Daily Current Affairs 17 July 2020 With Video Lecture

What is South Asian Free Trade Area?

• It is the free trade arrangement of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).
• Came into force in 2006.
• SAFTA signatory countries are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
• It aims to benefit the people of the countries by bringing transparency and integrity among the nations.
• The SAFTA was also formed in order to increase the level of trade and economic cooperation among the SAARC nations by reducing the tariff and barriers and also to provide special preference to the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) among the SAARC nations to establish framework for further regional cooperation.

Lancet’s analysis of population trends for 2017-2100

• A new analysis published in The Lancet has projected that the world population will peak much earlier than previously estimated.
• It projects the peak at 9.73 billion in 2064, which is 36 years earlier than the 11 billion peak projected for 2100 by last year’s UN report World Population Prospects.
• For 2100, the new report projects a decline to 8.79 billion from the 2064 peak.
•  India’s population is forecasted to peak around 1.6 billion in 2048 from 1.38 billion in 2017.
•  It will be followed by a 32% decline to around 1.09 billion in 2100.
• India in 2100 will be the world’s most populous country.
• India has been forecasted to have the largest working-age population in the world by 2100.
• India is projected to have the second largest net immigration in 2100, with an estimated half a million more people immigrating to India in 2100 than emigrating out.
• The sharper fall is due to the assumption that all women globally will have much higher access to contraception and education.
• This will lead to a sharper reduction in the Total Fertility Rate.
• When TFR is lower than 2.1 leads to a decline in a country’s population.

India Energy Modeling Forum

• India Energy Modeling Forum was launched in a group meeting of the Sustainable Growth Pillar.
• Co-chaired by NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog and United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
• The SG pillar entails energy data management, energy modelling and collaboration on low carbon technologies as three key activities.
• IEMF was launched to provide a platform to examine important energy and environmental related issues and facilitate exchange of ideas.
• It will Improve cooperation between modelling teams, government, and knowledge partners, funders.
• Along with that it will Identify knowledge gaps at different levels and across different areas and Build capacity of Indian institutions

First on-line NISHTHA programme launched

• Union HRD Minister and Minister of State for HRD jointly launch the first on-line NISHTHA programme for 1200 Key Resources Persons of Andhra Pradesh.
• NISHTHA is a National Initiative for School Heads’ and Teachers’ Holistic Advancement at the elementary stage under Samagra Shiksha -a flagship programme of MHRD to improve learning outcomes.
• First launched on 21st August 2019.
• Thereafter, 33 states/UTs have launched this programme in their states/UTs in collaboration under Samagra Shiksha, a Centrally Sponsored Scheme.
• 29 States/UTs, the NISHTHA training programme has been completed by the NCERT at the state level.
• In 4 States/UTs (Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, J&K and Bihar), the training at the state level is still in progress.
• In two states, it is yet to be launched.
• Around 23,000 Key Resource Persons and 17.5 lakh teachers and school heads have been covered under this NISHTHA face to face mode till date.
• For providing training to remaining 24 lakh teachers and school heads, NISHTHA has been customized for online mode to be conducted through DIKSHA and NISHTHA portals by the NCERT.

NTPC enters pact with NIIF

• MOU is to explore opportunities for investments in areas like renewable energy, power distribution among other areas of mutual interest in India.
• NTPC Ltd, a central PSU under Ministry of Power and Country’s largest power generation company.
• With this MoU, NTPC and NIIF aim to collaborate to further help India’s vision of building sustainable and robust energy infrastructure in the country.
• This partnership aims to bring together NTPC’s technical expertise and NIIF’s ability to raise capital and bring in global best practices by leveraging its existing relationships with leading players.
• NTPC targets to have nearly 30 GW of its overall power generation capacity from renewable energy sources by 2032.
• NIIF- It is India’s first infrastructure specific investment fund that was set up by the Government of India in February 2015.
• Objective behind creating this fund was to maximize economic impact mainly through infrastructure investment in commercially viable projects, both Greenfield and Brownfield.

Current COVID19 Situation in India

QUIZ TIME

Which country will be having largest working-age population in the world by 2100 as per Lancet Report?

1. China
2. India
3. Canada
4. USA

Answer – B

India Energy Modeling Forum will be managed by

1. NIIF
2. NITI Ayog
3. Ministry of earth sciences
4. Ministry of External Affairs

Answer – B

NISHTHA programme is for which of the following?

1. Professors
2. School Teachers
3. Researchers
4. School Children

Answer – B

NIIF was established in which year?

1. 2015
2. 2014
3. 2013
4. 2012

Answer – A

Question of the Day

What are the key initiatives of Skill India Mission?

Answer in next session…