September 2018
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Changing the way of learning… Monthly Current Affairs Capsule September 2018 organized by International Maharishi Ayurveda Foundation, Netherlands; All India Ayurvedic Congress, New Delhi and the International Academy PM inaugurates Pashupatinath Dharmashala in of Ayurveda, Pune in association with the Indian Kathmandu Embassy in the Netherlands. The Prime Minister, Shri The congress would focus on promotion and Narendra Modi, jointly propagation of Ayurveda in Netherlands and its inaugurated the Pashupatinath neighboring countries of Europe. Dharmashala in Kathmandu, A special Seminar is also organized by the Indian with the Prime Minister of Embassy titled “India-Netherlands collaboration in Nepal, Shri K.P. Oli. Healthcare, including Ayurveda” on 3rd September He said the spiritual ties between India and Nepal 2018. have transcended both time and distance. In that context, he added, he feels delighted to be 6th East Asia Summit and 15th India-ASEAN Economic inaugurating this Dharmashala. Ministers Meeting held in Singapore The Prime Minister said that the temples of Commerce & Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu attended the 6th Pashupatinath, Muktinath and Jankidham showcase East Asia Summit- Economic Ministers’ Meeting (EAS- Nepal's unity in diversity, besides strengthening its EMM) and 15th India-ASEAN Economic Ministers’ Meeting bonds with India. (AEM) in Singapore. Singapore is currently holding the Chair of ASEAN. AYUSH Minister to inaugurate the Fourth International The 6th East-Asia Economic Ministers’ Meeting was Ayurveda Congress chaired by Chan Chun Sing, Minister for Trade and Minister of State, (IC), for AYUSH Shri Shripad Yesso Naik Industry, Singapore, and was attended by Economic will be inaugurated the Fourth International Ayurveda Ministers from 10 ASEAN countries and their Congress (IAvC) at Netherlands on September 1. eight dialogue partners, Australia, China, India, The Minister is visiting Netherlands from September Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, the Russian 1-4, 2018 to participate in the Congress jointly Federation and the United States of America. The Ministers welcomed the higher global economic J P Nadda addresses the‘71st Session of the WHO Regional growth forecast for 2018 and took note of the Committee for South-East Asia' increasing importance of trade and investment “India has fast-tracked many relations among the EAS economies. initiatives aimed at achieving all The 6th EAS–EMM was followed by the 15th the core tenets of Universal ASEAN Economic Ministers - India Consultation. It Health Coverage i.e, was co-chaired by Chan Chun Sing, Minister for strengthening health systems, Trade and Industry, Singapore, and Suresh Prabhu, improving access to free medicines & diagnostics and reducing Minister of Commerce and Industry, India. catastrophic healthcare spending.” This was stated by Shri J P Nadda, Union Minister of India Pavilion at Food and Drink Technology Africa Trade Health and Family Welfare at the inauguration of the Show in South Africa ‘71st Session of the WHO Regional Committee for Trade Promotion Council of India (TPCI) is setting up India South-East Asia,'. Pavilion at the Food and Drink Technology Africa 2018 trade Shri J P Nadda further stated that India on its part show being organized at Gallagher Convention Centre, firmly believes in the objective of attainment of the Johannesburg, South Africa from 4-6 September, 2018. highest possible level of health, where health is a state The India Pavilion is part of TPCI’s efforts to promote of complete physical, mental, spiritual and social India’s trade related to food and beverages industry well-being and not merely the absence of disease or globally and with special focus on Africa. infirmity. Food & Drink Technology Africa (FDT-Africa) - held “Moving toward this objective, we have adopted the biennially in Johannesburg - is the premier beverage National Health Policy 2017 with the aim to provide and food event in Southern Africa, tailored to promote affordable healthcare for all,” Shri Nadda added. the specific needs of the market. The trade show covers the entire value chain related India to take part in tsunami mock drill to food and beverages industry and offers solutions to India along with 23 other nations, would be participating in a the challenges and demands of the market in Southern major Indian ocean-wide tsunami mock exercise (drill) on Africa. September 4 and 5. The exercise, known as IOWave18, is being In Services, Suresh Prabhu emphasised on the organised by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic importance of maintaining quality and commercially Commission (IOC) of UNESCO. meaningful offers across all Modes. The purpose of exercise is to increase tsunami In a significant