Chinese scientists have developed ‘Artificial Transpiration’, a new device of 3D hollow-cone structure that can greatly increase the solar-thermal conversion efficiency. ‘Artificial Transpiration’ device was named by Zhu Jia and his team members in Nanjing University. An article published online by the National Science Review said that, ‘Artificial Transpiration’ was named so inspired by the transpiration process of trees. It comprises a special 1D water path within it. It can reduce the energy loss in conduction. The cone structure, based on a graphene film, can collect more sunlight throughout the day compared to a flat device. Hence, this device can improve solar-thermal conversion rate to 85 %. The scientists first applied this structure to solar waste-water treatment.

Scientists at Northwestern University, USA, headed by an Indian, have developed “Memtransistor”, an electronic device that can mimic the human brain. Memtransistor combines the functions of a memristor and a transistor. The memtransistor has great potential in Artificial Intelligence (AI). It has been designed by Dr Vinod Kumar Sangwan (Indian), a post-doctoral researcher at Northwestern University and a team of scientists. Dr Vinod Kumar Sangwan said that, their work is presently at fundamental level. They are working on a realistic design for a full neural-network system. This device is said to have futuristic applications in health sector. He said that, the operating power can be reduced by reducing channel dimensions and grain size of the semiconductor molybdenum disulfide (MoS2). The research findings were published in the Journal Nature.

Scientists at the National Institute of Virology, Pune, have discovered that the Indian Aedes aegypti mosquito, when infected with the African strain of the Zika virus (ZIKV), can transmit the infection to suckling mice. A study was conducted by scientists from the NIV, the National Jalma Institute of leprosy and other Mycobacterial Diseases, to demonstrate how the Indian Aedes Aegypti mosquito is vulnerable to the Zika virus (ZIKV). The mosquitoes were experimentally infected with zika virus (African Strain MR-766) through the oral-feeding route. Infected mosquitoes were let to bite on infant and suckling mice. Few days after bitten by ZIKV contaminated mosquitoes the infant mice showed symptoms like trembling, isolated behaviour, signs related to the nervous system, lethargic movements etc. The mice were not able to move in the terminal stages of illness. The mosquitoes store the virus in their salivary glands, which makes it easy for transmission. The findings of this study were published in the journal Intervirology.

On April 15, 2018, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur hoisted the Indian national flag at the Ridge Maidan in Shimla to mark state’s 71st foundation day. The state of Himachal was founded on April 15, 1948. On the occasion of State’s 71st foundation days, personnel of Himachal Pradesh state police, home guards, Services Selection Board (SSB) and National Cadet Corps (NCC) cadets took out a parade. Various groups also performed traditional folk dances. Mr. Thakur, presented awards to the best performers in the field of administration, sports, health and social work. Alpine skier Aanchal Thakur from Manali was awarded Himachal Gaurav Puruskar. Aanchal Thakur is the only Indian who has won a medal in skiing.

On 12th April 2018, Union government announced the formation of a 13-member task force, to develop a roadmap for the implementation of unmanned aerial vehicle technology. The Task Force is headed by Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha. The task force will develop a roadmap with implementable recommendations for central and state governments, industry and research institutions. It will also focus on research and development, acquisition and commercialisation, application and adoption in specific sectors, the regulatory framework and preference for Make in India.
Task force will consist of:
• Rajiv Nayan Choubey, Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation
• Rajiv Gauba, Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs
• Sanjay Mitra, Secretary, Department of Defence
• Ramesh Abhishek, Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion
• Lt Gen Satish Dua, Chief of Integrated Defence Staff
• Dr A.P. Maheshwari, Director General, Bureau of Police Research and Development
• B.S. Bhullar, Director General, Directorate General of Civil Aviation
• Dr. S Christopher, Chairman and Secretary, Defence Research & Development Organisation
• Dr Girish Sahni, Director General and Secretary, Department of Scientific and Industrial Research
• Dr. Guruprasad Mohapatra, Chairman, Airports Authority of India
• A K Ghosh, HoD, Aerospace Engg. Dept., IIT Kanpur
• Satyendra Kumar Mishra, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation – Member Secretary
Apart from this, 20 industry experts will be co-opted as special invitees to the task force on need basis.

