68th World Health Assembly opens in Geneva

68th PRESIDENCY TO INDIA of WHA : After 19 years

J P Nadda

After a gap of 19 years, India has assumed presidency of the 68th Session of the World Health Assembly (WHA), the top decision-making body of the World Health Organisation. Union Health Minister J P Nadda presided over the WHA session.

• India would contribute $2.1 million to the World Health Organisation (WHO) as a reflection of its commitment to the global health body and its mandate.
• The presidency of World Health Assembly, the top decision-making body of the WHO, is based on a regional rotation practice and saw India assuming the presidency after 18 years.

World Health Assembly (WHA):

The World Health Assembly (WHA) is the forum through which the World Health Organization (WHO) is governed by its 194 member states.

It is the world’s highest health policy setting body and is composed of health ministers from member states.

• The members of the World Health Assembly generally meet every year in May in Geneva, the location of WHO Headquarters.

• The main functions of the World Health Assembly are to
  1. Determine the policies of the Organization,
  2. Appoint the Director-General,
  3. Supervise financial policies, and
  4. Review and Approve the proposed programme budget.

Sources: The Hindu, WHO, Wiki.

Seoul to provide aid for smart cities in India

South Korea has decided to provide $10 billion to India for infrastructure, development of smart cities, railways, and power generation. The two countries have also agreed to upgrade their bilateral relationship to a Special Strategic Partnership.

Details:

• Both Countries have agreed to increase their defence and security cooperation and have also inked seven agreements, including on avoidance of double taxation and for cooperation between their National Security Councils.
• As part of the Special Strategic Partnership, both countries would hold annual summit meetings; hold annual joint commissions led by their foreign ministers and boost cooperation between their defense education institutions.

1. Avoidance of Double Taxation
2. Co operation in Audio Visual Co Production
3. Co operation in National Security offices of both.
4. Co operation in Electric Power Development & New Energy Industries
5. Co operation in Youth Matters
6. Co operation in Road Transport & Highways
7. Co operation in Maritime Transport & Logistics

SOUTH KOREA

• Roughly half of the country’s 50 million people reside in the metropolitan area surrounding its capital, the Seoul Capital Area, which is the second largest in the world with over 25 million residents
• PRESIDENT :  PARK GEUN HYE
• PM : Vacant

• Republic of Korea[show]
  Flag Emblem
  Motto: “Benefit Broadly the Human World”
  Capital and largest city		Seoul
  Official languages		Korean
  Official scripts		Hangul
  Ethnic groups		Korean
  Demonym		South Korean Korean
  Government		Unitary presidential constitutional republic
  –	President	Park Geun-hye
  –	Prime Minister	Vacant
  Legislature		National Assembly
  Formation
  –	Established	August 15, 1948
  –	Current constitution	October 29, 1987
  Area
  –	Total	100,210 km2 (109th) 38,691 sq mi
  –	Water (%)	0.3 (301 km2 / 116 mi2)
  Population
  –	2014 estimate	51,302,044[2] (26th)
  GDP (PPP)		2015 estimate
  –	Total	$1.854 trillion[3] (13th)
  –	Per capita	$36,601[3] (29th)
  GDP (nominal)		2015 estimate
  –	Total	$1.435 trillion[3] (11th)
  –	Per capita	$28,338[3] (28th)
  Gini (2011)		31.1[4] medium
  HDI (2013)		0.891[5] very high · 15th
  Currency		South Korean won (₩) (KRW)
  Time zone		Korea Standard Time (UTC+9)
  Date format		yyyy년 mm월 dd일 yyyy/mm/dd (CE)
  Drives on the		right
  Calling code		+82
  ISO 3166 code		KR
  Internet TLD		.kr .한국

Korean War

1. War between North and South Korea, in which a United Nations force led by the
   1. United States of America fought for the South, and
   2. China fought for the North, which was also assisted by the Soviet Union.
2. The war arose from the division of Korea at the end of World War II and from the global tensions of the Cold War that developed immediately afterwards.

Territory often changed hands early in the war, until the front stabilized.
North Korean and Chinese forces
South Korean, American, Commonwealth and United Nations forces

Sources: The Hindu.

Assurance on Polavaram project

The Union Minister for Water Resources has assured that the Centre would do everything for completion of the Polavaram project on time. The Union Water Resources Ministry may approach the government seeking an increase in allocation of funds for Polavaram Multi-Purpose Irrigation Project in Andhra Pradesh.

Polavaram Project:

• Polavaram Projec, also called as Indira Sagar Project, is a multi-purpose irrigation project which has been accorded national project status by the central government.
• This dam across the Godavari River is under construction located in West Godavari District and East Godavari District in Andhra Pradesh state and its reservoir spreads in parts of Chhattisgarh and Orissa States also.

