INTERNATIONAL
- Venezuela, Libya suspended from voting in UNGA.
- Venezuela and Libya were suspended from voting in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in the 2016-17 session for not paying dues to the world body. This is for the second time in two years both countries have been suspended. Venezuela was to make a minimum $24 million payment under the two-year threshold to get its voting rights restored. While, Libya was to pay minimum payment of $6.5 million. Besides them other four other countries Papua New Guinea, Sudan, Vanuatu and Cabo Verde also may lose their voting rights for not paying their in past two years .
- The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA, GA, or French: Assemblée Générale “AG”) is one of the six principal organs of theUnited Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation. The General Assembly (GA) is the main deliberative, policymaking and representative organ of the UN.
- The UN has six principal organs:
- The General Assembly (the main deliberative assembly);
- The Security Council (for deciding certain resolutions for peace and security);
- The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) (for promoting international economic and social co-operation and development);
- The Secretariat (for providing studies, information, and facilities needed by the UN);
- The International Court of Justice (the primary judicial organ) and
- The United Nations Trusteeship Council (inactive since 1994).
- UN System agencies include the World Bank Group, the World Health Organization, the World Food Programme, UNESCO, and UNICEF. The UN’s most prominent officer is the Secretary-General, an office held by Portuguese AntónioGuterres since 2017.
NATIONAL
- Union Government allows Tamil Nadu to increase number of workdays under MGNREGA.
- The Union Government has allowed Tamil Nadu Government to increase the number of workdays under the Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee (MGNREGA) scheme in Tamil Nadu from existing 100 days to 150 days. The rise in workdays aims at helping rural labourers, who are staring at job loss due to severe drought in the state. Due to enhancement of the work days, 3 crore more man-days are to be generated. Works like maintenance of other rural assets and desilting of waterbodies in rural areas will be undertaken under the scheme. In Tamil Nadu, MGNREGA scheme is being implemented in 12,524 villages.
- India’s first hill station bicycle path inaugurated in Darjeeling.
- India’s first hill station bicycle path was inaugurated in Darjeeling, West Bengal at an altitude of over 2,000 metres. The 20 km long cycle route runs through thick pine forest and Senchal wildlife sanctuary, one of India’s oldest nature reserves. The route starts from near Jorebunglow, south of Darjeeling and ends at a small local First Hill Station Bicycle Patheco-village resort in Chatakpur. Darjeeling is a popular tourist destination in India. It is famous for its tea industry, spectacular views of Kangchenjunga, the world’s third-highest mountain and UNESCO World Heritage Site and Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.
RAJASTHAN
- Initiative for girls’ education completes 20 years in Sikar.
- Excellence School: An initiative for promotion of girls’ education has completed 20 years in the Sikar town of Rajasthan.
- It has resulted in the establishment of a high-quality “Excellence Knowledge City for Girls”
- It has brought the dusty district of the Shekhawati region among the top five educationally advanced districts of the State.
- Excellence School: Built entirely from the personal savings of entrepreneur Wahid Chowhan, born in Sikar and now settled in Mumbai.
- It offers free education, including books and uniforms, to girls in an atmosphere of modernisation of madrasa curriculum mixed with mainstream subjects.
- It is probably the first school which has introduced Sanskrit along with Urdu and Arabic as the languages taught.
- A revolution: All schools are getting themselves registered with the government and offering high-quality education.
- No girl, especially in the minority communities, stays at home. With higher education, they are all moving up the social ladder