On 11th April 2018, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) signed an agreement for its first international project as part of the India-Myanmar-Thailand (IMT) Trilateral Highway. NHAI has signed an agreement with Punj Lloyd Ltd – Varaha Infra Ltd joint venture for upgradation of Yagyi – Kalewa section in Myanmar to Two Lane with Earthen Shoulder. India, Thailand and Myanmar are working on the 1,400 km long highway. The highway will enhance trade, business, health, education and tourism ties between the three countries. The project is funded by Ministry of External Affairs, India. It will be executed on EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) method. The estimated cost for the project is Rs 1,177 crore. Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari recently said that the IMT Trilateral Highway would become operational by December 2019. Work planned under the project are: 3 new major bridges, repair and strengthening of 4 existing major bridges, 2 new minor bridges, reconstruction of 6 existing minor bridges, repair and strengthening of 9 existing minor bridges, reconstruction of 226 existing culverts, 20 bus bays and passenger shelters and 1 rest area.

Citibank is introducing new features in its Citi Mobile App for iPhone. Citibank said that, the new features will be launched in few weeks. The new features will include:
• seamless in-app account opening
• 360-degree view across all financial accounts
• spending insights to enhance clients’ financial wellness
Also, the app will provide a first-of-its kind among banks feature that will enable non-Citi clients to set up a profile and connect their accounts across financial services providers to uitlise the app’s account aggregation, spending insights and bill management features.

Haryana State Government has approved the slum-in-situ rehabilitation policy in line with Housing for All-2018, under which, urban slum dwellers on Government land will be provided housing facility without relocating them to other areas. As per the policy approved by Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, Rs 1.67 lakh per dwelling unit will be provided to developer for construction of houses for these urban slum dwellers. Out of Rs. 1.67 lakh, Rs 1 lakh financial assistance per dwelling unit will be provided by Central Government, while Haryana State Government will provide assistance of Rs 67000. The carpet area for a dwelling unit constructed under this policy will be 50 square metre. On Government land, where slums are spread horizontally, the units will be accumulated by constructing multi-storey/grouped flats. The leftover land post construction will be given as free sale component to cross subsidise the developers.

As per data released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) on April 12, 2018, industrial production grew at 7.1 per cent in February 2018. Growth in industrial production during February 2018 came on account of robust performance of the manufacturing sector and higher offtake of capital goods and consumer durables. Factory output measured in terms of the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), has thus maintained high growth for the fourth month in a row. In November 2017, IIP grew by 8.54 per cent, followed by 7.1 per cent in December 2017 and 7.4 per cent in January 2018. During February 2018, Manufacturing sector grew at 8.7 per cent, capital goods output rose by 20 per cent, Consumer durables grew at 7.9 per cent and Electricity generation grew by 4.5 per cent. However, mining output declined by 0.3 per cent in February 2018. During April 2017 – February 2018, IIP growth slowed to 4.3 per cent as compared to 4.7 per cent in April 2016 – February 2017.

On April 13, 2018, Union Home Minister, Rajnath Singh launched the web-based application ‘e-FRRO’ (e-Foreigners Regional Registration Office). Under the current system, foreigners staying in India on Visa duration of more than 180 days have to get themselves registered with their respective FRROs. Similarly, foreigners requiring different kind of visa related services such as Visa extension, Change of address, Visa Conversion, Change of Educational institutions, Exit permits etc. are currently required to visit the FRROs. By using e-FRRO application, foreigners in India would be able to get as many as 27 Visa and Immigration related services from the comfort of their place of stay, through email/post without appearing in person at the FRRO office. e-FRRO was introduced in four FRROs (Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi and Mumbai) on February 12, 2018. Now it has been rolled out in the remaining eight FRROs viz. Kolkata, Hyderabad, Amritsar, Cochin, Thiruvananthapuram, Calicut, Lucknow and Ahmedabad. In context of this news, it is important to note that more than one crore foreigners visited India during 2017 and out of them approximately 3.6 lakh had to visit FRRO offices for various visa-related services.

On 10th April 2018, the Supreme Court said that, the provision of Aadhaar Act that seeks to validate the data collected from 2009 to 2016 was “badly drafted”. The provision validated all biometric enrolments even before the law was passed with retrospective effect. The Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act came into effect in 2016. But the government had started enrolling people under Aadhaar scheme in 2010. Section 59 of the Act deems consent in all pre-2016 cases where biometrics were collected without the backing of any law. Chief Justice Dipak Misra said that “Section 59 is badly drafted.”

