1. The ambitious Ken-Betwa river linking project has received formal environment, forest and tribal clearances. The project aims at addressing water needs of dry swathes in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. The Union Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation is working out the funding pattern with NITI Aayog. The Ministry is pursuing NITI Ayog to change its funding pattern of Centre state share from 60:40 to 90:10 for the project as it is a special project. Key Facts It is India’s first river interlinking project that will connect Ken river in Madhya Pradesh with the Betwa in Uttar Pradesh. The project was envisaged first in 1980 to transfer surplus river water to dry and arid areas of Bundelkhand region. It will help irrigate an area of 6.35 lakh hectares annually in Bundelkhand region. Of this, 3.69 lakh hectares will be covered in Madhya Pradesh’s Tikamgarh, Chattarpur and Panna districts. The remaining 2.65 lakh hectares of area falls in Uttar Pradesh’s Jhansi, Mahoba and Banda districts. The project is estimated to provide 49 million cubic metres (mcm) of drinking water to a population of 13.42 lakh in Bundelkhand region in the two states. Besides, it will also generate 78 mega watt (MW) of power.

2. The National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog has called for a review of the provisions of the Right To Education (RTE) Act that stipulate children who do not perform well cannot be held back up to 8th Class. The RTE Act aims to provide primary education to all children aged 6 to 14 years. It stipulates that no child can be held back in a grade, regardless of his performance, all the way up to the 8th grade. This means that a child is entitled to an 8th grade diploma even if he cannot recognise a single letter or a number if he has spent eight years in school. Key Observations The government think tank pointed out that the purpose behind this provision in the Act was to minimise drop-out rate as demoralisation from failing a class may result children to withdraw from school altogether. However, despite good intention, the provision has a detrimental effect on learning outcomes, since it takes away the pressure to learn and to compete. So the NITI Aayog called revision of the RTE Act. The real problem is the quality of education as measurement by student achievements. The education quality trend between 2010 and 2014 has been worsening instead of improving performance. The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2014 report, the proportion of children aged 6-14 years enrolled in school in rural areas has been above 96% for the past six years but more than 50% of the 5th graders cannot read second standard level text.

3. India’s factory output, measured by the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) has registered 5.7% growth in November 2016 as against 1.9% in October 2016. It is the fastest growth recorded in more than four years and is largely on account of a low base effect. It also does not display the negative effects of demonetisation as production cycles in manufacturing take longer to adjust to any demand change. Key Facts Manufacturing sector grew by 5.5% in November 2016. Mining sector output rose 3.9%. Electricity generation sector increased 8.9%. Capital goods output surged 15%. Consumer durable output jumped 9.8% Consumer non-durable production increased 2.9% Overall growth in consumer goods output was 5.6%. About Index of Industrial Production (IIP) The IIP is compiled and published every month by Central Statistics Office (CSO) of the Union Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. It covers 682 items comprising Manufacturing (620 items), Mining (61 items) & Electricity (1 item). The weights of the three sectors are 75.53%, 14.16%, 10.32% respectively and are on the basis of their share of GDP at factor cost during 2004-05. The eight Core Industries comprise nearly 38 % of the weight of items included in IIP. Base Effect: It is basically the consequence of abnormally high or low levels of inflation in a previous month distorting headline inflation numbers for the most recent month.

4. The Supreme Court has rejected a plea urging it to pass judgement on Jallikattu before the harvest festival of Pongal. It had also dismissed the review petition against its 2014 verdict. Earlier, the apex court had questioned the Union Government for its January 2016 notification allowing use of bulls in events like Jallikattu, saying that its 2014 verdict banning the use of the animals cannot be negated.

5. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has ordered inspection of plants which treat waste in the hospitals of the National Capital Delhi and ensure proper segregation, collection and disposal of such waste. The waste plants will be inspected by joint inspection team of Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC). The NGT also directed the team to submit report about manner in which bio-medical waste was being handled by hospitals and situation prevailing in medical institutions adversely affecting human health and environment. Earlier the tribunal had asked hospitals and clinics to ensure proper collection, segregation and disposal of bio-medical waste. What is Bio-medical waste? Bio-medical waste is any solid or liquid waste including its container and any intermediate product generated during the diagnosis, treatment or immunization of human beings or animals or research activities. Biomedical waste poses hazard due to two principal reasons – toxicity and infectivity. Bio Medical waste consists of human anatomical waste like organs, tissues and body parts, waste sharps like hypodermic needles, syringes, scalpels and broken glass, discarded medicines and cytotoxic drugs, liquid waste from any of infected areas etc. In 2016, the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests had issued new Bio-medical Waste Management Rules, 2016 for proper discarding of the bio-medical waste. In India, total bio-medical waste generated is 484 tonnes per day (TPD) from 1,68,869 healthcare facilities (HCF), out of which 447 TPD is treated.