• The project is multipurpose major terminal reservoir project on river Godavari for development of Irrigation, Hydropower and drinking water facilities to East Godavari, Vishakhapatnam, West Godavari and Krishna districts of Andhra Pradesh.
• The project is likely to displace over 1.88 lakh people across 222 villages and so far, 1,730 persons in six villages have been rehabilitated by the government.

Sources: The Hindu, Wiki

First tribal woman to be Jharkhand Governor

Draupadi Murmu (द्रौपदी मुर्मू)

Draupadi Murmu recently took oath as the ninth Governor of Jharkhand, the first tribal woman to occupy the position in the State.

Governors of States in India:

• Governor is the head of the Executive power of any state in India, just like the President who is the head of the executive power in the Union. But, Governor is the nominal head of a state, unlike the Chief Minister who is the real head of a state in India.
• According to an amendment in the Constitution of India, brought about in 1956, the same person can be the Governor of two or more states.
• Like the President of India, the Governor of any state in India is vested with certain executive, legislative and judicial powers. He or she also possesses certain discretionary or emergency powers. But one major difference in the powers enjoyed by the President and those enjoyed by the Governor is, the Governor does not have any diplomatic or military powers.
• The governors and lieutenant-governors are appointed by the president for a term of 5 years.

Article 157 and Article 158

• of the Constitution of India specify eligibility requirements for the post of governor.
• The term of governor’s office is normally 5 years but it can be terminated earlier by: Dismissal by the president on the advice of the prime minister of the country, at whose pleasure the governor holds office or Resignation by the governor. There is no provision of impeachment, as it happens for the president.
• The first woman to become a Governor of a state in India was Sarojini Naidu. She remained the Governor of Uttar Pradesh in independent India.

Sources: The Hindu, Wiki, EC.

CVC appointments soon

Days after the Supreme Court gave the go-ahead for the appointment of Chief Vigilance Commissioner and a Vigilance Commissioner, Union Minister of State for Personnel has said that the top vacancies would be filled soon.

• The Supreme Court had last week given its approval for the appointments asking the government to ensure transparency by providing the high-powered selection committee headed by the Prime Minister with names and details of all 130 applicants and not just of those shortlisted by a scrutiny panel of three senior bureaucrats.
• The key posts fell vacant last September after CVC Pradeep Kumar and Vigilance Commissioner J.M. Garg completed their terms.

last CVC : Pradeep Kumar
last Vigilance Commisssioner : J M Garg

Basic facts: Central Vigilance Commission:

• It was created via executive resolution (based on the recommendations of Santhanam committee (संताणाम कमिटी) in 1964 but was conferred with statutory status in 2003.
• It is the apex vigilance institution.
• Presently, the body consists of central vigilance commissioner along with 2 vigilance commissioners.
• They are appointed by the President of India on the recommendations of a committee consisting of Prime Minister, Union Home Minister and Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha (if there is no LoP then the leader of the single largest Opposition party in the Lok Sabha).
• Their term is 4 years or 65 years, whichever is earlier.

• It submits its report to the President of India.
• The Central Vigilance Commissioner or any Vigilance Commissioner can be removed from his office only by order of the President on the ground of proved misbehavior or incapacity after the Supreme Court, on a reference made to it by the President, has, on inquiry, reported that the Central Vigilance Commissioner or any Vigilance Commissioner, as the case may be, ought to be removed.
• CVC is advisory body.

Sources: The Hindu, Wiki.

India, a victim of e-waste crime

A report released recently by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) says that much of the 40 million tonnes of electronic waste produced around the world — old smartphones, TVs, laptops and obsolete kitchen appliances — finds its way illegally to Asia and Africa every year.

Important observations made by the Report:

• Close to 90% of the world’s electronic waste — worth nearly $19 billion — is illegally traded or dumped each year, to destinations half way across the world.
• While the European Union the U.S. and Japan are the primary origins of e-waste shipments, China, India, Malaysia and Pakistan are the main destinations. In Africa, Ghana and Nigeria are the biggest recipients of e-waste.
• Illegal trade is driven by the relatively low costs of shipment and the high costs of treatment in the developed countries. Exporting e-waste to Asia worked out 10 times cheaper than processing it in within these countries.
• The Indian subcontinent has turned into an important destination for European waste. This goes beyond e-waste to include household waste, metals, textiles and tires — which are exported to India and Pakistan.
• The vast majority of illegal e-waste ends up in landfills, incinerators, and in ill-equipped recycling facilities. The waste is dumped in areas where local residents and workers disassemble the units and collect whatever is of value. What is not reusable is simply dumped as waste, creating immense problems and leading to what has been described as a ‘toxic time bomb’.
• While Europe and North America are by far the largest producers of e-waste, Asia’s cities are fast catching up as consumers of electronic goods and as generators of e-waste.

Sources: The Hindu.