CURRENT AFFAIRS PRELIMS QUICK REVISION’ 2017 1. Social Issues 2. Polity Issues 3. Governance Issues 4. Economy Issues 5. International Relations 6. Summit 7. Science & Technology 8. Environment 9. Health 10. Culture 11. Miscellaneous Quick Revision Prelims 2017 Part 1 - June, July & August 2016 Part 2 – September, October & November 2016 Part 3 – December 2016, January & February 2017 (would be available by 18th April 2017) Part 4 – March, April & May 2017 (would be available by 25th May 2017) Current Affairs Quick Revision For 2017- (Sep to Nov 2016) Page 1 SOCIAL ISSUES 1. 2016 BRICS Convention on Tourism begins in Madhya Pradesh The 2016 BRICS Convention on Tourism has begun at UNESCO World heritage site Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh to promote intra-regional tourism. Key Facts : The event comprised of inter-governmental exchange of views and ideas and panel discussions on different subjects including cooperation between the BRICS countries for promoting intra- regional tourism. Business to Business meetings between the India Travel Trade and their counterparts from the BRICS countries was organized. The convention has been organized as a precursor to the BRICS Summit to be held at Goa in October 2016. Khajuraho Temple: It is a group of Hindu and Jain Temples in Madhya Pradesh build by Chandela Dynasty between 950 and 1050 AD. It is an UNESCO World heritage Site. 2. MARRAKESH TREATY COMES INTO FORCE Marrakesh Treaty came into force, after 22 countries ratified the treaty adopted in 2013 by members of World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Marrakesh Treaty or Marrakesh VIP Treaty is formally known as Marrakesh treaty to facilitate Access to Published works by Visually Impaired Persons and Persons with Print Disabilities. It is also called “Books for Blind” treaty. The treaty allows for copyright exceptions to help for the creation, export and import, sharing, translation of the books in any format for accessible versions of copyrighted books and other works for the people with impaired visibility. World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), a United Nations Organisation based in Geneva, administers the Marrakesh Treaty and leads an alliance of private and public partners known as the Accessible Books Consortium (ABC). The ABC has established a free centralized electronic database of accessible books produced by libraries for the blind around the world. It is a library-to-library service. India was the first country to ratify the Marrakesh Treaty back in July 2014 .India has 63 million visually impaired people, of whom about 8 million are blind, according to WHO. In line with Marrakesh treaty, India launched Accessible India Campaign (Sugama Bharat Abhiyan) and has set up Sugamya Pustakalaya, which has 2,00,000 volumes. 3. THE CIVIL ASPECTS OF INTERNATIONAL CHILD ABDUCTION BILL, 2016 Union ministry of women and child development (WCD) has drafted the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction Bill, 2016. That once approved will facilitate prompt return of any child under 16 who has been “wrongfully removed to or retained in other state which is not his/her habitual residence.” The bill will provide an enabling legislation to implement the provision of the Hague convention. Various Objectives and provisions- The draft mandates setting up of a central authority, to be headed by a joint secretary level officer. The authority would have the power to decide all the cases. Voluntary return of any such child to the country in which such child had his or her habitual residence. Current Affairs Quick Revision For 2017- (Sep to Nov 2016) Page 2 To exchange information relating to any such child, with the appropriate authorities of a Contracting State. To provide, on request, information of a general character, as to the law of India in connection with the implementation of the Convention in any Contracting State. To institute judicial proceedings with a view to obtaining the return of any such in which that child has his habitual residence. It also facilitate the provision of legal aid or advice. It provide administrative arrangements related to return of a child. Significance: Replaces the outdated Guardians and Wards Act of 1890. A new law incorporating international measures of Hague Convention( though India has not signed this convention). In an absence of any domestic law this law will secure the future of child. It will ensure better understanding with foreign countries as following SOP. 4. AARAMBH INITIATIVE India launched its first internet hotline to encourage people to report online child pornography and curb a surge in photographs and videos on the internet showing children being sexually exploited. Significance: Aarambh Initiative, a network of organisations and individuals working on child protection in the country, has collaborated with the U.K.