6. National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi was declared free from bird flu (H5N8 avian influenza) after consecutive samples collected at 15 days’ intervals from the last positive results tested negative. In October 2016, cases of mortality among the birds due to H5N8 avian influenza were reported in National Zoological Park, Delhi NCR.

7. INS Khanderi, the second Scorpene class submarine was launched at the Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It is the second of the six submarines being built at MDL in collaboration with France’s DCNS as part of Project 75 of Indian Navy.

8. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully test-fired the Pinaka Rocket converted to a Guided Pinaka from Launch Complex-III, ITR, Chandipur (Odisha). The test-firing met all mission objectives. The flight-path Guided Pinaka was tracked and monitored by the radars, electro-optical and telemetry systems at Chandipur. About Guided Pinaka Guided Pinaka is transformed version of the Pinaka Rocket Mark-II, which has evolved from Pinaka Mark-I. It has been jointly developed by ARDE Pune, DRDL Hyderabad and RCI Hyderabad. It is equipped with a navigation, guidance and control kit. This conversion considerably enhances the range and accuracy of Pinaka. About Pinaka Pinaka is an unguided rocket weapon area system (WAS) with a range of 40 km. It meant to neutralise large areas with rapid salvos. It can fire a salvo of 12 rockets in 44 seconds with 1.2 tonnes of high explosives. The battery of six launchers can neutralise at a time a target area of 3.9 sq km. It has capability to incorporate several types of warheads makes it deadly for the enemy as it can even destroy solid structures and bunkers. The quick reaction time and high rate of fire of the system gives an edge to the Army during a low amount conflict situation. It already has been inducted into Indian Army.

9. The Supreme Court has described side effects of Endosulfan, a highly toxic agrochemical (pesticide) as devastating. It has directed Kerala government to release entire Rs. 500 crore compensation to over 5,000 victims in three months who have suffered from various deformities and health complications due to use of Endosulfan in the state. It also asked the state to consider setting up a centre to provide lifelong medical treatment to all the victims. The major numbers of victims were reported to be affected in Kasargode (Kerala) after Endosulfan was aerially sprayed by state owned company on cashew plantations adjoining habitats where the victims are located. The apex court in 2011 had passed order to ban the production, distribution and use of endosulfan.

10. India and Kenya signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for cooperation in the field of agriculture and allied sectors. India also announced $100 million Line of Credit (LoC) to Kenya for agricultural mechanization The agreement was signed after delegation level talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Kenyian President Uhuru Kenyatta in New Delhi. It was first official state visit of President from Kenya to India since 1981. Joint statement released by both leaders Expansion of bilateral trade, greater flow of capital between two countries and stronger developmental partnership is a priority. Both sides will also explore opportunities in blue economy. They also discussed long term arrangements for production and import of pulses. Both countries will focus on quick operationalisation of the defence cooperation along with hydrography, anti-piracy, communication networks, capacity building and defence medical cooperation. They will encourage industry and business in both countries to take lead in exploiting opportunities in healthcare, tourism, IT, agriculture and energy. Joint Working Group (JWG) focusing on cyber security, counter terrorism, combating narcotics trade, human trafficking and money laundering will meet early. They also condemned terrorism in all its forms and reiterated their commitment to work together in this regard. They also committed to strengthen cooperation against terror threats from extremist groups. India invited Kenya to join the framework agreement of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) and also offering its expertise in the area of LED smart street lighting and LED bulbs for domestic use.

