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January-2018 Index EDITORIAL 1. Contours of Indian Foreign Policy 1-3 ART, CULTURE, SOCIETY, SOCIAL & NATIONAL ISSUES 2. UNESCO names Kumbh Mela Intangible Cultural Heritage 4-5 3. Hornbill Festival 5-5 4. Kathakar: International Storytellers Festival 5-6 5. Bodhi Parva: BIMSTEC Festival of Buddhist Heritage 6-6 7. Sakhi: One stop centres in strengthening multi sectoral response to violence 6-7 8. Assam publishes first draft of National Register of Citizens 7-7 9. Latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data 7-8 10. Minority tag for Hindus: NCM forms committee 8-9 11. India’s digital gender gap could further marginalise women: UNICEF 9-10 POLITY & GOVERNANCE, SOCIAL JUSTICE & SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT 12. Bill to criminalise instant triple talaq introduced in Lok Sabha 11-11 13. Govt directs NGOs to open account in any designated bank 12-12 14. Uniform Civil Code: Law panel may recommend piece meal amendments to family laws 13-14 15. Representation of the People (Amendment) Bill 2017 14-15 16. Electronic-Human Resource Management System (e-HRMS) 15-16 17. Good Governance Day 16-16 18. Special courts for the trial of politicians 16-17 19. Meghalaya launches India’s first social audit law 17-17 20. NITI Aayog launches ATAL Community Day 17-18 21. Supreme Court agrees to examine plea to bar politicians from contesting from two seats 18-19 22. National Conference on E-Courts Project 19-20 23. Government gives green light for single-judge NGT Benches 20-21 24. Rajasthan ordinance on immunity for public servants 21-21 Email: [email protected], Visit: www.eliteias.in | Call: 8899999931/34, 7065202020 January-2018 25. Supreme Court seeks Centre’s response on Haj norms 21-22 26. 3rd December: International Day of Persons with Disabilities 23-23 27. Supreme Court rejects plea for single school board 23-24 28. CGA launches the upgraded version of Central Pension Accounting Office (CPAO) website 25-25 29. SC Seeks Attorney General’s help in PIL on Autonomy To Election Commission of India 25-26 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, INDIAN & THE WORLD AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS 30. India, Australia hold first ‘2+2 dialogue’ on strategic, defence ties 27-28 31. UAE and Saudis form new partnership separate from GCC 28-29 32. 22nd AHWP conference 29-30 33. Sri Lanka formally hands over Hambantota Port to Chinese firms on 99-Year Lease 30-30 34. India re-elected to International Maritime Organisation Council 30-31 35. India-Russia Multi-Modal Transportation Route all set to open next month 31-32 36. India votes against Buenos Aires Declaration on Women and Trade 32-33 37. MEA launches SAMEEP 33-34 38. India-Swiss deal inked on data sharing 34-34 39. India and Myanmar sign MoU for development of Rakhine state 35-35 40. Pact on Rohingyas 35-36 41. India joins Wassenaar Arrangement 36-38 42. BIMSTEC Member States discuss draft text of Coastal Shipping Agreement 38-38 43. US pulls out of UN’s Global Compact on Migration 39-39 44. US recognizes Jerusalem as Israel’s capital 39-40 45. ASEAN-India Connectivity Summit (AICS) 40-41 46. India fights to maintain developing country status 41-42 47. World Migration Report 2018 42-43 48. UN imposes new sanctions on North Korea 43-44 Email: [email protected], Visit: www.eliteias.in | Call: 8899999931/34, 7065202020 January-2018 49. India plans to commence BBIN motor pact with Nepal, Bangladesh 44-45 50. UN resolution against US’ Jerusalem move 45-45 INDIAN ECONOMY & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 51. DARPAN launched for financial inclusion of rural population 46-46 52. IBBI issues norms for handling grievances under IBC 46-47 53. Government to bear MDR charges on digital transactions up to Rs 2,000 47-48 54. FRDI Bill clauses aimed at protecting depositors’ interests: Government 48-49 55. BPO Promotion Schemes put small towns on Global Digital Map 49-50 56. India opposes e-commerce talks at WTO 50-51 57. Techno-commercial agreement signed with Spain for three RRTS corridors 51-52 58. WTO Buenos Aires meet ends with no consensus on key issues 52-53 59. 