (RSF)
A new report by the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) shows there has been an increase in the number of journalists killed this year, with a total of 80 killed so far. Of these, 63 were professional journalists, compared with 55 professional journalists killed last year. RSF said 348 others were detained, 60 were held hostage and 3 are missing.
- The report said 15 journalists were killed in Afghanistan in 2018, making the nation the deadliest place to report from, 17 years after the US-led war began. 11 were killed in Syria, 9 in Mexico, 8 in Yemen, and 6 each in India and the United States.
- The positive news was from Iraq, where RSF reported no journalist was killed for the first time since the US-led invasion of 2003.
Maha govt approves Rs 4,089 crore for Tembhu irrigation scheme
The Maharashtra government approved a sum of Rs 4,089 crore for the Tembhu lift irrigation scheme in Satara district. The scheme, which will also benefit Satara's adjoining districts in Western Maharashtra, was approved by the state Cabinet at its meeting in Mumbai.
- The irrigation project will benefit the perennially drought prone areas of Satara, Solapur and Sangli districts.
Odisha Cabinet approves Rs 10,000 cr KALIA scheme for cultivators
Odisha state Cabinet approved Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA) scheme, amounting to over Rs 10,000 crore covering 92 per cent of cultivators.
- This scheme covers 92 per cent of cultivators; those who have taken farm loans, non-loanee farmers, sharecroppers, and landless agriculture labourers.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
RBI limits total outstanding ECBs to 6.5 pc of GDP
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced a cap on the outstanding stock of external commercial borrowings (ECB) at 6.5 per cent of GDP at current market prices. Based on the gross domestic product (GDP) figures at March-end 2018, the soft limit works out to USD 160 billion for the current financial year.
- The outstanding stock of ECB as on 30 September, stood at USD 126.29 billion. The decision to have a "rule-based dynamic limit" for outstanding stock of ECB at 6.5 per cent of GDP at current market prices has been taken in consultation with the government.
OBITUARIES
Noted Tamil Writer Prabhanjan passes away
Tamil writer and Sahitya Akademi Award winner Prabhanjan passed away in Puducherry. He was 83. Born in Puducherry, Prabhanjan (given name S.Vaidyalingam) was suffering from cancer.
- His historical novel 'Vaanam Vasapadum' was awarded the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award in 1995.
Assam's nightingale Dipali Borthakur passes away
Legendary singer Dipali Borthakur passed away at a city hospital in Guwahati. She was 78. Popularly known as "Nightingale of Assam", Borthakur's death has left a vacuum in the state's cultural circle.
- A Padma Shri awardee, Borthakur has lent her voice to several popular Assamese songs. She was suffering from severe motor neuron disease which hindered her singing and forced her to the wheelchair. She sang her last song in 1969.
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