RAJASTHAN
- Rajasthan falls to sixth rank in ease of doing business
- Rajasthan’s ranking in ‘ease of doing business’ has slipped from top five positions as local bodies and urban improvement trusts (UITs) lag in implementing business reforms. The state’s real-time ranking was third till January 2018, but now it has slipped to sixth position.
- The yearly state-wise ranking will be based on assessment of implementation of the ‘Business Reforms Action Plan’ (BRAP) in 2017.
- According to the data available on department of industrial policy and promotion (DIPP’s) website — http://eodb.dipp.gov.in — which provides real-time ranking and tracking of the states and UTs based on the implementation of the recommendations, Rajasthan stood at 6th place as on February 1 with an implementation score of 89.97%. However, the ranking is dynamic and till they are frozen, these positions could change due to intense competition between states.
- According to sources, the position of Rajasthan is expected to fall further as it failed to fulfil recent recommendations provided by the Centre.
- The state government in October 2017 had forwarded the BRAP including a total of 372 recommendations framed by department of industrial policy and promotion (DIPP), ministry of commerce and industry, in association with the World Bank.
- The assessment in 2017 include paper-less courts, online single window system, online tax payment, contract enforcement, land availability and allotment, obtaining electricity and water connection, enablers for transparency, tax, labour regulation, construction permits, environmental registration as well as commercial dispute resolution and online systems for property registration.
INTERNATIONAL
· Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Resigns To Smooth Path For Political Reform
- Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn suddenly resigned in what he described as a bid to smooth reforms, following years of violent unrest that threatened the ruling party’s hold on Africa’s second most populous nation.
- The resignation has unprecedented in Ethiopia’s history – followed a wave of strikes this week in towns near the capital and demonstrations successfully demanding the release of more opposition leaders.
- K P Sharma Oli becomes Nepal PM for second time
- CPN-UML chairperson K P Sharma Oli has become Nepal’s Prime Minister for the second time.
- President Bidhya Devi Bhandari appointed 65-year-old Oli as the country’s 41st prime minister.
- Oli, who is known for his pro-China stance, had served as the country’s prime minister from October 11, 2015 to August 3, 2016.
- Earlier, former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba had addressed the nation and submitted his resignation to the president.
- Cyril Ramaphosa elected President of South Africa
- Cyril Ramaphosa has been elected as South Africa’s new president by ruling party legislators after the resignation of Jacob Zuma.
- Ramaphosa was the only candidate nominated for election in the parliament after two opposition parties said they would not participate.
- Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng presided over the parliamentary election.
- The country’s 400-member parliament, dominated by the ruling African National Congress Party (ANC), elected Ramaphosa to finish his predecessor’s term, which ends with elections in 2019.
- The ANC has finished first in every national vote since the end of white-minority rule in 1994.
· China to host 2018 SCO Summit at Qingdao in June
- China will host 2018 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit at Qingdao, eastern Shandong Province in June 2018.
- China had taken over rotating chair of SCO after17th SCO summit concluded in Astana, capital of Kazakhstan in June 2017.
- SCO is a Eurasian economic, political and security organization headquartered in Beijing, China. It was founded in 2001.
- The full members of the organization are headquartered in Beijing, China. It was founded in 2001.
- Prime Minister to inaugurate World Sustainable Development Summit 2018
- The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, will inaugurate the 2018 edition of the World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS 2018) at VigyanBhawan in the capital on 16thFebruary.
- WSDS is the flagship forum of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and seeks to bring together on a common platform, global leaders and thinkers in the fields of sustainable development, energy and environment sectors.
- The theme of the Summit this year is ‘Partnerships for a Resilient Planet’.
- WSDS 2018 seeks to create action frameworks to resolve some of the most urgent challenges facing developing economies in the backdrop of climate change.
NATIONAL