On 13th April 2018, Hardeep Puri, Minister of State (I/C) for Housing & Urban Affairs launched Smart Imprest Cards & e-Measurement Book (e-MB) on PFMS portal for CPWD (Central Public Works Department). This is the first integrated web based module in Civil Ministries to monitor and track both the financial progress – utilization of funds and related physical progress captured through e-MB of various works in CPWD projects. Smart Imprest cards with end to end digitization of complete process is introduced for the first time in Civil Ministry. Smart Imprest cards will enable to reach 100% digitization of payments in MoHUA (Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs). The Smart Imprest will be introduced in over 400 offices of Ministry. Axis bank for main Ministry, SBI for CPWD and IDBI bank for Printing have tied up with MoHUA for this launch on all India basis. A special integrated portal of e- Measurement Book module on PFMS has been developed by office of CCA (Controller of certifying Authorities) in MoHUA in consultation with CPWD which has been developed by PFMS (Public Financial Management System) team of CGA (Controller General of Accounts). This will enable online real time monitoring of physical progress of any project undertaken by any CPWD division in India. A Pilot run of e-MB module for all projects costing more than 15 lakhs was implemented in all CPWD Divisions in Delhi. It has been decided to launch E-MB module in all 400 CPWD offices in India.

President of India, Ram Nath Kovind was on an official visit to three African nations – Equatorial Guinea, Swaziland and Zambia from 7th – 12th April 2018. President Kovind’s visit to Equatorial Guinea concluded on April 9, 2018. Highlights of President Kovinds’s visit to Equatorial Guinea was the signing of three Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Equatorial Guinea in the fields of AYUSH and traditional medicine; medicinal plants; and an action plan for Information and Communication Technology.
Highlights of President Ram Nath Kovind’s visit to Swaziland:
President Ram Nath Kovind arrived in Swaziland on April 9, 2018. On April 10, 2018, India announced to donate USD 1 million to support Swaziland’s national disaster management agency and also expressed commitment to the developmental partnership to create local capacities in Swaziland and across Africa. This announcement was made during President Ram Nath Kovind’s address to Swaziland’s parliament. It is to be noted that Ram Nath Kovind is the first Indian President to visit Swaziland and also the first visiting Head of State to address Swaziland’s Parliament. President Kovind also announced that India will establish a Centre of Agricultural Excellence in Swaziland for sharing its experience in the sector. During the course of this visit, he also inaugurated and Information Technology (IT) centre built with Indian assistance and held delegation level talks with Swaziland’s King Mswati III. Swaziland’s King Mswati III conferred ‘Order of the Lion’ on President Kovind to acknowledge the contributions made by India for advancing Swaziland’s development agenda. Order of the Lion is Swaziland’s highest civilian honour bestowed on non-citizens. Highlight of President Kovind’s Swaziland visit was two agreements signed between India and Swaziland on health cooperation and on visa waivers for those travelling on official and diplomatic passports.

Swaziland’s King Mswati III conferred ‘Order of the Lion’ on President Kovind to acknowledge the contributions made by India for advancing Swaziland’s development agenda. Order of the Lion is Swaziland’s highest civilian honour bestowed on non-citizens.

Highlight of President Kovind’s Swaziland visit was two agreements signed between India and Swaziland on health cooperation and on visa waivers for those travelling on official and diplomatic passports.

On April 12, 2018, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced a ban on all new offshore oil exploration permits as a part of her Government’s plan to transition towards a carbon-neutral future. No new permits for offshore oil exploration:
The ban on new offshore oil exploration permits has been applied with immediate effect. However, it will not affect existing permits and onshore drilling. It is to be noted that existing permits cover an area of 100000 sq km and some still have decades left on their exploration rights. Thus zero-carbon economy will essentially take effect in 30 or more year’s time. Jacinda Ardern, who took charge after winning elections in September 2017, stated that her Government is taking an important step to address climate change and create a clean, green and sustainable future for New Zealand. She has also assured that the decision will not lead to job losses in oil industry, which currently employs at least 11000 workers and contributes $1.8 billion per year to New Zealand economy.

China has introduced China Science and Technology Cloud (CSTC) to provide scientists with accessible, accurate and secure data services to promote research and innovation.
China Science and Technology Cloud (CSTC):
China Science and Technology Cloud (CSTC) has been developed by the Computer Network Information Centre of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. CSTC obtains data from the academy’s research institutes and major scientific installations, and many Chinese top universities and private innovation centres.
Applications are classified into 5 categories:
• data resources
• cloud computing with artificial intelligence (AI) and supercomputers
• research software support
• research community networks
• outreach to foreign scientists and platforms

World Bank has approved $55 million to expand the use of clean renewable energy in rural areas of Bangladesh that do not have access to grid electricity. $55 million has been approved as an additional financing to the Second Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Development (RERED II) Project. Renewable Energy Development (RERED II) Project and additional financing will provide access to electricity and energy efficient cooking stoves to about 10 million people living in villages, shoals and islands in Bangladesh. Funds procured through additional financing will be utilised to install 1000 solar irrigation pumps, 30 solar mini-grids and about 4 million improved cooking stoves in rural areas. 30 solar mini-grids will provide about 28000 connections to households and businesses, including small and medium-sized enterprises.

