Current Affairs for 11th to 17th Nov 2017

Current Affairs for 11th to 17th Nov 2017

1. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the first World Food India event at Vigyan Bhawan in Delhi on November 3, 2017. The three-day event is billed as the biggest congregation of global investors and business leaders of major food companies. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Modi noted that there was an immense potential for food processing and value addition in areas such as organic and fortified foods.
    
2. Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off a run in New Delhi, called the 'Run for Unity', on October 31 on the 142nd birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. In his address, the Prime Minister said unity in diversity was India's greatest asset and people must work toward building the nation based on this source of strength.
    
3. The Centre has convinced the Supreme Court to defer hearing on petitions challenging the special status granted to Jammu and Kashmir, saying it has appointed an interlocutor to commence talks with stakeholders in the State. Attorney General K.K. Venu Gopal said before a Bench led by Chief Justice Dipak Misra that the court should adjourn the hearing on the petitions against Article 35A of the Constitution for six months. The court, however, settled for 12 weeks in its order.
    
4. Army has finalized one of its biggest procurement plans for infantry modern-ization under which a large number of light machine guns (LMGs), battle car-bines and assault rifles are being purchased at a cost of nearly Rs. 40,000 crore to replace its ageing and obsolete weapons.
    
5. The Defence Ministry has approved procure-ment of 111 utility helicopters for the Navy at a cost of Rs 21,738 crore. The long-pending proposal was cleared at a meeting of the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by the Defence Minister.
    
6. India and Bhutan held the first summit after the Doklam crisis as Bhutanese king visited India on a three day trip. Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting with King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck in New Delhi. Earlier, welcoming the Bhutanese King, President expressed his deep appreciation for his country's support in resolving the Doklam.
    
7. India and Italy inked six pacts to boost cooperation in key sectors, including energy and trade, after detailed talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Italian counterpart Paolo Gentiloni in New Delhi on ways to strengthen ties and countering terrorism.
    
8. The World Bank has released the Doing Business (DB) Report. India ranks 100 among 190 countries assessed by the Doing Business Team. India has leapt 30 ranks over its rank of 130 in the Doing Business Report of last year. The DB Report is an assessment of 190 economies and covers 10 indicators which span the lifecycle of a business.
    
9. India and the US held 11^th Trade Policy Forum Meeting in Washington D.C. on October 26. The Minister for Commerce and Industry Suresh Prabhu had productive discussions with the United States Trade Representative, Ambassador Robert Lighthizer and his team in a cordial, friendly and positive manner. The Minster for Commerce and Industry noted that the TPF serves as a robust platform that contributes towards promoting bilateral trade and investment between India and US.
    
10. The CCEA has cleared the continuation of Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) as Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana – Remunerative Approaches for Agriculture and Allied sector Rejuvenation (RKVY-RAFTAAR) for three years till 2019-20.
     
11. Indian shooters Prakash Nanjappa, Amanpreet Singh and Jitu Rai made a clean sweep in the 50m pistol event at the Commonwealth Shooting Championships at Gold Coast in Australia. Prakash won the coveted gold medal, Amanpreet the Silver and Jitu settled for bronze medals.