National & International Events - Current Affairs for September, 2017

The Minister for Textiles and IB, Smriti Irani was inaugurating the 6th Edition of the 4-day international textiles and apparel fair VASTRA 2017, in Jaipur on 21st Sept 2017. Growth of the textiles sector lies the growth of India and the growth of job opportunities. Textiles sector provides direct employment to over 45 million people and indirectly impacts close to another 20 million households. Government of India has brought in Rs. 6,000 crore package specially aimed at providing support to the textiles, apparel and made-ups sectors. VASTRA 2017 is an all-encompassing trade fair and conference on Textiles and Apparel presenting a fusion of the finest and the latest in textiles products. The event is jointly organized by Rajasthan State Industrial Development and Investments Corporation Limited (RIICO) and Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and is supported by the Government of Rajasthan. More than 50 countries and 13 Indian States are participating in VASTRA 2017.

The First ‘BIMSTEC Disaster Management Exercise- 2017’ (BIMSTEC DMEx-2017) will be conducted by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) as the lead agency from October 10-13, 2017 in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR). This Exercise will be a platform for sharing Best Practices on all aspects of Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), strengthening regional response and coordination for Disaster Management among the BIMSTEC member countries. Delegates from all seven nations of the ‘Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation’ (BIMSTEC) grouping, - namely Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand, representatives from Embassies/High Commissions of BIMSTEC nations in Delhi, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), and Senior Officers from the Nodal Ministries are participating in the event. At the 17th BIMSTEC Senior Officials Meeting held in Kathmandu, Nepal on February 7, 2017, it was decided that India would organize the first annual Disaster Management Exercise for the region. BIMSTEC DMEx-2017

• The main focus of the BIMSTEC DMEx-2017 will be on testing the region’s preparedness and resilience towards effective activation of inter-Governmental interaction/dialogue/agreements for immediate deployment of regional resources for disaster response.
• It will help create synergy and synchronize efforts to institutionalize regional cooperation among the member countries.
• The exercise will help strengthen the effective utilization of the Search & Rescue Teams for Disaster Relief & Emergency Response, including Emergency Rapid Assessment Teams and Management of mass casualties especially in situations involving breakdown of infrastructure and communication.
• At the end of the four-day Exercise, a publication will be brought out on the outcomes and recommendations of the Joint/Common Exercise and include Agreement among BIMSTEC Nations on regional cooperation for Disaster Management and Emergency Response.
• This would be presented to the BIMSTEC Leaders at the Summit to be hosted by Nepal in October/November, 2017.
• The BIMSTEC DMEx-2017 is being conducted in two phases in Delhi and NCR. The main exercise will comprise of Table Top Exercise (TTX), Field Training Exercise (FTX) and After Action Review (AAR) which is scheduled for October 10-13, 2017.

• India has been at the forefront of DRR efforts by hosting the South Asian Annual Disaster Management Exercise (SAADMEx).
• It also hosted Asian Ministerial Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR). India has also offered its expertise and capabilities in DRR such as the South Asia satellite, GSAT-9, and the Tsunami Early Warning Centre to other countries.
• Disaster Management was one of the important Agenda items the BIMSTEC leaders deliberated upon during the Goa BRICS Summit in October last year where BIMSTEC leaders were the Special Invitees.
• The BIMSTEC region is home to around 1.5 billion people, constituting around 22% of the global population with a combined GDP of US $2.7 trillion economy.
• Majority of the BIMSTEC countries are situated in the South Asian Region (SAR), prone to natural disasters such as floods, cyclones, earthquakes, avalanches and drought.

Modi government on 11th Sept kickstarted the process by approving 116 additional development projects across 31 provinces in the war-torn country. New Delhi will also provide assistance to Afghan defence forces, besides extending 500 scholarships to the kin of deceased Afghan soldiers battling Taliban and other terrorist groups. At the second meeting of the India- Afghanistan Strategic Partnership Council, co-chaired by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Afghan Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbai, both countries agreed to step up security cooperation. Additionally, there would be trade and people to people contacts by relaxing visa regime. India and Afghanistan jointly agreed to embark on a "new development partnership" in keeping with Afghanistan's priorities. New development projects would involve building a drinking water supply system for Kabul, low-cost housing for returning refugees, a water supply network for Charikar city, and a polyclinic in Mazar-e-Sharif. Both ministers jointly agreed to embark on a New Development Partnership in keeping with the priorities of Afghanistan and the main focus will continue on building governance and democratic institutions; human resource capacity and skill development. Both countries also signed Motors Vehicle Agreement to pave the way for overland transit. India will also supply wheat to Afghanistan in the coming weeks via Chabahar port. Afghanistan: Know More

• Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located within South Asia and Central Asia.
• The country has a population of 33 million, making it the 42nd most populous country in the world.
• Capital: Kabul
• President: Ashraf Ghani
• Currency: Afghan afghani
• Capital and largest city: Kabul
• Points of interest: Shrine of Ali, Darul Aman Palace,

List of MoUs/Agreements signed during State visit of Prime Minister to Myanmar