11. The National Youth Day is observed every year on 12 January to mark the birth anniversary of social reformer, philosopher and thinker Swami Vivekananda. Observance of the day seeks to propagate the philosophy and the ideals of Swami Vivekananda for which he lived and worked. It will also help and act as a great source of inspiration for the Indian Youth. Several functions are being organised across the country to mark the occasion. To celebrate this day, the 21st National Youth Festival was held in Rohtak, Haryana. The theme this Festival was ‘Youth for Digital India’. About Swami Vivekananda Swami Vivekananda was born as Narendranath Dutta on 12 January 1863 and died on 4 July 1902. He and was chief disciple of the 19th century saint Ramakrishna Paramhamsa. He was one of the most prominent figures of India who introduced Indian philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga to the “Western” World. He is credited with raising interfaith awareness, bringing Hinduism to the status of a major world religion during the late 19th century. He is also considered as the major force in the revival of Hinduism in India, and contributed to the concept of nationalism in colonial India. He is best known for his speech which began, “Sisters and brothers of America …,” at the Parliament of the World’s Religions in Chicago in 1893 in which he introduced Hinduism. This speech was considered as one of his most significant contributions to the world and was a breakdown of the ancient philosophy of Hindusim, aided with logic and impeccable scientific insight.

12. India and USA have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT- In) and US Department of Homeland Security on cooperation in field of cyber Security. The MoU was signed by Aruna Sundararajan, Secretary, Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and Richard Verma, US Ambassador to India. Key Facts The MoU has been signed for the continuation to the cooperation in cyber security areas between both countries on the basis of equality, reciprocity and mutual benefit. It intends to promote closer co-operation and the exchange of information pertaining to the Cyber Security in accordance with the relevant laws, rules and regulations of each economy. Background Earlier US and India signed had inked MoU in July 2011 to promote a closer cooperation and timely exchange of information between the organizations of their respective Governments responsible for Cyber Security. Since, the regular interactions between US CERT and CERT-In are taking place to share the information and discuss cyber security related issues. About CERT-In (Indian Computer Emergency Response Team) CERT-In is a government-mandated nodal agency for information technology (IT) security established in 2004 under the aegis of the Indian Department of Information Technology, Ministry of Electronics and IT. According to the provisions of the IT Amendment Act, 2008, CERT-In is responsible for overseeing administration of the Act. Mandate of CERT-In: (i) Protect Indian cyberspace and software infrastructure against destructive and hacking activities. (ii) Respond to computer security incidents, report on vulnerabilities and promote effective IT security practices throughout the country. (iii) Issue guidelines, vulnerability notes, advisories, and whitepapers regarding to information security practices, prevention, procedures, response and reporting of cyber security incidents.

13. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated India’s first international exchange India INX at the International Financial Service Centre (IFSC) of GIFT (Gujarat International Financial Tech) City Gandhinagar, Gujarat. India INX is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE). It will enable Indian firms to compete on equal footing with offshore firms. Key Facts India INX will initially trade in equity derivatives, currency derivatives, commodity derivatives including index and Stocks. Subsequently, it will offer depository receipts and bonds once required infrastructure is ready. It will work for 22 hours in a day working from sunrise to sunset i.e. starting when Japan exchanges begin and close when US markets end. It will have 250 trading members including commodity and overseas brokers. India INX is one of the most advanced technology platforms with turnaround time of 4 seconds. It will facilitate international investors and NRIs to trade from anywhere in the world.\ It will provide benefits in terms of waiver of security transaction tax, commodity transaction tax, dividend distribution tax, long term capital gain tax and income tax.

14. Outgoing US President Barack Obama has selected four Indian-American scientists among 102 researchers for the Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). They are Pankaj Lal from Montclair State University, Kaushik Chowdhury from Northeastern University, Manish Arora from Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Aradhna Tripati from University of California, Los Angeles. About Awardees Pankaj Lal: He is an associate professor in the department of earth and environmental studies at Montclair. He has been working on environmental economics and economic geography, natural resource conservation and policy and climate change, human dimensions of ecosystem management. Kaushik Chowdhury: He directs the Next Generation Networks and Systems (GENESYS) Lab. He is the winner of the “NSF CAREER” award (2015) and the Office of Naval Research Director of Research Early Career Award (2016). Manish Arora: He is an environmental epidemiologist and exposure biologist. His research focuses on effects of prenatal and early childhood chemical exposures on life-long health trajectories. He is known for his work on biomarkers that utilise human deciduous and permanent teeth to reconstruct the timing of exposure to various harmful chemicals and essential nutrients. Aradhna Tripati: Her lab at UCLA uses chemistry of natural compounds as well as models as tools to understand how the Earth works. Her models focus to understand climate change, oceans, and the transfer of carbon between the biosphere, atmosphere and oceans.