-based Internet Watch Foundation (IWF). The hotline in India will be hosted on aarambhindia.org and will enable users to report child sexual abuse images and videos in a safe and anonymous environment. With the help of the Britain’s Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) IWF’s 120 partners, such as tech firms such as Google, Facebook and Twitter, the material is traced to where the server is hosted. It is then blocked, eventually removed from the internet and the information shared with police for prosecution. 5. NEW DELHI DECLARATION ON EDUCATION The BRICS nations have adopted the ‘New Delhi Declaration on Education’ to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote life-long learning opportunities for all. The declaration was adopted at fourth Meeting of BRICS Education Ministers Conference held in New Delhi. It was attended by Ministers of Education and assigned representatives of BRICS nations. Key Features: Reiterates commitment to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG4) which aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and the Education 2030 Framework for Action. Initiate actions to formulate country-specific targets within the broader scope of the SDG4. Integrate the SDG4 related targets with sub-national and the national level education sector development plans and programmes Build capacity at the subnational and national levels for measuring and monitoring progress towards SDG4 and corresponding targets using the indicators adopted by the UNGA Share the best practices available in BRICS nations on collaboration in education, innovation and research through the BRICS Network University (BNU). Information and communication technologies (ICTs) will be used for improving access to education, teacher development, enhancing quality of teaching-learning process etc. Current Affairs Quick Revision For 2017- (Sep to Nov 2016) Page 3 6. Himachal Pradesh declared India’s second Open Defecation Free State The State of Himachal Pradesh was declared Open Defecation Free (ODF), making it the second State in the country (after Sikkim) to achieve the feat. Every individual household in the state has functional toilet under the ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’. What is Open defecation? Open defecation means people defecate in open spaces such as fields, bushes, forests, open bodies of water rather than using the toilet. Hazards of Open Defecation: It is important factor in causing various diseases like intestinal worm infections, diarrhoea, polio, hepatitis etc. “The hill state of Himachal has become the first large state to become completely ODF” 7. Union Cabinet approves establishment of National Academic Depository The Union Cabinet has accorded its approval for establishment and operationalisation of a National Academic Depository (NAD). The decision aims at bringing another dimension and enhancement of the vision of Digital India. Under it all academic degrees, certificates and awards in the country will be made digitally available for verification on single spot. The NAD would be established and operationalised within the next three months and would be rolled out throughout the country in 2017-18. The NAD would be operationalised by NSDL Database Management Limited (NDML) and CDSL Ventures, Limited (CVL) - two of the wholly owned subsidiaries of the Depositories registered under Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI) Act, 1992. 8. 28 October: National Ayurveda Day The first National Ayurveda Day was observed on 28 October on the occasion of Dhanwantari Jayanti. Theme : “Ayurveda for Prevention and Control of Diabetes” The ministry of ayurveda, yoga and naturopathy, unani, siddha and homoeopathy (Ayush), recently, announced its decision to observe Dhanvantari Jayanti, popularly known as Dhanteras, as National Ayurveda Day every year. The Ministry of AYUSH is also going to launch “Mission Madhumeha through Ayurveda” on the occasion. The Mission Madhumeha will be implemented throughout the country through a specially designed National Treatment Protocol for effective management of Diabetes through Ayurveda. 9. India ranks 87th on the WEF’s Global Gender Gap Report 2016 The World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Global Gender Gap Report 2016 was released recently. India has improved its rank in the Global Gender Gap index — moving from 108th to 87th position. Key Highlights of the report: The WEF measures the gender gap index of the countries by taking four factors into account- economy, health, education and political representation. Globally, the leading four nations continue to be Scandinavian: Iceland, Finland, Norway and Sweden, in that order. Current Affairs Quick Revision For 2017- (Sep to Nov 2016) Page 4 India is also