Focus Merit

Category: National Current Affairs

Indian Consulate in Dubai to issue passports under tatkal scheme

January 10, 2020

Indian Consulate in Dubai will issue passports under the tatkal scheme on the same day with certain conditions. The announcement was made by Consul General Vipul on the occasion of the Pravasi Bhatiya Divas celebrations. However, he stated that the application for the passport had to be made before noon and additional fees will be charged for the service. The passport will be given to the applicant by the evening.

Passports under the Tatkal scheme in any case were being given within 24 hours. The announcement came as a boon especially for people who have to travel under emergency condition. The Consulate in Dubai receives about 850 applications for passport applications.

27th South Asian Trade and Travel Exchange Expo 2020 held in New Delhi

January 10, 2020

The 27th South Asian Trade and Travel Exchange Expo 2020 (SATTE)  was held in New Delhi. The SATTE expo was supported by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India and sponsored by Jammu & Kashmir Tourism Department. The objective of the expo was to build new business partnerships and hence was an important place for the promotion of tourism. The SATTE witnessed the participation of over 50 countries and 28 Indian states. During the expo, the Tourism Department of Jammu & Kashmir launched a publicity campaign to showcase diverse tourism attractions.

10th January: “World Hindi Day” celebrated globally

January 10, 2020

World Hindi Day is celebrated globally on 10th January every year. The day is celebrated every year to promote the use of Hindi language worldwide. The World Hindi Day was observed first time in 2006. The day marked the anniversary of first World Hindi Conference held in 1975 in Nagpur.

The Indian Embassies located in other countries outside India celebrates World Hindi Day by organizing special programs. Various government and non-government institutions organise unique programs for the promotion of Hindi.

Indian passport drops to 84th rank in Henley Passport Index 2020

January 10, 2020

Henley Passport Index 2020 has been released. The Indian passport ranked 84th in the world’s most powerful passport index 2020. Which is a drop by 2 places as it ranked 82nd in 2019. Now India provides visa-free access to 58 countries. 

For the third consecutive year the list is topped by Japan (191 countries), with Singapore (190 countries) holds 2nd place and South Korea (189 countries) drops to 3rd place alongside Germany (189 countries).

India’s ranking fell from a decade-high ranking of 74 to a low of 84 in 2020. The Henley Passport Index is the ranking of all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa.

Chennai-Andaman and Nicobar Islands submarine cable work begins

January 10, 2020

Union Minister for Communications, Electronics and Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad inaugurated the submarine cable works on laying between Chennai – Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The submarine cables will be initially laid from Chennai to Port Blair covering a distance of 1,450 kilometres. He also flagged off the ship to lay the cable at Chennai Port. At the initial stage of commissioning of the project itself, the islands can get a data speed of 400-gigabytes per second.

New Delhi will host ITTF executive committee meeting

January 9, 2020

New Delhi will host the two-day Executive Committee meeting of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) beginning January 10th. This will be the second time the country will be hosting such a meeting. The EC meeting, to be chaired by ITTF President Thomas Weikert, will discuss the development of table tennis in India, among other issues.

The previous EC meeting of the ITTF was held in New Delhi way back in 1987 when Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) played host to the World Championships in Delhi. TTFI has evinced interest in hosting the 2024 World Championships (team events), besides seeking to organise a Platinum Championships in 2021. The bid for hosting the Worlds is yet to open.

India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier ‘Vikrant’ to be commissioned by 2021

January 9, 2020

The manufacturing of the country’s first indigenous aircraft carrier Vikrant is currently under phase three which involves setting to work of machinery and other equipment and it is likely to be commissioned by early 2021. This carrier is being built at the Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) in Kochi.

Currently, phase three of the construction of Vikrant is under progress, which involves setting to work of machinery and equipment, like power generation and propulsion machinery. The third phase of construction will go on till acceptance of harbour and sea trials.

Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh on December 3 had stated that Vikrant will be fully operational by 2022 and it will have a fleet of MiG-29K. The first indigenous aircraft carrier Vikrant complemented with MiG-29K aircraft will be showcased as part of the Navy’s tableau during the ceremonial parade on Rajpath on the Republic Day.

Malappuram tops Economist list of world’s fastest growing urban regions

January 9, 2020

Three Kerala cities – Malappuram, Kozhikode and Kollam are among the top-10 fastest growing urban regions, in terms of population, in the world, according to the latest rankings by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). Malappuram ranked number 1, while Kozhikode has been ranked number 4, Kollam is in the 10th position. No other Indian city has figured in the top 10 list.

One city from Vietnam (Can Tho), three from China (Suqian, Suzhou and Putian), one from Nigeria (Abuja), one from UAE (Sharjah), and one from Oman (Muscat) find their place in the list. The other Indian cities to figure in the list are Surat (27) and Thiruppur (30). The list has been compiled on the basis of the data provided by the United Nation’s Population Division.

India’s economy to reach $7 trillion by 2030: Deutsche Bank

January 9, 2020

Deutsche Bank has projected that Indian economy will reach $7 trillion by 2030. The estimation was stated by Deutsche Bank in its research report “Imagine 2030”. According to the report, India will grow with the Nominal GDP growth rate of just over 10% in the next decade. Indian economy is presently valued at $3 trillion.

India’s economic growth may remain below potential in the near term. However, ongoing government measures are expected to provide a major push to its potential in the future. The decision to reduce corporate tax rate will likely incentivise greater foreign direct investment flow into the country and support private investment.

Institutions to get status of ‘Institution of National Importance’

January 9, 2020

The union cabinet granted the approval making the status of Institution of National Importance to a cluster of Ayurvedic institutions at Gujarat Ayurved University in Jamnagar. With the (INI) status, Jamnagar Ayurveda University will become the first Ayurveda institute to join the ranks of the IIT’s and AIIMS. The status of the institution will provide it with the autonomy to upgrade the standard of Ayurveda education, frame various courses in Ayurveda as per national and international demand.