On April 12, 2018, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued a notification aimed at tightening reporting norms for the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS). Under LRS, all resident Indian individuals, including minors, are allowed to freely remit abroad, up to USD 250000 per financial year for any permissible current or capital account transaction or a combination of both. LRS scheme was introduced on February 4, 2004. At that time the limit was just USD 25000. However it was revised in a phased manner in line with prevailing macro and micro economic conditions and now stands at USD 250000 per financial year. Individuals can avail foreign exchange for this purposes within the limit of USD 250000 only, from Authorised Dealers/Banks. However, till now, Authorised Dealers/Banks permitted LRS transactions solely on the declaration made by the remitter and thus monitoring of adherence to the limit was confined to obtaining such a declaration without independent verification. With a view to improve monitoring and also to ensure adherence to LRS limits, RBI has directed Authorised Dealers (ADs)/Banks to put in place a daily reporting system listing out all transactions undertaken by individuals under LRS. These reports will be accessible to all the other ADs.

Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) has tied up with Common Service Centre (CSC) to run micro enterprises promotion programme (MEPP) in 115 aspirational districts across India. ‘Transformation of Aspirational Districts’ was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January 2018. Aspirational districts refer to selected 115 backward districts that are lagging on specific development parameters. Under this programme, Central Government has undertaken a major policy initiative for rapid transformation of these districts and senior government officials have been assigned responsibility to coordinate the efforts of the Centre and states in facilitating development in such districts. MEPP is geared towards promoting potential rural entrepreneurs by hand-holding them and also facilitating access to finance for such enterprises from formal banking sector. So far, 41500 enterprises have got support under this programme, which has generated employment opportunities for about 1.07 lakh persons, mainly belonging to underprivileged section of the society.

National E-Repository Limited (NERL), a group company of National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange Limited (NCDEX), has empanelled ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank as repository participants. As per the agreement, ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank will offer pledge finance against electronic negotiable warehousing receipts (eNWR) created on NERL’s repository platform for commodities stored in warehouses registered with Warehousing Development and Regulatory Authority (WDRA). These empanelment will boost the repository ecosystem and will also be beneficial for stakeholders in reducing the turn-around time in processing the loans and marking the pledge on the eNWR. It is to be noted that ICICI Bank itself is one of the promoter shareholder in NERL.

On 12th April 2018, Reliance Jio and Sodexo announced their tie-up to accelerate India’s digital transformation. Jio Money, the Prepaid Payment Instrument (PPI) wallet of Jio Payments Bank Ltd., has enabled integration of Sodexo Meal Cards with the Jio Money account of its users. This will allow mobile-based payments through Sodexo Meal Card. Hence Sodexo merchants in India can accept digital payments through Sodexo. Sodexo Meal Pass can be linked to the Jio Money app to perform quick payments. User’s don’t have to carry Sodexo’s physical card for shopping. They just have to add the Sodexo Meal Card balance to the Jio Money app and perform transaction. This scheme has been launched in Mumbai already. Jio Money solution will be enabled at all Sodexo accepting merchants in India very soon.

On 13th April 2018, the 65th National Film Awards was announced and late actor Vinod Khanna was honoured with Dadasaheb Phalke Award posthumously. Late actress Sridevi has been honoured with the best actress award. The jury is headed by filmmaker Shekhar Kapur. Kannada film director P Sheshadri, screenwriter Imtiaz Hussain, actor Gautami Tadimalla, lyricist Mehboob are part of the panel which consists of a total of 10 members.

US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved marketing of IDx-DR, first Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based device to detect certain diabetes-related eye problems. IDx-DR, is a software programme that uses an artificial intelligence algorithm to analyse images of eye taken with a retinal camera. FDA has permitted marketing of IDx-DR to IDx LLC, a medical device company. This will help detect greater than a mild level of the eye disease diabetic retinopathy in adults suffering from diabetes. Diabetic retinopathy is a common cause of vision loss in diabetic patients. IDx-DR offers a screening decision without the help of a clinician to also interpret the image or results. Doctor will upload the digital images of the patient’s retinas on a Cloud server in which IDx-DR software is installed. If a positive result is detected patients need to consult a doctor for further evaluation and treatment. FDA has said that IDx-DR should not be used in pregnant patients since diabetic retinopathy can advance very fast during pregnancy. The device is not designed to evaluate rapidly progressive diabetic retinopathy.