6th International Tourism Mart 53-53 60. ‘World Economic Situation and Prospects 2018’ report 53-54 61. Government inks $250 million Loan Agreement with World Bank for SANKALP Project 54-55 62. India’s first National Rail and Transportation University at Vadodara 55-55 63. India ranks 100 in global prosperity index, closes gap up with China 55-56 64. Tuirial power project 56-57 65. Cabinet approves new skill development scheme for textile sector 57-57 66. World Bank provides loans of $125 m for STRIVE project 57-58 ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY 67. Bali declares ‘garbage emergency’ amid sea of waste 59-59 68. Environment Ministry launches a Regional Project to Tackle Stubble Burning 59-60 69. New night frog species discovered in Western Ghats 61-61 70. Protection of Majuli Island 61-62 71. Arunachal Pradesh declared open defecation-free State 62-63 72. Centre releases draft action plan to tackle air pollution in Delhi 63-65 Email: [email protected], Visit: www.eliteias.in | Call: 8899999931/34, 7065202020 January-2018 73. Biodiversity under alien attack 65-66 74. ‘Ganga Gram’ project launched 66-67 75. New scorpion species discovered in Tripura 67-68 76. India unveils anti-smog cannon in fight against Delhi pollution 68-69 77. New frog species identified in Arunachal 69-69 78. Kaleshwaram irrigation project gets environmental nod 69-70 79. Methanol Economy Fund 70-71 80. UN warns of severe health risks from electronic/electrical waste in India 71-72 81. NDMA to conduct Training of Trainers for Sendai Framework 72-73 82. India’s battle with air pollution: UNICEF report 73-74 83. ISA becomes a Treaty-based International Intergovernmental organization 74-75 84. NITI Aayog and EU delegation to India release the Strategy on Resource Efficiency (RE) 75-76 85. Cyclone Ockhi 76-77 86. Clean Sea-2017 77-78 87. India Awarded Certificate of Commendation for Its Effort to Combat Illegal Wildlife Trade 78-79 SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, DEFENCE AND HEALTH 88. India has decided to crank up its crackdown against Bitcoins 80-80 89. India and Cuba ink MoU for enhanced cooperation in Health Sector 80-81 90. National Nutrition Mission 81-82 91. State opposes NITI Aayog’s prescription 82-83 92. ‘Hamesha Vijayee’ Exercise 83-83 93. 1st December: World AIDS Day 2017 83-84 94. National Strategic Plan (2017-24) and Mission “SAMPARK” 84-85 95. National Trachoma Survey Report (2014-17) released 85-86 96. Supreme Court refers fixed dose combination drugs issue to the expert body 86-86 97. Government launches door-to-door campaign against TB 87-88 Email: [email protected], Visit: www.eliteias.in | Call: 8899999931/34, 7065202020 January-2018 98. Laqshya- A Labour Room Quality Improvement Initiative 88-88 99. Department of pharmaceuticals sets up high level panel to assist on pricing, launch of new drugs 88-89 100. International Conference cum Exhibition on AYUSH and Wellness 89-90 101. National vehicle registry VAHAN unveiled 90-91 102. Disparities between States on diseases 91-92 103. Cabinet approves continuation of National AYUSH Mission till March 2020 92-93 104. EKUVERIN Exercise 2017 93-93 105. Cabinet approves National Medical Commission Bill, 2017 93-94 106. Soil Health Card Mobile App launched 94-95 107. India successfully test-fires surface-to-air Akash missile 95-96 108. Health Ministry and Rotary India sign MoU for achieving immunization target 96-96 109. Border Protection Grid to be set up in Border States 97-97 110. NASA’s ‘SuperTIGER’ balloon to study cosmic particles 98-98 111. New form of matter ‘excitonium’ discovered 98-99 112. Government sets up NIC-CERT centre to detect, prevent cyberattacks 99-100 113. SC leaves it to government to regulate ads on pre-natal sex tests on internet 100-101 114. Scorpene-class submarine Kalvari inducted into Navy 101-101 115. Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) ICGS Sujay Commissioned 102-102 116. India to have its own gravitational wave detector in 2025 102-103 117. 25th National Children’s Science Congress held in Gujarat 103-103 118. NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission 104-104 119. Endo-atmospheric interceptor missile 104-105 MISCELLANEOUS (STATE AND OTHER NEWS) 120. 2017 Sahitya Akademi Award winners 106-106 121. Losar Festival 107-107 122. Lalji Singh, ‘father of DNA fingerprinting in India,’ passes away 107-107 Email: [email protected], Visit: www.eliteias.in | Call: 8899999931/34, 7065202020 January-2018 123. 12th December: Universal Health Coverage Day 107-107 124. December 10: World Human Rights Day 107-108 125. ICAN receives Nobel Peace Prize 108-108 126. Vyas Samman 2017 108-108 127. SAICON 2017 109-109 128. Navy Day 2017 109-109 129. 5 December: World Soil Day 109-109 130. 7 December: International Civil Aviation Day 109-109 131. Naseem-Al-Bahr 2017 109-109 SUMMARY OF THE MONTHLY JOURNALS 132. Consumer protection: Sine Qua Non for Good Governance 110-112 133. Government Initiatives for Development of Rural Tourism 112-115 134. India’s Foreign Policy: Economic Challenges and Prospects 115-116 Email: [email protected], Visit: www.eliteias.in | Call: 8899999931/34, 7065202020 January-2018 Foreign policy of India has come a long way in its chequered career in the last 70 years of its independence. This has been a long story of India’s evolution of the conceptualization of its national interests as visualized by its successive governments. The strategy of Independent India’s foreign policy had begun to evolve during the period of its struggle for freedom itself and then this grandiose plan was put into effect on attainment of sovereignty.