30th November, 2021 Current Affairs

Sakshi Education

National
Government approves strategic disinvestment of Central Electronics Ltd

India Government has approved strategic disinvestment of Central Electronics Limited. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, CCEA empowered Alternative Mechanism comprising Road Transport and Highways Minister NitinGadkari, Finance Minister NirmalaSitharaman and Science and Technology Minister Dr Jitendra Singh, has approved the highest price bid of M/s Nandal Finance and Leasing Private Limited for sale of 100 percent equity shareholding of Government of India in Central Electronics Limited.
Finance Ministry said, the winning bid is for 210 crore sixty thousand rupees. The process for disinvestment of Central Electronics Limited commenced in 2016 with the in-principle approval of CCEA.
The entire disinvestment process has been carried out in a transparent manner, through multi-layered decision making involving Inter-Ministerial Group, Core Group of Secretaries on Disinvestment and the empowered Alternative Mechanism at the apex Ministerial level.

NITI Aayog releases report on Online Dispute Resolution policy for speedy access to justice

NITI Aayog has pushed for Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) for speedy access to justice. NITI Aayog today released the report Designing the Future of Dispute Resolution: the ODR Policy Plan for India, to scale dispute avoidance, containment, and resolution online.
It said the rollout of the recommendations in the report can help make India a world leader in using technology and innovation through ODR, for effective access to justice for every individual.
The report is a culmination of the action plan made by a committee constituted at the peak of the Covid crisis by NITI Aayog on ODR in 2020 and chaired by Supreme Court Justice A K Sikri.

Bilateral
India offers support to Africa to fight Omicron variant of COVID-19

India has offered support for Africa to fight the OMICRON variant and also expressed solidarity with the countries, particularly in Africa, who have so far been affected by the Omicron variant. The External Affairs Ministry yesterday said, India is ready to support the countries affected in Africa in dealing with the Omicron variant, including by supplies of Made-in-India vaccines. Supplies can be undertaken through COVAX or bilaterally.
In this regard, the Government has cleared all orders placed so far by COVAX for supplies of COVISHIELD vaccines including to African countries like Malawi, Ethiopia, Zambia, Mozambique, Guinea and Lesotho. India has also cleared supplies of COVAXIN to Botswana.
India is also willing to supply essential life-saving drugs, test kits, gloves, PPE kits and medical equipment such as ventilators. The Ministry said Indian institutions would favourably consider cooperation in genomic surveillance and virus characterization-related research work with their African counterparts.
India has so far supplied more than 25 million doses of Made-in-India vaccines to 41 countries in Africa, including nearly one million doses as grant to 16 countries and more than 16 million doses under the COVAX facility to 33 countries.

International
Talks on Iran nuclear deal resume in Vienna

Crucial talks with Iran to prevent the collapse of a nuclear deal have resumed in Vienna, Austria, after a five-month pause.
Representatives of Iran, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United Kingdom attended the meeting.
Officials are discussing the possible return of the US to the 2015 accord which limited Iran's nuclear activities in return for the lifting of sanctions.
Iran has violated key commitments since then-President Donald Trump pulled out in 2018 and reinstated US sanctions. This move infuriated Iran and dismayed the other powers involved - Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia.
President Joe Biden is willing to lift them if Iran reverses the breaches. But, Iran wants the US to make the first move. Mr Biden's special envoy, Robert Malley, has said the US is ready to take all of the steps necessary to come back into compliance, including lifting the sanctions imposed by the Trump Administration. The window for negotiations will not be open forever, he added.
European Union, Iranian and Russian delegates to the talks offered optimistic assessments after the new round began with a session of the remaining parties to the deal, without the US, whom Iran refuses to meet face-to-face.
Israel's Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said yesterday that Iran was seeking to end sanctions in exchange for almost nothing and urged world powers not to give into Iran's nuclear blackmail.
Western diplomats have warned that time is running out to negotiate a solution because of the significant advances Iran has made in its Uranium Enrichment Programme, which is a possible pathway to a nuclear bomb.
Iran insists that its nuclear programme is entirely peaceful.

