12 Sept Current Affairs

1.

In a testament to Assam’s global technological prowess, Bhaskar Deka, a Silicon Valley-based technology executive of Assamese origin, has been conferred a prestigious accolade by the US-based renowned publication, “Human Resources Executive,”

The esteemed honor places him among the elite ranks of the Top 100 global technology executives for the current year.

The annual list includes top technology executives from global companies such as Google, Oracle, Disney, Facebook, SAP, and others. Deka is one of the six persons of Indian origin to be included in the list and the first Assamese to be bestowed with that honor. 

Deka is currently a Global Vice President (GVP) & General Manager and a member of the Senior Leadership Team for Cornerstone On Demand, a global software leader in talent management with multiple billion dollars in annual revenue and with offices around the world including in India. 

Since immigrating to the United States in 1995, Deka has held senior leadership positions in engineering and product management in top Silicon Valley stalwarts such as Oracle Corporation. 

Originally from Guwahati, Deka had a stellar academic record from his formative years. As the eldest son of Mrinalini Deka and the Late Rajendra Nath Deka, he grew up in the Pub Sarania/Rajgarh area and did his schooling from Cotton Collegiate High School. 

2.

In a significant development on the first day of the autumn session of the Assam Legislative Assembly, Education Minister Ranoj Pegu introduced six new university bills and several amendment bills, reshaping the educational landscape of the state. 

the university bills were introduced for Sibsagar College (Autonomous), Gurucharan College, Bongaigaon College, North Lakhimpur College (Autonomous), Nowgong College (Autonomous) and Jagannath Borooah College (Autonomous).

Besides this, amendment bills for seven universities were also introduced at the assembly such as Gauhati University, Cotton University, Kumar Bhaskar Varma Sanskrit and Ancient Studies University, Madhabdev University, Assam Women’s University, Assam Science and Technology University (ASTU) and Bodoland University.

Meanwhile, a repealing bill was also tabled for Assam Rajib Gandhi University of Cooperative Management.

As per reports, it has come to light that following the enactment of this Act, all assets and properties owned by Assam Rajib Gandhi University of Cooperative Management will be transferred to Sibsagar University.

Furthermore, all officers and personnel currently occupying positions as per the sanctioned posts of Assam Rajib Gandhi University of Cooperative Management will be reassigned to Sibsagar University for the duration of their remaining service tenure, as stipulated in the Sibsagar University Act of 2023.

3.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that soon in the state a semiconductor plant will be set up with an initial investment of Rs 40,000 crore.

This significant investment promises to bolster Assam’s power generation capabilities, reducing its dependence on other regions.

Note:  the state only generates 400 MWs of power at a cost of Rs 9 and hence the tariff in the domestic category is less compared to other states.

On issues related to power consumption across households where smart meters have been put up, the consumption has come down drastically to 60 per cent which is actually very positive as people are now alert and judiciously use power

4.

From a terracotta plaque depicting a standing figure with two attendants to a bronze sculpture depicting Lord Krishna in the famous Kalinganarthana posture, from a sandstone image of Vishnu and Lakshmi riding the Garuda to a terracotta vase from Eastern India — these are among 105 antiquities smuggled to the United States from India that arrived in the country nearly two weeks ago.

one hundred and five antique art objects have been repatriated in the month of August 2023 from USA. Cases of repatriation of antiquities with other countries are in progress

the process is on to bring back 16 more antiquities, which were returned by New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met) following an investigation published by The Indian Express in March. Besides the 105 antiquities, over 250 artefacts, categorised as “non-antiquities”, are expected to arrive on Indian shores soon.

Some among the antiquities and ‘non-antiquities’ were smuggled out of India by Subhash Kapoor, who is serving a 10-year term in a Tamil Nadu jail since November for the illegal export of artefacts.

 35 of the 105 antiquities are from Chandraketugarh, an archeological site about 35 km north-east of Kolkata, and nearly 2,000 years old

A review of the list of 105 antiquities — which belong to different periods and mostly over 1,000 years old — by The Indian Express revealed eastern India as the provenance or source of 46 artefacts, south India of 29 and central India of 17. Among others, the provenance of three antiquities was listed as “central or eastern India”; two each as Uttar Pradesh and “Rajasthan or Gujarat”; and one each as “central or western India”, “Himachal Pradesh or Uttarakhand”, “Uttar Pradesh or Bihar”, north India and Western India

 the artefacts will either be displayed at the gallery of confiscated antiquities at Delhi’s Old Fort or returned to the states from where they were smuggled.

Most antiquities depict gods and goddesses such as Shiva, Lakshmi, Ganesh, Vishnu, Surya, Kubera and Krishna, besides two Tirthankars. The treasure trove also includes a “crypt” of a male’s gravestone carved in marble, and a steel dagger and sheath. The “crypt” has an Arabic/Persian inscription from Western India from 18th-19th century CE, while the dagger and sheath is from north India from 18th century CE.

most of the returned antiquities (27 of 105) are estimated to be from 2nd-3rd century CE, 16 from 6th-7th century CE, 13 from 12th-13th century CE, and 15 from 15th-17th century CE. Four of the “youngest”antiquities from this lot are from 18th-19th century CE.

