India, Sri Lanka agree to form Joint Working Group on Fisheries
India and Sri Lanka have agreed to set up a Joint Working Group (JWG) on Fisheries and hotline between their Coast Guards to address long-standing issue of fishermen from Tamil Nadu.
These mechanisms aim to help find a permanent solution to the fishermen issues.
The decision in this regard taken during talks between Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera in New Delhi.
The JWG on Fisheries will meet every three months beginning January 2017 while the Ministers of Fisheries on both sides would meet every six months along with Naval representatives and Coast Guard to discuss the protracted issue.
PM Narendra Modi inaugurates first International Agro-biodiversity Congress
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the first International Agro-biodiversity Congress in New Delhi.
The 4-day Congress (from November 6 to 9, 2016) will be attended by 900 delegates from 60 countries to discuss conservation of genetic resources.
Agrobiodiversity is defined as the variety and variability of plant, animals and micro-organism that are used directly or indirectly for food and agriculture.
It includes all species that are closely inter-woven in an agricultural ecosystem.
India is one of the most diverse countries in the world possessing unique crop and animal diversity.
It covers only 2.4% of the world’s land area and yet it harbours 7-8% of all recorded species, including over 45,000 species of plants and 91,000 species of animals.
Anti-dumping duty on Metallurgical coke bane to steel industry
The Indian Steel Association (ISA) has asked the Central Govt not to impose any anti-dumping duty on Metallurgical Coke (met coke) fearing cost escalation of their products.
A levy of anti-dumping duty on met coke will have a cost-push effect on the steel sector.
It will fuel further the cost of steel making, resulting in an increase in the cost of finished steel.
Metallurgical coke is made from low ash, low sulfur bituminous coal, with special coking properties. It is one of the most important and critical raw materials for the steel industry.
PM Narendra Modi to inaugurate PETROTECH 2016
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 12th edition of International Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition “Petrotech-2016” in New Delhi on 5 December 2016.
The 2016 theme is “Hydrocarbons to fuel the future – Choices and Challenges”.
PETROTECH is India’s flagship biennial international oil and gas conference and exhibition.
It is Asia’s largest oil and gas event.
This global event aims at bringing Energy Ministers, professionals, industry leaders, academicians and domain experts from the energy sector on a common platform.
It is a biennial platform for national and international experts in the oil & gas industry to exchange views and share knowledge, expertise and experiences.
DRDO inks MoU with IIT Delhi to establish JATC
The Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) has signed a MoU with Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi to establish a Joint Advanced Technology Centre (JATC).
The JATC will be located in the campus of IIT Delhi at the upcoming Science and Technology Park (Mini-Science Park ‘MSP’).
The objective of JATC is to undertake and facilitate multi-disciplinary directed basic and applied research in the jointly identified research verticals.
The JATC will enable Directed, Basic & Applied Research and will engage with premier research institutes through multi-institutional collaboration.
DRDO will support JATC in equipping it with advanced and unique research facilities to enable the faculty and scholars to conduct advanced research.
India’s Aniruddha Rajput elected to UN’s International Law Commission
Indian lawyer, Aniruddha Rajput has been elected as a member International Law Commission (ILC), a top body of legal experts of United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
Rajput is among the 34 individuals elected by the UNGA as members of the ILC.
He is India’s first time candidate to the Commission and youngest among the group.
He is also the first Indian nominee chosen from outside the close circuit of lawyers of the Union Ministry of External Affairs.