15. Pakistan successfully test-fired its first Submarine-Launched Cruise Missile (SLCM) Babur-3 capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. This launch gives Pakistan a “credible” second-strike capability. The Babur-3 missile was fired from an underwater mobile platform from an undisclosed location in the Indian Ocean and hit its target with precise accuracy.

16. China successfully launched first commercial mission using an updated version of the low-cost Kuaizhou-1A rocket. As part of the mission three satellites JL-1, CubeSats XY-S1 and Caton-1 were launched into space. The rocket was launched form northwestern China’s Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gansu province. Rocket technology company under the state owned China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (ACSIC) was responsible for the successful launch mission.

17. Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo was named the world’s best player for the year 2016 at the inaugural Best FIFA Football Awards held in Zurich, Switzerland. To win this title he received 34.54% of total votes. He defeated Barcelona’s Lionel Messi (26.42%), Atletico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann (7.53%) to win the coveted prize.

18. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and French Space agency (CNES) have signed a partnership agreement in satellite launch technology. The agreement was signed between ISRO Chairman Kiran Kumar and CNES President Jean-Yves Le Gall in the presence of visiting French Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Marc Ayrault in Bengaluru, Karnataka. Key Facts Space cooperation is one of the cornerstones of the Indo-French strategic partnership and spans over 50 years. ISRO is the second partner of CNES, in terms of volume, after NASA. This agreement will strengthen the CNES-ISRO partnership. It will enable France to benefit from the Indian model of streamlining the costs of space programmes. Besides, agreement was also signed for equipping Axiom Research Lab’s lunar rover with two latest-generation CASPEX micro-cameras, developed by CNES in partnership with French firm 3DPlus. Axiom Research Lab: It is leading Indian “NewSpace” start-up put forward TeamIndus, the only Indian team competing for the Google Lunar XPRIZE. CNES is providing cameras to Team Indus’ rover that will land on moon. XPRIZE: It is a global competition organised by Google for engineers and entrepreneurs to develop low-cost methods of robotic space exploration. It will award $20 million to the first private company that successfully lands a module on the Moon, places a robot that explores at least 500 metres and transmits HD videos and images back to Earth.

19. The child sex ratio at birth (SRB) in Haryana for the first time has touched 900-mark in two decades. SRB in December 2016 in Haryana was 914. From January to December 2016 out of 5,25,278 children were born in Haryana, 2,76,414 were boys and 2,48,864 were girl.

20. The 74th Annual Golden Globe Awards ceremony was organized at Beverly Hills, California, United States (US). The Golden Globe Awards are the annual awards that honour the best in Motion Pictures and American Television for the previous year. This year, La La Land, a romantic musical comedy-drama film won in all the seven categories including the top award of best musical or comedy. Veteran actress Meryl Streep was bestowed with the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award. Winners of various awards are as follows: Best Motion Picture Drama: Moonlight. Best Motion Picture Musical/Comedy: La La Land. Best Director in Motion Picture-Drama: Damien Chazelle for La La Land. Best Actor in Motion Picture-Drama: Casey Affleck for Manchester by the Sea. Best Actress in Motion Picture-Drama: Isabelle Huppert for Elle. Best Actor in Motion Picture or Musical or Comedy: Ryan Gosling for La La Land. Best Actress in Motion Picture Musical or Comedy: Emma Stone for La La Land. Best Actor in a Supporting role in Motion Picture: Aaron Taylor-Johnson for Nocturnal Animals. Best Actress in a Supporting role in Motion Picture: Viola Davis for Fences. Best Original Score Motion Picture: Justin Hurwitz for the La La Land. Best Original Song: “City of Stars” (Justin Hurwitz, Pasek & Paul) for the La La Land. Best Animated Feature Film: Zootopia. Best Foreign Language Film: Elle (France).

