2-Aug-2017: DAC&FW and IRRI sign Memorandum of Association (MOA) to establish the ISARC

In order to establish the ISARC, a Memorandum of Association (MOA) has been signed today between the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare (DAC & FW) represented by Secretary, DAC&FW and International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Philippines represented by Director General, IRRI. Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister, Shri Radha Mohan Singh graced the occasion.

Shri Singh said that the Center will be the first international Center in the eastern India and it will play a major role in harnessing and sustaining rice production in the region. It is expected to be a boon for food production and skill development in the eastern India and similar ecologies in other South Asian and African countries.

Agriculture Minister said this would be a Centre of Excellence in Rice Value Addition (CERVA) and will include a modern and sophisticated laboratory with the capacity to determine quality and status of heavy metals in grain and straw. The Centre will also undertake capacity-building exercises for stakeholders across the rice value chain.

ISARC will operate under the governance of the IRRI Board of Trustees who will appoint an appropriate IRRI staff member as Director. A Coordination Committee will be headed by Director General, IRRI as Chair and Secretary, Government of India, DACFW as Co-Chair. The other members of Coordination Committee are Deputy Director General (Crop Sciences), ICAR; Director, NSRTC; IRRI representative in India, representative of Government of UP and representatives of Governments of Nepal & Bangladesh and Private Sector.

Shri Singh said that the rich biodiversity of India can be utilised to develop special rice varieties. This will help India to achieve higher per hectare yields and improved nutritional contents. India’s food and nutritional security issues will also be addressed. The Centre will support in adopting value chain based production system in the country. This will reduce wastage, add value and generate higher income for the farmers. The farmers in Eastern India will benefit in particular, besides those in South Asian and African countries.

7-Jun-2017: Cabinet approves Agreement between India and Somalia on transfer of sentenced persons

The Union Cabinet has given its approval for signing and subsequent ratification of the Agreement on Transfer of sentenced persons between Indi and Somalia.

Signing the Agreement with Somalia shall facilitate the Indian prisoners imprisoned in Somalia or vice-versa to be near to their families, for serving remaining part of their sentence and shall facilitate their social rehabilitation.

The Government of India has signed bilateral Agreements on Transfer of Sentenced Persons with United Kingdom, Mauritius, Bulgaria, France, Egypt, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Bangladesh, Brazil, Israel, Bosnia & Herzegovina, UAE, Italy, Turkey, Maldives, Thailand, Russian Federation, Kuwait, Vietnam, Australia, Hong Kong, Qatar, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Bahrain and Estonia.

Prior to 2004, there was no domestic legislation under which foreign prisoners could be transferred to the country of their origin to serve the remaining part of their sentence, nor was there a provision for the transfer of prisoners of Indian origin convicted by a foreign court to serve their sentence in India. The transfer of such prisoners to their own native countries shall facilitate their social rehabilitation.

Hence the Repatriation of Prisoners Act, 2003 was enacted for achieving the above purpose. For achieving the objectives of the Act, a treaty/agreement is required to be signed with countries having mutual interest with us on this matter. The said treaty/agreement is required to be notified in the Official Gazette.

11-Jan-2017: Chinese submarine has docked at a port in Malaysia

A Chinese submarine has docked at the port of Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia for the first time, indicating the deepening military ties between the two countries.

Significance:

  1. Analysts say docking of Chinese submarine signals the emergence of special ties between Beijing and Kuala Lumpur.
  2. Submarine port visits can only happen when mutual trust between two navies has reached new heights, as submarine operations are very secretive and sensitive.
  3. The move is being seen as a trigger for elevated tensions in the South China Sea (SCS). The Malaysian port has a naval base facing the SCS.

China-Malaysia economic cooperation:

  1. Malaysia is an enthusiastic partner in the development of the China-led Maritime Silk Road (MSR).
  2. The two countries have already established the China-Malaysia port cooperation alliance, comprising 11 Chinese and six Malaysian ports.
  3. The Strait of Malacca maritime industrial park is also being set up.
  4. The Malacca industrial park is part of the giant Malacca Gateway Project that China and Malaysia signed last year. It also includes the establishment of the strategically vital deep water port in the Strait of Malacca in Malaysia.