Indian badminton player Kidambi Srikanth has emerged as World Number 1 in the latest edition of the BWF rankings that were released on 12th April 2018. Kidambi Srikanth has replaced Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen and become World Number 1 in the BWF rankings. He has become the first Indian male player to achieve this mark. Saina Nehwal was the first Indian girl to become world No 1 in 2015. Kidambi Srikanth has a total of 76,895 points in Men’s Singles category. In the women’s category P. V. Sindhu has secured third rank.

On 12th April 2018, the latest FIFA rankings were released in which Germany has secured the top position followed by Brazil in the second position. Germany has secured the top position in FIFA rankings with 1533 points. Brazil has reached second position with 1384 points. Tunisia has improved nine places and reached 14th place. This is their highest ever position. It is the highest position for any African country, since Ivory Coast obtained 13th rank in July 2013.

April 13, 2018 was the 99th anniversary Jallianwallah Bagh Massacre (also known as the Amritsar massacre). On April 13, 1919, nearly 15000-20000 people gathered at Jallianwala Bagh, a public garden in Amritsar, Punjab. The gathering took place to celebrate the Punjabi harvest festival of Baisakhi and to protest against the repressive Rowlatt Act that imposed control of the press, arrests without warrant and indefinite detention without trial. Around 50 troops of the British Indian Army, under the command of Colonel Reginald Dyer arrived at the spot and fired at the crowd indiscriminately for 10 minutes. According to British Government assessment, 379 individuals died and 1200 were wounded in Jallianwalah Bagh massacre. However, as per Indian National Congress’ estimates, more than 1500 were injured and 1000 died.

On 11th April 2018, the National Safe Motherhood Day was celebrated across India. India was the first country in the world to declare a National Safe Motherhood Day on April 11th on Kasturba Gandhi’s birth anniversary in 2003, on the request of WRAI (White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood, India). On this day awareness is created on maternity healthcare facilities for pregnant and lactating women. The theme for National Safe Motherhood Day 2018 is: ‘Respectful Maternity Care’.

Cabinet approves MoU between India and United Kingdom and Northern Ireland on the return of Illegal Migrants. This MoU will streamline the procedure of return of nationals (to their Home country) who are caught to be staying illegally, in the other country (either in India or United Kingdom) in a specified time-frame. Besides, it will also facilitate the Visa Free Agreement for holders of diplomatic passports as well as liberalization of United Kingdom (UK) Visa Regime for Indians travelling to the UK legally.

Union Cabinet has given its ex-post facto approval to Union Ministry of External Affairs for entering into Headquarters (Host country) Agreement between India and the International Solar Alliance (ISA). This agreement was signed on March 26, 2018. This agreement will institutionalize the functional arrangements between India and ISA and will help in smooth transition of ISA as international inter-governmental organization. Headquarters of ISA is located in Gurugram, Haryana, India.

Union Cabinet has given its approval for delegating the powers to Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Finance Minister to award the Blocks/Contract Areas to successful bidders under Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy (HELP) after International Competitive Bidding (ICB). The current procedure of awarding blocks is quite lengthy and time consuming as it involves Empowered Committee of Secretaries (ECS) at various levels, Inter Ministerial Consultations (IMC) and Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA). Thus delegation of powers to Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Finance Minister will expedite the decision making process on awarding blocks and will thereby enhance ease of doing business.

Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved to amend PNG Rules, 1959 in order to grant relaxation to Coal India Limited (CIL) and its subsidiaries for not applying for grant of license/lease for extraction of Coal Bed Methane (CBM) under their Coal Bearing Areas. This decision, which is in line with Government’s ‘Ease of Doing Business Initiative’ will expedite the exploration and exploitation of CBM, enhance the availability of natural gas and reduce the gap in demand and supply of natural gas. Besides, it will also generate employment opportunities in CBM operations and in related industries.

