Maharashtra CM unveils plan for Mumbai – Nagpur Super Communication Expressway
i.Maharashtra CMDevendra Fadnavis has unveiled a detailed plan for the Mumbai-Nagpur Super Communication Expressway, a 706-km link that seeks to connect 24 districts and improve access from rural communities in the east to commercial hubs in the west.
ii. The total length of this highway is700 km from Nagpur to Mumbai, excluding the portions of NH 7 and NH 3 it covers at Nagpur-Butibori and Ghoti-Kalyan-Mumbai sectors respectively.
iii. The highway, which will have at least three lanes on each side, will reduce travel time between the two cities from 12-16 hours.
iv. The Rs 46,000-crore project, formally called ‘Maharashtra Prosperity Corridor’, also involves construction of agricultural centres, warehouses and other facilities that the state hopes will lead to creation of thousands of new jobs.
India suggests the idea of creation of task force in the International Arbitration BROCS Conference
i.Finance Minister Arun Jaitley suggestedcreation of a task force of experts and officials to deliberate on the challenges in international arbitration in the BRICS countries and put in place institutional mechanisms to establish arbitral centers in these nations.
ii. The suggestion comes at a time when there is greater push for reforms in the law to ensure dispute resolution happens quicker and there is ease of doing business.
iii. It is noted that Jaitley, delivered the valedictory speech at the conference on‘International Arbitration in BRICS – Challenges, Opportunities and Road Ahead’.
iv. The Conference is being organized by the Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Government of India with the support of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) and Indian Council of Arbitration (ICA).
v. To strengthen the arbitration mechanism, the finance minister emphasized the need to have lawyers of credibility and said it was necessary to make enforcement of awards largely free from the interference by domestic courts. This was imperative as many countries fear that the arbitral awards are loaded against the emerging countries.
vi. The emerging economies, predominantly the BRICS nations, would have to shoulder the responsibility of driving global growth. Therefore, he said, the BRICS nations would have to evolve and put forth a common agenda for growth, and the key is to develop local capabilities to deal with the challenges that lie ahead.
India’s first Textile University to be opened in Surat, Gujarat
i.Gujarat government is planning to set up India’sfirst textile university at Surat with an investment of about Rs 800 crore.
ii.The ultimate aim of the university is to provide all kind of support including technology, research and development (R&D), skilled manpower.
iii. The first textile university of India will be setup in Gujarat. Land has been identified near Surat. Gujarat government will provide funds worth Rs 800-900 crore for the development of the textile university.
iv. The university will build on over 250 acre land in Surat and it is expected to get operational in the next one and a half years.
v. Surat, previously known as Suryapur, is a city and former princely state in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative capital of the Surat district. The city is located 284 kilometres (176 mi) south of the state capital,Gandhinagar; 265 kilometres (165 mi) south of Ahmedabad; and 289 kilometres (180 mi) north of Mumbai.
vi. The city centre is located 22 km (14 mi) south of the Tapti River. A moat divides the older parts of the city, with their narrow streets and historical houses, from the newer suburbs.
2016 Mountain Echoes Literary Festival
i.The seventh edition of theMountain Echoes Literary Festival 2016 Kicked off in the capital city of the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan Thimbu on 26 August 2016.
ii. The festival was inaugurated by Queen Mother Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck, (Royal Patron) which aims to provide a platform for the greatest literary minds to engage in a cultural dialogue. In this edition it will focus on climatechange, women’s voices and travel writing.
iii. The three-day long Festival is an initiative of the India Bhutan Foundation, in association with Siyahi, powered by the Rajasthan government’s Department of Tourism.
First Asian Science and Technology (S&T) Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)
i.The firstAsian Science and Technology (S&T) Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR 2016-DRR) was organised by United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction – Regional Office for Asia and Pacific (UNISDR AP)held at Bangkok in Thailand.
ii. The event saw a discussion on Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 about shifting managing disasters to managing risks.
19th SAARC summit to be held in Islamabad on November 9 and 10
i. The19th Saarc (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) summit will be held in Islamabadon 9 and 10 November.
ii.Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif invited the leaders of SAARC Member States to grace the Summit with their presence and looking forward to welcome them at Islamabad.
iii. The preparations for successful holding of the Summit at Islamabad are being made by Pakistan and in order to give impetus to the process of preparations, Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, inaugurated SAARC Summit Cell at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
DIPP to launch a Nationwide Awareness Campaign on Intellectual Property rights
i.Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion,DIPP, will launch a nation-wide awareness campaign on Intellectual Property Rights (IPR).
ii. It will be taken forward by Cell for IPR Promotion and Management (CIPAM) incollaboration with the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trademarks (CGPDTM) and Industry Associations.
Steeplechase pro Lalita Babar chosen for SJAM’s sports woman of the year award
i.Steeplechase specialist Lalita Babar, who finished a creditable 10th in the Rio Olympics, have been chosen for the Sports Journalists Association of Mumbai’s(SJAM) Golden Jubilee Annual Awards 2016.
ii. On the other hand Chess GM Shardul Gagare will receive the Sportsman of the year award and Lalita Babar will be the Sportswoman of the year award.
Sharmila Tagore appointed as a new member of the BCCC – Broadcasting Content Complaints Council
i.Film actress Sharmila Tagore, theatre activist Arundhati Nag and film studies academician Ira Bhaskarhave been appointed new members of Broadcasting Content Complaints Council (BCCC), the self-regulatory body which hears complaints against TV content.
ii. Sharmila Tagoreis an Indian film actress known for her works predominantly in Hindi cinema. She has received two National Film Awards and two Filmfare Awards for her performances.
Punit Misra named CEO of Zee Entertainment domestic broadcast biz
i. Indian media and Entertainment Company based in Mumbai Zee Entertainment Enterprises has appointed Punit Misra as Chief Executive Officer fordomestic broadcast business.
ii.Misra’s appointment will come to effect fromOctober 1 will report to Zee Entertainment Enterprises Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Punit Goenka.
Japanese scientists detect rare deep-Earth tremor S wave microseism
i.Japan researchers found a tremor known as an S wave microseism, usingseismic equipment on land and on the seafloor that usually detects the Earth’s crustcrumbling during earthquakes.
ii. This finding will help the experts to learn more about the Earth’s inner structure and improve detection of earthquakes and oceanic storms.
iii. The elusive S waves, or secondary waves, are slower, and move only through rock, not liquid. Humans feel them during earthquakes.
US to create world’s largest protected marine area off Hawaii
i.US Government has created the world’s largest marine protected area by expanding an existing ocean reserve off Hawaii tocover 582,578 square miles that will provide critical protections for more than 7,000 marine species.
ii. The move multiplies the size of the Papahānaumokuākea marine national monument four times, which was declared a World Heritage site in 2010.
iii. The monument which has cream of Spices a quarter of them found nowhere was is now double the size of Texas, stretches outward from the north-western Hawaiian islands and includes Midway Atoll.
PM Modi announces Task Force to prepare India for next three Olympics
i.After India’s dismal show in the concluded Rio Olympics 2016 Prime Minister Narendra Modi said aboutconstituting a task force, which will make various suggestions to the roadmap for the next three quadrennial Games 2020 (Tokyo), 2024 and 2028.
ii. The PM announced that the task will be announced over the next few days at a meeting of the Council of Ministers held in New Delhi.
iii. The Task Force will comprise of members who are in house experts as well as those from outside members intended to put a strategy for sports facility, training, selection procedure and other related matters.
iv. In Rio India staged 118 athletes and finished 67th in the medal standings with a silver won by PV Sindhu in badminton and a bronze by Sakshi Malik in wrestling.