China to encourage its companies to invest more in Africa amid concerns over Chinese investments in region

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday said China would encourage its companies to invest no less than $10 billion in Africa over the next three years, amid efforts to assuage concerns over Chinese investments in the region. Addressing the Eighth Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) virtually on Monday, President Xi said that China will set up a China-Africa cross-border yuancenter to provide African financial institutions with a credit line of $10 billion.
The announcement comes amid alarm over what is described as China’s “debt trap” diplomacy. China has been accused by Western countries of luring poor countries into "debt traps" which they are unable to repay. Cash-strapped countries have been pushed to stake sovereign assets such as airports and seaports to access credit under onerous loan terms.
The latest concerns and allegations are about Uganda that China may take over Uganda's only international airport if the east African country fails to service a $200 million loan which it took for the expansion of the facility.
African media reported that a parliamentary probe in Uganda last month concluded that some of the unfavourable provisions in the loan agreement, if not amended, expose Uganda’s sovereign assets to attachments and take-over by Beijing. This sparked public outrage in Uganda which secured this loan in 2015 from China's Exim Bank, in which it waived the sovereign immunity on airport assets to secure the deal.
The agreement also requires any dispute arbitration or court proceedings to take place in China under Chinese law. Request from Uganda this year to renegotiate the loan terms had been rejected by China’s Exim Bank. Both China and Ugandan authorities denied any such concerns of looming danger of takeover of the airport.

Caribbean island Barbados to become newest republic to cut links with the Queen

The Caribbean island Barbados will become the world's newest republic and in doing so removes the Queen as its head of state.
Buckingham Palace says it respects the decision of Barbados, but beneath the public statements emphasizing enduring friendships, there will be some unease.
The Prince of Wales has flown into Barbados for Monday's handover ceremony in National Heroes Square as a representative of the Queen but also in his role as her successor as head of the Commonwealth - Barbados will remain in the Commonwealth. Prince Charles will see a final salute to the British monarchy and watch as the Queen's standard is lowered.
Republicanism has been rumbling for some time in Barbados. Prime Minister Mia Mottley described it as a chance for the island to assert itself and show greater self-confidence. She said it was time to fully leave our colonial past.

Bangladesh: First transgender elected as Union Parishad Chairperson

A transgender person Nazrul Islam Ritu has been elected as the Chairperson of the Union Parishad of Trilochanpur Union of Kaliganj in Jhenaidha district of Bangladesh. Ritu is the first transgender to be elected as Chairperson in the Union Parishad elections of Bangladesh.
Earlier, another person from the transgender community PinkiKhatun was elected as the Vice-Chairperson of Kotchandpurupzila in Jhenaidah. Shahida Begum, a transgender was the first person to be elected as a member of MaguraghonaParishad in Khulna district.
Bangladesh government recognized the transgender community in 2014. They have been given the right to vote and stand in elections. The government provides a monthly allowance to more than 7000 transgenders in the country. It announced incentives for companies that employ the transgender community in its 2021 budget. However, they suffer from social stigma and discrimination and remain one of the most marginalized and discriminated groups in the country.

Persons
Indian tech wizard Parag Agrawal takes over as CEO of Twitter

Indian tech wizard Parag Agrawal takes over as CEO of the social media platform Twitter following the departure of its co-founder CEO.
Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey has stepped down as chief executive of the company paving way for the current chief technical officer, Parag Agrawal, to take over. Mr Dorsey has been serving as chief executive of both Twitter and payment firm Square.
Parag Agrawal, IIT alumnus, joins the likes of Sundar Pichai and Satya Nadella as Indian-origin techies at the help of the biggest tech companies of the world. A Computer Science and Engineering graduate from IIT Bombay, Agrawal is a Ph.D. from Stanford University.

Admiral R Hari Kumar assumes charge as 25th Chief of the Naval Staff

Admiral R. Hari Kumar assumed charge as the 25th Chief of the Naval Staff. He received Guard of Honour at the South Block lawns in New Delhi as the new Chief of Naval Staff. Admiral Hari Kumar succeeds Admiral Karambir Singh who superannuated today.
Talking to reporters, Admiral Hari Kumar said, it is a matter of great honour for him to take charge as the Chief of Naval Staff of Indian Navy.The focus of Indian Navy's is on national maritime interests and maritime security challenges.
Admiral R. Hari Kumar was commissioned on 1st January 1983 into the Executive Branch of the Indian Navy. During his long and distinguished service spanning nearly 39 years, he has served in a variety of Command, Staff and Instructional appointments. He has been decorated with the ParamVishistSeva Medal, AtiVishistSeva Medal and VishistSeva Medal.

Published date : 30 Nov 2021 06:05PM