On April 10, 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the National Convention of Swachhagrahis (cleanliness ambassadors) at Motihari, in East Champaran district of Bihar. The event was organized, as part of the centenary celebrations of the Satyagraha led by Mahatma Gandhi, in Champaran. Theme of the centenary celebrations of the Champaran Satyagraha is “Satyagraha se Swachhagrah”. While addressing the convention, PM Modi outlined that sanitation coverage in India has expanded from about 40 percent in 2014, to about 80 percent today. During the event, PM Modi also distributed awards to Champion Swachhagrahis.
Overview of Development Projects launched by PM Modi in Motihari:
On April 10, 2018, PM Modi launched development projects worth over Rs. 6600 crore in Motihari. Water Supply and Sanitation sector: PM Modi unveiled a plaque to mark the foundation stone of Motijheel Project, the Bettiah Nagar Parishad Water Supply Scheme and four Ganga Projects viz. Saidpur Sewage Network – Patna, Pahari STP project, Pahari Sewage Network – Zone 4, Patna and Pahari Sewage Network – Zone 5, Patna. Railways Sector: PM Modi laid the foundation stone of the doubling of railway lines between Muzaffarpur – Sagauli and Sagauli – Valmikinagar. He dedicated the first phase of the Madhepura Electric Locomotive Factory to the nation and also flagged off the first 12000 Horse Power Freight Electric Locomotive and the Champaran Humsafar Express. Other Projects: PM Modi also laid the foundation stone for a petroleum oil lube and LPG terminal of Indian Oil Corporation Ltd at Motihari, a road lane of National Highway-2 in Auranagabad Bihar-Jharkhand border section and an LPG Plant of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) at Sagauli.

On April 2018, Indian Consortium consisting of IOCL, BPCL and HPCL signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Saudi Aramco, the state-owned oil company of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to jointly develop and build Ratnagiri Refinery & Petrochemicals Ltd. (RRPCL), an integrated refinery and petrochemicals complex, in the State of Maharashtra. This MoU was signed on the sidelines of 16th International Energy Forum Ministerial Meeting in New Delhi. The MoU envisages to bring together crude supply, technologies, resources, experience and expertise of these multiple oil companies with an established commercial presence around the world. RRPCL entails investment of Rs. 3 lakh crore and will be world’s largest refining & petrochemicals project. On completion, it will be capable of processing 1.2 million barrels of crude oil per day and will also produce a range of refined petroleum products, including petrol and diesel meeting BS-VI fuel efficiency norms. Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Dharmendra Pradhan has stated that Indian consortium will own a 50% stake in this joint venture while Saudi Aramco will hold the remaining half.

As per Airport Council International’s preliminary report on airport traffic for 2017, Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport has ranked as 16th busiest airport in the world. With traffic increasing at the rate of 14.1%, IGI Airport climbed six spots to 16th from 22nd for previous year. The 14.1% increase has also made IGI Airport, the fastest-growing airport among the Top 20 busiest airports. The tag of World’s Busiest Airport went to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Airport in the United States, which served 10.4 crore passengers during 2017. Four other airports in India too registered a double digit growth in 2017 and ranked among fastest growing airports in the world – Kolkata (26.9%), Hyderabad (19.6%), Bengaluru (12.9%) and Chennai (10.5%).ACI has forecasted that by 2020, India will become the third-largest aviation market in terms of passenger throughput, after the US and China.
World’s Busiest Airports, 2017 – Top 5:
Airport : Passenger Traffic
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Airport,US – 10.4 crore
Beijing Capital International Airport, China – 9.6 crore
Dubai International Airport, UAE – 8.8 crore
Tokyo International Airport (Haneda Airport), Japan – 8.5 crore
Los Angeles International Airport, US – 8.4 crore

The first international conference on ‘Water, Environment and Climate Change: Knowledge Sharing and Partnership’ began in Kathmandu, Nepal on April 10, 2018. The three day – conference was inaugurated by Vice President of Nepal Nanda Bahadur Pun. The conference has been organised by Department of Water Supply and Sewerage under Government of Nepal in association with the Society of Public Health Engineers Nepal and Nepal Engineers Association. Objective of this conference is to bring together professionals, researchers, academicians, entrepreneurs, government and non-government institutions to discuss and deliberate on challenges, opportunities and strategies related to water and environmental issues. More than 100 international participants from 20 countries including India are participating in this conference.

On April 10, 2018, Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment, Thaawarchand Gehlot launched a new Website and Mobile App of the ‘National Commission for Safai Karamcharis’. The new website and Mobile App will help the Commission in addressing the grievances/complaints of petitioners in an efficient manner. Earlier, Department of Social Justice and Empowerment had advised the Commission to undertake the task of preparing a new website as the erstwhile website was not user-friendly. Layout and interface of the new website is very user-friendly and is in accordance with Government of India Guidelines for official websites. National Commission for Safai Karamcharis Commission’s Android Mobile App can be downloaded from the Google Play Store free of cost. The petitioners can file their grievances/complaints, etc. on-line on the website or through Commission’s app and thereafter track their grievances/complaints.

