Table of Contents
India-Japan
- MEA: annual summit in India between 15-17 December.
- The summit is usually held alternatively in India and in Japan.
- 30 November: first “2+2” meet
- Agreed: scale up their defence cooperation
- Next year: first joint fighter jet exercise
- Peace Museum, Manipur: commemorates on the fiercest battles of World War 2 in 1944 in which thousands of Japanese troops were killed.
- Built by the Japanese in 1994.
- Focus on India’s northeastern states under the Act East Forum has led the meeting at Guwahati.
E-tailers
- E-commerce companies with foreign investments will have to submit a report prepared by statutory auditors, confirming their compliance of FDI policies by September 30 every year.
- Gazette notification on new FEMA rules on e-commerce, is largely based on the FDI norms announced by the DPIIT in December last year.
PM Modi to Bankers
- Hindustan Times Leadership Summit
- Genuine business decisions won’t be questioned and they would be allowed to work without any apprehension.
- Before any action is taken (against bankers), a scrutiny by a serving finance or banking expert will be conducted.
- A guideline in this regard will be issued shortly.
- The Prime Minister also said the recent sharp cut in the corporate tax rate will promote investment and spur manufacturing in India.
- The government, he stressed, is working as an enabler, facilitator and promoter for turning India into a $5 trillion economy (over the next five years).
- Good governance will provide a better future to the people of the country.
Renewable Energy
- Parliamentary Standing Committee on Energy
- The renewable energy ministry has continuously failed to achieve its yearly targets of clean energy capacity addition.
- Target: 175 GW of renewables by 2022
- GST on renewable devices: there are lot of disputes and ambiguities.
- Lead to increase in generation cost and pose a threat to the viability of the ongoing projects.
- It wants the ministry to take up this matter with the Ministry of Finance on urgent basis.
- About Rs 9,700 crore dues are owed by states and discoms towards renewable energy developers or generators.
- About 85 per cent of the solar equipment/cells/modules are imported from China and other countries like Vietnam and Malaysia.
- The price of solar equipment in the country is not competitive as compared to foreign manufacturers especially Chinese.
Construction Sector
- The government is open to adopt latest technologies and eco-friendly materials for road construction to enhance economic and environment viability of projects.
- It is necessary to cut down construction costs by employing new materials, innovative technology, and by fast tracking decision making to avoid associated cost escalation.
- The highways sector has the potential to revive growth and cited how the US survived economic depression during 1930s because it built road infrastructure, which spurred growth in steel, cement, automotive sectors and labour market.
- To promote green construction, NHAI will be bringing out a new document on use of waste plastic in road construction within a month, said R K Pandey, Member Projects, NHAI.
Water Pollution
- NGT: Water pollution situation is grim in the country.
- NGT directed 100 per cent treatment of sewage entering the rivers across the country by March 31 next year.
- The NGT warned that if this is not done, the local bodies and concerned departments of the states and Union Territories (UTs) will be liable to pay compensation of Rs 5 lakh a month per drain in the case of river Ganga and Rs 5 lakh for default in commencement of setting up of sewage treatment plant.
- For above purpose, a meeting at central level must be held with chief secretaries of all states and UTs at least once in a month (option of video conferencing facility is open) to take stock of the progress and to plan further action.
- The NGT observed that world’s major civilizations developed along rivers and without water there would be no human civilization.
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