development, all member countries preparedness, evaluate response capabilities in each agreed to establish the linkage between Mode 4/ state and improve coordination throughout the region. MoNP and the Services text. While welcoming this linkage, Union Commerce 24th RCEP Auckland Round from 17-24th October 2018 Minister urged member countries to make quality In the 6th Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership offers by 5th October 2018. (RCEP) Ministerial Meeting held on 30-31 August, 2018, in In Investment, the Commerce Minister underlined the Singapore, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Suresh importance of negotiations focussing on the Prabhu, led the Indian delegation. application of Investor State Dispute Settlement The Ministers acknowledged the good progress made (ISDS) and mentioned that clarity on its application in the negotiations so far with successful conclusion would lead to further movement in the Investment of 4 chapters, namely (i) Economic and Technical Chapter. Cooperation; (ii) Small and Medium Enterprises; (iii) At India’s behest, it was agreed that ISDS will not Customs Procedures and Trade Facilitation; and (iv) apply to MFN and PPR. All member countries are Government Procurement. expected to submit their revised Reservation Lists The Ministers endorsed ‘The Package of Year End without broad sectoral carve outs. Deliverables’ and urged the negotiators to intensify The Ministers directed that the negotiations on all their work with a view to narrowing gaps and finding these issues be intensified during the 24th RCEP balanced outcomes in the negotiations as it moves Auckland Round from 17-24th October 2018. forward. Points to Remember In Goods, the negotiators have been tasked to work on The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership the ASEAN’s Non-Paper on Trade in Goods Market is a mega regional free trade agreement being Access Negotiations, which is to be considered as the negotiated amongst 16 countries, comprising 10 working assumption paper. ASEAN countries (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Two antique statues worth hundreds of thousands of dollars Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, stolen from India and displayed at two American museums Thailand and Vietnam) and six ASEAN FTA have been repatriated to India by the US. partners, namely Australia, China, India, Japan, The first statue, ‘Lingodhbhavamurti’, a 12th century Korea and New Zealand. granite sculpture depicting an iconic representation of So far 6 Ministerial Meetings, 5 Inter-sessional Lord Shiva, dates back to the Chola dynasty. Ministerial Meetings and 23 Rounds of the Trade Currently valued at about $225,000, it was stolen Negotiating Committee at the technical level have from Tamil Nadu and was on display at the been held. Birmingham Museum in Alabama. The second phyllite sculpture depicts the bodhisattva Thaawarchand Gehlot to attend the 3rd ASEM (Asia- of wisdom, ‘Manjusri’, holding a sword and painted Europe Meeting) Conference in gold leaf. This statue was stolen from a temple in Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot, Union Minister of Social Justice Bihar in the late 1980s. and Empowerment left for Seoul (Korea). He is heading a 3-member Indian Delegation to attend Facebook to build first Asian data centre in Singapore the 3rd ASEM (Asia-Europe Meeting) Conference on Facebook has announced it will pour in more than S$1.4 billion ‘Global Ageing and Human Rights of Older Persons’ to construct its first data centre in Asia in Singapore. jointly organised in Seoul during 5th to 7th September, The new facility, located at Tanjong Kling (formerly 2018 by the Republic of Korea and the National known as Data Centre Park) in the west of Singapore, Human Rights Commission of Korea. will span 170,000 sq m and will support hundreds of The Conference will be attended by International jobs. Institutions including the United Nations, Regional Institutions such as UNESCAP, UNECE, European G20 Education Ministers’ and Joint Ministerial Meeting Union, ASEAN, GANHRI and also International The Minister of State for Human Resource Development, Dr. NGOs, Experts etc. Satya Pal Singh lead a high level delegation to the G-20 Education Ministers’ Meeting as well as Joint Ministerial U.S. returns two antique statues stolen from India Meeting held at Mendoza, Argentina on 5th & 6th September, of Sector Skill Councils and for employment creation 2018. like the Start Up India and the MUDRA scheme. It was the first ever meeting of Education Ministers in He added that the process of simplifying and the history of G-20. rationalizing nearly 40 labour laws into 4 labour codes While speaking on the inaugural day in Educational has been started which would not only lead to Ministerial meeting, Dr Satya Pal Singh, appreciated effective