On 10th April 2018, Uttar Pradesh cabinet approved construction of an integrated sugar complex in Pilibhit and setting up a Tiger Conservation Foundation in Dudhwa. Uttar Pradesh cabinet presided by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath decided to develop the sugar mill of Kisan Sahkari sugar mill limited located near Pilibhit since 2011 as an integrated complex. 40.308 hectare land of the sugar mill will be offered on 30 years lease. The ownership of the land will be with the sugar mill company. The cabinet also approved setting up of Dudhwa Tiger Conservation Foundation, as said by central government in 2007. A committee has been set up to monitor the foundation. It is headed by the forest minister and has 12 members. A four member committee has been formed to monitor the day to day works. It is led by the regional director of Dudhwa.

On 9th April 2018, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) launched ‘Project Dhoop’, an initiative to shift the school assembly time to noon to make sure maximum absorption of Vitamin D in students through natural sunlight. Project Dhoop was launched at National Bal Bhavan in New Delhi. FSSAI CEO Pawan Agarwal said that, all schools in India have been asked to conduct daily assembly between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. He said that, concerns of parents regarding noon assembly will be addressed properly. He added that taking fortified foods (with +F symbol) was a simple and inexpensive way to correct micronutrient deficiencies. This initiative has been conceptualised by McCannHealth. It is supported by Kwality (Ltd).

Chikitsak Mahasangh, the topmost body for state veterinary associations. Tarun Shridhar inaugurated the website ‘www.pashuchikitsakmahasangh.in’. He dedicated it to veterinarians. He asked Pashu Chikitsak Mahasangh to develop the website as an effective platform for exchange of knowledge and development of a database. Pashu Chikitsak Mahasangh works for the welfare of the veterinarian’s working in government service sector. Tarun Shridhar also addressed a seminar on ‘role of veterinarians in doubling farmer’s income’ organised by Pashu Chikitsak Mahasangh. He also agreed to form a committee to study the introduction of combined vaccine of Haemorrehagic Septicimia and Foot and Mouth Disease.

Gujarat is to set up India’s largest 5,000MW solar park in Dholera Special Investment Region (DSIR). On 10th April 2018, Gujarat state government offered its in-principle approval to the project. It will be established on 11,000 hectares of land along the Gulf of Khambhat in the Dholera Special Investment Region (DSIR). The construction of this solar park will attract an investment of Rs 25,000 crore and provide employment for more than 20,000 people. Gujarat Power Corporation Ltd (GPCL), Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Ltd (GUVNL) and Gujarat Electric Transmission Corporation (GETCO) along with Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) and the Central Transmission Unit (CTU) are involved in implementing the project. Gujarat state government has also planned to set up a 200MW wind park in DSIR. It would attract additional investment of Rs 1,400 crore.

On April 10, 2018, India and World Expo 2020 signed participants’ contract for India’s pavilion in the prestigious World Expo 2020. World Expo 2020 will take place in Dubai, UAE for six months beginning October 2020. As per the terms of the contract, an India pavilion will be set up at Expo 2020 on an extra large plot (about one acre) in the ‘Opportunity’ segment. The India Pavilion, which is to be developed in public-private partnership mode, will focus on country’s advances in Space, Pharma, IT, Renewable Energy, Telecom sectors. Number of Central Government Ministries, State governments, and major industry associations and businesses groups have shown interest in partnering and participating in World Expo 2020. Binoy Kumar, Special Secretary in the Department of Commerce has been designated as Director General, World Expo 2020 Dubai.

‘Commonwealth Trade Review 2018: Strengthening the Commonwealth Advantage’ has been released, that states that, India is the top recipient of foreign direct investment (FDI) from within the Commonwealth. ‘Commonwealth Trade Review 2018: Strengthening the Commonwealth Advantage’ was compiled by the Commonwealth Secretariat. India has become the top recipient of foreign direct investment (FDI) from within the Commonwealth. It has become the second-most lucrative source of investment within Commonwealth after the UK. India has entered into the top five providers of intra-Commonwealth services trade, surpassing Canada, Australia, Singapore and the UK. Intra-Commonwealth trade is expected to reach USD 700 billion by 2020, contributed majorly by India’s economic growth. The dramatic rise in the increased prominence of intra-Commonwealth investment has been founded to be driven by India.

On 8th to 11th April 2018, the 2018 edition of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA), also known as Asia’s Davos was held in Hainan, China. The theme for 2018 Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) is: “An Open and Innovative Asia for a World of Greater Prosperity”. Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the conference. Over 2,000 political and economic leaders, including heads of large multinational firms, took part in this annual session.

