CHHATTISGARH
- Earth Observatory In State Soon
- The Central Government will soon establish an ‘Earth Observatory’ in Chhattisgarh to gather seismological data in the region. The observatories are coming up in 14 States, officials informed. The National Centre of Seismology (NCS) is installing the observatories in different States.
- The national seismological network consisting of 82 observatories has been functioning smoothly and a total of 245 earthquake events occurred in and around India (Latitude 0-40° N, Longitude 60-100° E) were detected and auto-located during the period November 2015 October, 2016. These include 40 events of magnitude 5 and above.
- Information pertaining to significant events was transmitted to all concerned state and Central Government agencies, dealing with relief and rescue operations in the region and also posted on the associated website.
- Considering that Chhattisgarh State Action Plan on Climate Change (CSAPCC) broadly covers implementation plans over a five-year period and implementation of an external third-party evaluation during mid-2014 to critically examine implementation and recommend course corrections, another similar external evaluation will be carried out during end – 2017, states its earlier report drafted in 2013.
INTERNATIONAL
· Indonesian beauty queen crowned Miss International 2017
- Indonesia’s Kevin Lillianawas crowned Miss International 2017 at an event held at the Tokyo Dome City Hall.
- Lilliana also won the award for being the best-dressed contestant.
- Syria Signs up Paris Agreement on Climate Change
- According to the UN report, Syria officially signed up to the Paris Agreement, leaving the United States as the only country to reject the global climate-rescue pact.
- War-torn Syria became the 169th of 196 countries that are members of the UN climate convention to take the legal step of ratification. After Nicaragua signed up in October 2017, Syria and USA were the only countries not to have adopted the pact.
NATIONAL
· Union Government Launched Bharat 22 ETF
- The Union Government launched the ‘Bharat 22’exchange traded fund (ETF) managed by ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund, targeting an initial amount of about Rs8,000 crore.
- The ETF is part of the government’s overall disinvestment programme and mirrors the S&P BSE Bharat 22 Index, which comprises select companies from the CPSE (central public sector enterprises) universe, stakes held under the Specified Undertaking of the Unit Trust of India (SUUTI), and state-run banks.
· Indian Second-Highest Public Bingers in the World
- Binge watchingin public is the new trend in India, and Indians are the second-highest public bingers in the world (88 percent), just behind Mexico (89 percent), according to a survey released by online streaming platform Netflix.
- The survey was conducted by SurveyMonkey from August 24 – September 7, 2017, and based on 37,056 responses.
· National Press Day is observed on November 16
- India celebrated the National Press Dayon November 16 as the Press Council of India started functioning as a responsible body overlooking the works of the press as a whole body on this day.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted media on National Press Day, which is commemorated every year on November 16, and appreciated their contribution to make India a democratic country.
· Union Government to introduce BS-VI grade auto fuels in National capital Territory in 2018 instead of 2020
- The Petroleum Ministry in consultation with Public Oil Marketing Companies has decided for preponement of BS-VI grade auto fuelsin National Capital Territory of Delhi from 1st April next year instead of 1st April 2020.
- This is part of government’s concerted efforts to reduce vehicular emissions and improve fuel efficiency with an aim to reduce the carbon footprints and keep a healthy environment.
- India has followed the regulatory pathway for fuel quality and vehicle emissions standards termed as Bharat Stage or BS.
· Mukesh Ambani Topped Forbes List of Asia’s Richest Families
ð India’s Ambani family topped the Forbes list of Asia’s Richest Families for the first time with a net worth of $44.8 billion, up $19 billion from the previous year.
ð The collective wealth of Asia’s 50 richest families on the list is a record $699 billion, according to the Forbes.
ð The Top 3 Families in Asia-
1. India’s Ambani Family- $44.8 billion
2. Korea’s Lee family- $40.8 billion
3. Hong Kong’s Kwok family-
ð The Top 3 Families in India-
1. India’s Ambani Family- (Rank 1; $44.8 billion
2. Premji family (Rank 11; $19.2 billion net worth)
3. Mittal family (Rank 14; $17.2 billion).