RAJASTHAN

• Rajasthan camels to help guards at China border

• Now, camels of Jaisalmer, Bikaner and Barmer will help Indian guards at China border and will ferry their things.

• Recently, four camels were sent from Bikaner to cold areas of Ladhak. Animal husbandry department of Centre is working on the action plan made in this regard. This will promote camel breeding as its utility will be proved along with camel milk will be sold through saras parlours.

• All efforts are being made to conserve the state animal. Rs 10,000 is being given on birth of camel calf as subsidy and even ban on sale and purchase of camel has been lifted. Along with this, effective steps are being taken to promote camel milk. A mini plant is being set up at Jaipur of 5009 litres capacity worth Rs 7.50 crore in which camel milk will be sold at saras parlours. He said stall will be opened at each division so that maximum people are benefited for various diseases.

Gk bit– Camel breeds

• India stands tenth in the world ranking with 0.51 million camels. Camel play important role in India and keeps the wheels of rural economy turning.

• Eight distinct camel breeds/strains besides several other strains developed and named after local breeding tracts are available but these are syntheses of mostly one or more of the 4 main camel breeds viz. Bikaneri, Jaisalmeri, Kachchhi and Mewari. There are four identified breeds of camels in India, e.g. Bikaneri, Jaisalmeri, Kachchhi and Mewari. Bikaneri breed of camel is one of the major camel breeds found in India. Bikaneri camels are predominantly bred in Bikaner and near by districts, such as Sriganganagar, Hanumangarh, Churu, Jhunjhunu, Sikar and Nagaur of Rajasthan and adjoining parts of Haryana and Punjab state. The breeding tract of Jaisalmeri breed encompasses the Jaisalmer, Barmer and part of Jodhpur district in Rajasthan. The Jaisalmeri camels are of active temperament and are quite tall with long and thin legs. The Kachchhi breed inhabits the ran of Kachchh in Gujarat state. The major breeding tract encompasses the Kachchh and Bansakantha districts of Gujarat. The camels of this breed are generally brown to dark brown in colour with absence of hair on eyelids and ears. The Mewari breed of camel has derived its name from the Mewar area of Rajasthan and is well known for milk production potential. The major breeding tract of the breed encompasses the Udaipur, Chittorgarh, Rajsamand districts and adjoining Neemuch and Mandsour districts of Madhya Pradesh. According to the National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources there are 8 breeds of camels in India, e.g. Bikaneri, Jaisalmeri, Jalori, Kutchi, Malvi, Marwari, Mewari and Mewati. 

   

   

  INTERNATIONAL

   

  • Saudi Arabia, UAE introduce VAT in first for Gulf

   

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  • Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates introduced value-added tax, a first for the Gulf which has long prided itself on its tax-free.

   

  • The five percent sales tax applies to most goods and services and analysts project that the two governments could raise as much as $21 billion in 2018, equivalent to 2.0 percent of GDP.

   

  • The other four Gulf states, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar are also committed to introducing VAT but have delayed the move until early 2019.

   

  ·        Israel Withdraws from UNESCO

   

  • Israel filed notice to withdraw from the UNESCO alongside the United States.
  • Israel has blasted UNESCO in recent years over the organization’s criticism of Israel’s occupation of East Jerusalem and its decision to grant full membership to Palestine in 2011.
  • Israel was the member of UNESCO since 1949. Both Israel and the US have filed its own withdrawal notice in October 2017.

   

  NATIONAL 

   

  ·        India Hosting 10 ASEAN Leaders on Republic Day 2018

   

  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the Republic Day celebration in 2018 would be “remembered through the ages”because the government for the first time in India’s history would host leaders of 10 ASEAN countries as chief guests on 26th January 2018.
  • “The Republic Day will be celebrated with leaders of all 10 (Association of Southeast Asian Nations)ASEAN countries coming to India as chief guests.
  • This time, not one but 10 chief guests would grace the Republic Day.

   

  • Maneka Gandhi to inaugurated online portal ‘NARI’
  • In a big leap forward to empower women, the Minister of Women & Child Development, Smt Maneka Sanjay Gandhi has inaugurated an online portal NARI in New Delhi.

   

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  • Developed by the Ministry of Women & Child Development, the portal will provide women citizens with easy access to information on government schemes and initiatives for women.

   

  • Further to provide a platform for NGOs and Civil Societies to interact with the Ministry of Women & Child Development, e-Samvad portal has also been developed which was inaugurated by the WCD Minister.

   

  • The NARI portal summarizes over 350 government schemes and other important information for the benefit of women, with more being added everyday.

   

  • There are tips on good nutrition, suggestions for health check ups, information on major diseases, tips for job search and interview, investment and savings advice, information on crimes and against women and reporting procedures, contacts of legal aid cells, simplified adoption procedures and much more.

   

   

  • Nagaland declared as ‘disturbed area’ for 6 more months

   

  • The entire Nagaland has been declared as “disturbed area” for six more months, till June- end, under the controversial AFSPA, which empowers security forces to conduct operations anywhere and arrest anyone without any prior notice.

   

  • There have been demands from various organisations in the northeast as well as in Jammu and Kashmir for repealing the controversial Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), which, they say, gives “sweeping powers” to security forces.

   

  • The AFSPA has been in force in Nagaland for several decades.

   

  • Banks gearing up to refer 24 of 28 large NPA accounts to NCLT

   

  • With the closure of RBI s deadline to resolve the 28 identified large stressed accounts in the second list, banks are gearing up to refer as many as 24 of them for insolvency proceedings.
  • In August, the Reserve Bank had asked banks to either resolve the 28 more large stressed accounts or refer them to the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) by December 31.

   

  • These accounts together account for 40 per cent of bad loans of around Rs 4 lakh crore.

   

  • The biggest of the 28 cases is Videocon Industries at Rs 47,000 crore.

   

  • RBI has also asked SBI to move to NCLT against Anrak Aluminium.

   

  • Vijay Keshav Gokhale appointed as foreign secretary

   

  • Senior diplomat Vijay Keshav Gokhale was y appointed foreign secretary for a two-year fixed term, succeeding S Jaishankar who completes his tenure on January 28, according to an official order.

   

  • Gokhale, a 1981 batch officer of the Indian Foreign Service (IFS), was India’s envoy to China.

   

  • He is at present secretary (economic relations) in the Ministry of External Affairs.

   

  • Jaishankar was appointed foreign secretary on January 29, 2015, for two years. He was given a one-year extension in January last year.

   

   

  • Ranji Trophy: Vidarbha beat Delhi to win maiden title

   

  • Vidarbha claimed their maiden Ranji Trophy after beating Delhi by nine wickets in the final of India’s premier domestic tournament in Indore.

   

  • The Ranji Trophy is a domestic first-class cricket championship played in India between teams representing regional and state cricket associations.

   

  • The competition is named after first Indian cricketer who played international cricket, Ranjitsinhji, who was also known as “Ranji”.

   

  • Mumbai is the most successful team in the Ranji Trohy winning the title 41 times.