21. The Indian Army has successfully conducted ‘user-validation’ trials of indigenous Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS) Dhanush in the Himalayas. It clears the way for the induction in the Army. Earlier, proof firing tests of Dhanush’s armament systems were carried out during technical trials in June and September 2016 and some initial integrated firing tests were successfully carried out in December 2016. Key Facts Dhanush 155 MM/52 calibre towed artillery gun is based on the 1980s’ Bofors FH-77B/39 Calibre artillery gun design. Its indegenous development is aided by the transfer of technology (ToT) clause signed with the Swedish company. It is developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in collaboration with the private sector companies. It was designed by the DRDO’s Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE). It boasts a range of 45 km with accuracy and precision and provides greater fire power, depending on the type of ammunition used. It also has night firing capability in direct fire mode. It has several significant features such as an all-electric drive, quick deployability, high mobility, auxiliary power mode, advanced communication system, and automated command and control system.

22. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Pravasi Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PKVY), a skill development program targeted at Indian youth seeking overseas employment to make India the Skill Capital of the World. It was launched after inauguration of 14th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas convention at India’s IT hub Bengaluru, Karnataka. Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa was the Chief Guest of the event.

23. The Supreme Court has reiterated the necessity to implement the Vote Verifier Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) in electronic voting machines (EVMs) to ensure 100% transparency in elections. This is the second time the Supreme Court has directed Election Commission (EC) for the implementation of VVPAT in EVMs. Earlier in 2013, SC had directed the EC to introduce VVPAT in a phased manner for 2014 general elections. SC had observed that VVPAT will ensure free and fair polls and help in sorting out disputes. In response the EC had informed the apex court that the VVPAT can be introduced in a phased manner. What is VVPAT? The VVPAT system is a new initiative of the Election Commission to ensure free and fair elections. In the VVPAT system, when a voter presses the button for a candidate of his choice in the electronic voting machines (EVM), a paper ballot containing the serial number, name of the candidate and poll symbol will be printed for the voter. It is intended as an independent verification system for EVM designed to (i) allow voters to verify that their votes are casted correctly, (ii) detect possible election fraud or malfunction and (iii) Provide a means to audit the stored electronic results.

24. The 20th Edition of the National Conference for e-Governance 2016-17 has started in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. The theme of this year’s conference is ‘Internet of Things and e-Governance’ and will be covering newly evolving areas of e-Governance across five plenary sessions. Key Facts The conference has been organised by Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY) and Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) in partnership with Information Technology, Electronics and Communication (ITE&C) Department, Andhra Pradesh Government. It is being held on the premise of “Minimum Government, Maximum Governance”. It will provide an opportunity for the public and private sector to discuss best practices and explore new areas of partnership in areas related to e-Governance by leveraging various technology initiatives. It will conduct plenary session include ‘Cyber Security policy for the future’, ‘IoT and Data Analytics’, ‘Digital Connectivity to the last mile’ and ‘Andhra Pradesh – Leading 4.0 which refers to the 4th Industrial Revolution. The conference is aligned with the Digital India programme of Union Government and it is the largest annual event in the arena of Governance reforms in the country. Last year it was held in Nagpur, Maharashtra. Note E-Governance is one of the subjects allocated to DARPG under the II Schedule to the Allocation of Business Rules, 1961. DARPG has been entrusted the role to promote e-Governance activities in consonance with the overall national objectivities and priorities. Whereas, DeitY’s mandate is to encourage e-Governance to empower citizens, promote inclusive and sustainable growth of Electronics, IT & ITeS industries.

25. The Union Government has made mandatory for workers in rural areas enrolled under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA) to have an Aadhaar card. Those who have registered under the scheme will be required to give furnish proof of possession of Aadhaar card or undergo the enrolment process till March 31, 2017. Key Facts For this purpose, government has invoked Section 7 of the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and other Subsidies, benefits and services) Act, 2016. This section allows Government to ask an individual to undergo authentication or furnish proof of possession of Aadhaar when the government gives subsidy, benefit or service from Consolidated Fund of India (CFI). The rationale behind making Aadhaar cards mandatory for the MGNREGA is to prevent leakages of subsidies and ensure that the beneficiaries get their due. It will ensure effective implementation of the Aadhaar-linked Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme aimed at checking leakages of welfare funds. Under DBT scheme, all cash benefits are transferred to beneficiary’s bank account. Union Government has asked its departments and State governments to widen scope of DBT to include all monetary transfers. Note: The expenditure for the MGNREGS is met by Government from the Consolidated Fund of India.