Sources said the antiquities are made of different materials — 46 of terracotta; 27 of bronze; 11 of sandstone; three each of wood and marble; two each of black stone, granite and silver; and one each of brass, chlorite schist, schist, slate stone, spotted sandstone and steel.

Over the last few years, several antiquities have been retrieved from different countries including the US, Australia and Germany, among others. The move to bring back the antiquities picked pace after the arrest of one of the most notorious idol smugglers, Kapoor. He was arrested in Germany on October 30, 2011, and extradited to India in July 2012. On November 1, 2022, he was charged by a Kumbakonam court for burglary and illegal export of idols belonging to Kanchipuram’s Varadharaja Perumal temple. He is currently serving his sentence at Trichy Central Jail.

5.

In a move to open up key regulatory posts to the private sector, the Centre is considering an amendment to the TRAI Act, 1997, which would lay down specific requirements to enable senior corporate executives to become the chairperson of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).

According to the changes being considered under the upcoming Telecommunications Bill, the amendment could specify that the regulator’s chairperson can be from the private sector. A senior government official said the requirements for the post could include individuals from the private sector who have held board positions or been the chief executive officer, with professional experience of at least 30 years.

 this would essentially mean an amendment to Section 4 of the TRAI Act, 1997, under which the Centre is empowered to appoint the chairperson and members of the regulatory body who have “special knowledge of, and professional experience in, telecommunication, industry, finance, accountancy, law, management or consumer affairs”.

According to the current rules, a TRAI member must have held the post of Secretary or Additional Secretary to the Government of India, or any equivalent post in the central or state government, for at least three years. However, no rules are specified for the post of chairperson.

“While technically, the chairperson could have been appointed from the private sector, the government had so far stayed away from appointing such an individual due to obvious concerns of conflict of interest. But the changes being considered now signal the changing mindset of the Centre towards opening up key regulatory posts for individuals from the private sector,” 

The current TRAI chairperson, P D Vaghela, is a Gujarat-cadre 1986-batch IAS officer, and was earlier Secretary, Department of Pharmaceuticals. His predecessor, R S Sharma, a Jharkhand-cadre 1978-batch IAS officer, was the IT Secretary from 2014 to 2015.

TRAI’s first chairperson S S Sodhi, who was in office from 1997 till 2000, was former Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court. Its second chairperson, M S Verma, who demitted office in 2003, was former chairman of the State Bank of India. So far, they are the only two non-IAS officers who served as TRAI chairpersons.

The thinking is in line with the government’s recent moves of appointing people from the private sector to head key regulatory bodies. Earlier this year, Madhabi Puri Buch became the first private sector executive to head the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), more than 30 years after the market regulator got statutory powers.

More recently, the government notified the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, under which the Data Protection Board of India will act as the key arbiter and enforcer of the privacy legislation. The Act allows the chairperson of the board to be appointed from the private sector, provided he/ she has relevant experience in the fields of data governance, administration or implementation of laws related to social or consumer protection, and dispute resolution, among other things

6.

The recently released ‘G20 Leaders Declaration’ highlighted the importance of the ‘Goa Roadmap for Tourism’ as a means to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It is a groundbreaking initiative that provides a blueprint for global sustainable tourism. Aligned with India’s G20 Presidency theme, it emphasizes tourism’s role in society, the economy, and environmental stewardship.

To facilitate this commitment, the Ministry of Tourism, in collaboration with UNWTO, launched the G20 Tourism and SDG Dashboard, showcasing sustainable tourism practices and policies from G20 nations. The Ministry also plans education and awareness campaigns, a national competition on ‘Tourism for Tomorrow,’ and the “Travel for LiFE” initiative to promote responsible and sustainable tourism.

The ‘Goa Roadmap for Tourism’ is a significant contribution to sustainable global tourism as it provides a comprehensive strategy for aligning tourism policies with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. Its key priorities include:

1. Green Tourism: Promoting environmentally friendly practices in the tourism sector.
2. Digitalization: Utilizing digital technologies to enhance tourism experiences and accessibility.
3. Skills: Developing skills and capabilities in the tourism workforce.
4. Tourism MSMEs: Supporting Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises in the tourism industry.
5. Destination Management: Enhancing the management and sustainability of tourism destinations.

By focusing on these interconnected priorities, the roadmap offers a holistic approach to sustainable tourism development and prosperity, fostering global cooperation in the tourism sector.

7.

The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has announced plans to construct the world’s highest fighter airfield in the Nyoma region of Ladakh. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will lay the foundation stone for this project from Devak Bridge on September 12. The BRO aims to enhance India’s infrastructure along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), aimed at surpassing China in infrastructure development along the LAC within the next two to three years. The Indian government has significantly increased the budget for border infrastructure development in recent years, supporting the BRO’s efforts to improve connectivity and defense capabilities in border areas.

8.

The Madhya Pradesh Government has changed the name of the state-run housing scheme, previously known as Mukhyamantri Antyodaya Awas Yojana, to Mukhyamantri Ladli Bahna Awas Yojana. The decision, aimed at aligning with Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s Ladali Bahna Yojana, was unanimously approved by the state cabinet.

Additionally, the cabinet approved proposals to increase the monthly honorarium for cooks working in the Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman Yojana and double the honorarium for guest teachers in different classes. The government also announced a subsidy on cooking gas for women with connections under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana and Ladli Bahnas during the month of Shravan.