On 11th April 2018, India and Zambia signed four agreements as a part of Indian President Ram Nath Kovind’s visit to three African countries. Indian President Ram Nath Kovind arrived in Zambia on 10th April 2018. He held delegation-level talks with Zambian President Edgar Chagwa Lungu. India and Zambia signed four agreements on:
• double taxation avoidance
• judicial cooperation
• mutual visa waivers for officials and diplomats
• the Entrepreneurship Development Institute that India will build in Zambia
This is the first visit to Zambia by an Indian president since 1989. Ram Nath Kovind also addressed the Zambia-India Business Forum. As part of President’s visit, India has agreed in principle to offer concessional finance and support for construction of the Mahatma Gandhi Convention Centre in Lusaka. India has also offered Zambia medicines and medical equipment worth USD 3 million and has presented USD 100,000 for the Mahatma Gandhi School in Lusaka. Ram Nath Kovind visited the Embassy Park Presidential Memorial in Lusaka and paid tributes to former Presidents of Zambia Frederick Chiluba, Levy Mwanawasa and Micheal Sata. Ram Nath Kovind will inaugurate work on the 93-km Lusaka Traffic Decongestion Project on 12th April 2018.

On 11th April 2018, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) stated that the Indian economy would expand by 7.3 % in fiscal year (FY) 2018 and 7.6 % in the next fiscal year. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said that, this growth will be facilitated by various growth-oriented policy measures. In ADB’s Asian Development Outlook (ADO) 2018 report, it stated that the reduction in growth to 6.6 % in FY2017 was partially due to demonetization. Also, issues related to Goods and Services Tax (GST) disturbed operations of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and exporters. ADO stated that, in the upcoming months, growth will improve with the support of various measures like improving farmers’ purchasing power, higher procurement prices, agriculture market reforms, and investments in irrigation and logistics. It said that investment revival would continue, but at a modest rate. Also, ADB projected inflation to increase up to 4.6 % in FY2018 and 5 % percent in FY2019 supported by further strengthening of global commodity prices and domestic demand. It said that improved growth in advanced economies will help exports to improve in a healthy rate. Also, imports are expected to increase due to higher commodity prices and increase in domestic demand. The current account deficit would widen to 2.2 percent of GDP in FY2018 and 2.4 percent of GDP in FY2019. It also said that, current account deficit is expected to be financed by capital flows.

On April 11, 2018, online cab aggregator platform Uber announced the launch of its new partner (driver) app in India. The new app is more simple as compared to previous version, provides a personalised experience, and has been designed to support Uber drivers on every moment of their journey. Inputs collected by interacting with drivers via groups sessions, ride alongs and in person meetings have been incorporated in the new Driver app. Real-time Earnings Tracker, which lets drivers know-at a glance-how much they earned on their last trip, new Status bar providing real-time updates on market conditions around them and opportunities for more trips nearby and quick access to notifications and messages about upcoming earning opportunities are some of the key features of the new app.

On 11th April 2018, Mahindra Defence Systems signed an agreement with ShinMaywa Industries, Japan, to manufacture and assemble amphibious aircraft ShinMaywa US-2 in India. Mahindra Group (aerospace and defence) President S P Shukla exchanged documents with director of ShinMaywa Industries, Yasuo Kawanishi at the DefExpo at Thiruvadanthai near Chennai. Mahindra Defence Systems will absorb the technology for ShinMaywa US-2 in India. As per the MoU, both the companies will develop a strategic partnership. ShinMayway US-2 is a unique aircraft. It is the only ‘in-service’ open sea-capable amphibian aircraft with advanced equipment suitable for rough sea operations. It has been deployed by Japanese Maritime Self-defence forces. 10th edition of DefExpo is organised by the Ministry of Defence. It was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Chennai.

Inspector General KR Nautiyal has been appointed as the new Coast Guard Commander (Eastern Seaboard). KR Nautiyal will take over Headquarters Eastern Seaboard from Inspector General KS Sheoran on 12th April 2018. He has been promoted to the rank of Additional Director-General. He has commanded all type of Coast Guard ships. He was Deputy Director-General (operations and CS) at CGHQ, New Delhi, Commander CGRHQ (NE) in Kolkata and Commander CGRHQ (W) in Mumbai.

Rajesh Ranjan has been appointed as the Director General (DG) of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). Rajesh Ranjan is an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the 1984 batch. He is currently the Special Director General of the Border Security Force (BSF). The order issued by Personnel Ministry states that, Rajesh Ranjan has been appointed as DG of CISF till 20th November 2020 that is the date of his superannuation. This post was vacant after OP Singh took charge as Director General (DG) of the Uttar Pradesh Police in January 2018.