26. India and Portugal have signed six memorandum of understandings (MoUs) including in defence cooperation. These agreements were signed after delegation level talks Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his visiting Portugal counterpart António Costa who is chief Guest of 2017 Pravasi Bharatiya Divas. Six agreements signed are MoU on Defence. MoU on Renewable Energy. MoU on Marine Research and Resources. MoU in the Agriculture and Allied Sectors. MoU in the field of Information Technology and Electronics. MoU on the establishment of an ICCR Chair of Indian Studies in University of Lisbon. Besides, an agreement on visa waiver for holders of diplomatic passports was also signed. It allows visa free travel for diplomatic passport holders of India and Portugal to each other’s countries for short term visits. The defence agreement between both countries aims to boost joint production and development of niche weapons systems. It was signed following Portugal’s support to India’s multilateral plans in various technology regimes including Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) in which India secured membership in 2016.

27. Pakistan’s former Army chief Gen. Raheel Sharif (retired) was appointed head of Islamic Military Alliance to Fight Terrorism (IMAFT), a Saudi Arabia-led military coalition of 39 nations. The appointment was confirmed by Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif as both the government and the Army allowed Gen. Sharif take charge of the alliance. Raheel had retired as the Pakistan army chief in November 2016 and was succeeded by General Qamar Javed Bajwa. What is Islamic Military Alliance to Fight Terrorism (IMAFT)? IMAFT is military coalition comprising 39 nations. It was established by Saudi Arabia in December 2015 and its command centre, headquarters is based in Riyadh. The coalition calls for all member states to cooperate to combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. It is envisaged to serve as a platform for security cooperation, including provision of training, troops and equipment, and involvement of religious scholars for dealing with extremism. It has been established in pursuance with objectives and principles of the charter of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). Member countries of this alliance will coordinate and support military operations against terrorism in Iraq, Libya, Syria, Afghanistan and Egypt. The coalition includes countries like United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Bahrain, Tunisia, Sudan, Egypt, Yemen, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia among others. Note: Saudi Arabia’s arch rival (for influence in the Arab world) Iran was not named as member of the IMAFT. Currently both regional powers are engaged proxy sectarian conflicts in Syria to Yemen. What is Pakistan’s position on IMAFT? Pakistan initially had taken aback for being part of IMAFT, after Saudi Arabia had announced Pakistan also part of the alliance. However, Pakistan later confirmed its participation in the alliance but has not committed itself to providing troops for any possible military operations.

28. India asked the World Bank not to rush in brokering a deal on its dispute with Pakistan over Ratle and Kishenganga projects coming up in Jammu and Kashmir. India conveyed its position during a meeting with World Bank representative in New Delhi. India asserted that the differences between India and Pakistan can be resolved bilaterally or through a neutral expert. Key outcomes of the meeting India also maintained its position that the designs of the Ratle and Kishenganga projects do not violate the Indo-Pak Indus Water Treaty (IWT). Following this, the World Bank decided to set up a Court of Arbitration (CoA) to settle the disputes following Pakistan’s demand and also agreed to appoint a neutral expert as sought by India. However, India reacted strongly to the decision to appoint the CoA as earlier World Bank in December 2016 had announced that it will temporarily halt the two simultaneous processes to resolve the differences. About Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) IWT is a bilateral water-distribution treaty between India and Pakistan signed in 1960. It was brokered by the World Bank (then the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development). The treaty deals with sharing of water of Indus water system having six rivers — Beas, Ravi, Sutlej, Indus, Chenab and Jhelum between the two countries. It gives India control over three eastern rivers Ravi, Beas and Sutlej and Pakistan control over three western rivers Indus, Jhelum and Chenab. It is most successful water treaty in world. Even, it has survived India-Pakistan wars of 1965, 1971 and the 1999 Kargil standoff besides Kashmir insurgency since 1990.

29. The 14th edition of Pravasi Bhartiya Divas (PBD) began in the country’s IT hub Bengaluru, Karnataka. The theme of this edition is “Redefining Engagement with the Indian Diaspora”. On the first day of three day event, ‘Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas’ was inaugurated as part of the PBD 2017 with an aim to connect with the youth, the new generation of Pravasis growing up all over the world. The main convention will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Indian-origin Portugal Prime Minister, Dr. Antonio Costa who is the chief guest in the PBD convention.