Summits & Meetings - Current Affairs for November, 2017

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump's advisor and daughter Ivanka Trump jointly inaugurated 8th annual Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES 2017) in Hyderabad, Telangana. The mega event was co-hosted by National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog and US Government partnership with Telangana Government. Speaking before the prime minister, Ivanka, who is also the US president's advisor, announced when it comes to equitable laws, while many developed and developing countries have made tremendous strides, there is still much work to be done. In some countries, women are not allowed to own property, travel freely, or work without the consent of their husbands. In some other countries, the cultural and family pressure is so great that women do not feel the freedom to work outside the home When women work, it creates a "multiplier effect", and leads to more reinvestment in families and society. This year's summit is focused on a theme: Women First, Prosperity for All. The PM has also launched the MUDRA scheme to provide easy finance of up to one million rupees to entrepreneurs. Since its launch in 2015, over 90 million loans worth 4.28 trillion rupees have been sanctioned. Of these, more than 70 million loans have been sanctioned to women entrepreneurs."

The first edition of International Symposium to Promote Innovation & Research in Energy Efficiency (INSPIRE 2017) was held in Jaipur, Rajasthan. The five-day symposium was organized by Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) in partnership with World Bank and Alliance for an Energy Efficient Economy (AEEE). INSPIRE 2017 is an International Conference that brings together various stakeholders such as policy makers, innovators, financiers, influencers to showcase best practices in the sector. It provides a platform for energy efficiency community to discuss energy efficiency policies, market transformation strategies, emerging technologies, delivery and business-model driven transformations. The event is further designed to provide global and national thought-leaders and implementers to expand perspectives on energy efficiency and spur ideas and solutions that will help leverage the full potential of energy efficiency and bring its multiple co-benefits to the fore. The highlight of the symposium is the high-level deliberations driven by policy makers and experts from Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), The World Bank Group, The Energy Institute (TERI), International Energy Agency (IEA), Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), USA and representatives of the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) - a high-level global forum to promote policies and programmes that advance clean energy technology. Several global organizations like the Asian Development Bank, African Development Bank, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, International Finance Corporation, The World Bank, International Energy Agency, International Partnership for Energy Efficiency Cooperation, Clean Energy Ministerial, Copenhagen Centre on Energy Efficiency, GIZ, will also participate. INSPIRE 2017 intends to create a platform for deliberations and sharing of best practices around energy efficiency policy solutions, high-impact research, innovative financing and implementation that are driving large scale market transformations in India and across the globe. The event has brought together over 350 participants from 13 countries across North America, Asia, Europe and Middle East. INSPIRE 2017: App Launched

• During the inaugural session, a mobile app for EESLs various programmes was launched.
• This app will allow consumers to connect with the organisation for its various programmes, lodge complaints and track real time complaint status.
• Further, citizens can now access the real-time status of Street Lighting National Programme (SLNP) dashboard at state, district and Urban Local Body (ULB) levels across the country.

India is going to host 36^th International Geological Congress (IGC) in 2020 in NCR New Delhi. India had won the bid in 2012 at 34^th IGC Brisbane, Australia to host the Congress in 2020. Recently, delegation of International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) had visited India to discuss preparatory aspects of 36^th IGC. IUGN: Know More

• The International Union of Geological Sciences is an international non-governmental organization devoted to international cooperation in the field of geology.
• President: Qiuming Cheng (Canada/China)
• Parent organization: International Council for Science
• Motto: Earth Science for the Global Community
• Founded: 1961
• Headquarters: Founded in Paris, France, secretariat in Beijing, China
• Key people: Sec.Gen.: Stanley Finney (US); Treasurer: Hiroshi Kitazato (Japan)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the fifth edition of Global Conference on Cyber Space (GCCS) in New Delhi. GCCS is one of world's largest conferences on cyber space. It is for first time organized in India. The theme of the two-day conference is "Cyber4All: A Secure and Inclusive Cyberspace for Sustainable Development". The National e-Governance Division (NeGD), under the Ministry of Electronics & IT (MeitY) is main agency to organize GCCS 2017 on behalf of Government of India. Representatives from 124 countries and 33 Ministerial delegates from 31 countries are attending GCCS 2017. It is also expected to attract over 2000 delegates from more than 100 countries. Besides that, industry, civil society and academia from various countries will also participate.

The first ever North East Development Summit (NEDS) 2017 was held in Imphal, Manipur. It was inaugurated by President of India Ram Nath Kovind. It was organised by Delhi-based think tank India Foundation in collaboration with Union Government and Manipur government. The two-day business summit of Northeast India and Association for South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries concluded today at City Convention Centre, Palace Compound signing 39 agreements worth INR 4000-5000 crores. The positive outcomes from this summit would transform the business and development environment of the Northeast region in general and Manipur in particular. Out of the 39 memorandum of understandings (MoUs) signed today; the state forest department signed four MoUs - two with HSMM Group for Agarwood plantation and production of essential oil, commercial production of orchids and essential oils. The department also signed MoU with NRL for production of biofuels from bamboo and with TRIFED for minimum support prices for minor forest produces. Higher education department signed MoU with M/s UNESCO Centre (UK) for setting up a private university in Manipur. Finance department signed MoU with INDO SWISS Centre (Switzerland) for facilitating attracting investment, trade, tourism. Agriculture department signed MoU with MSTC for e-marketing of agricultural produces from Manipur. Tourism department signed MoU with Lao PDR for development of tourism. Tourism department also signed MoU with M/s Star Track Business House Pvt Ltd Mumbai for infrastructure development project for INR 50 crore. Manipur Police Housing Corporation (MPHC) signed MoU with M/s Fitzroy Salai Holdings, Kolkata for Cable Car Project. Sangai Festival

• The historic event for the state and the region as a whole was held as part of Sangai festival for business development of the state.
• It had five sessions focusing on areas of trade and investment, connectivity and infrastructure development, tourism development in the region, skill development, capacity building and entrepreneurship.
• Sangai festival is an annual cultural festival organised by Manipur Tourism Department every year from November 21 to 30,
• Even though many editions of this Festival has been celebrated over the past few years with the name of Tourism Festival, since 2010 this has been renamed as the Sangai Festival to stage the uniqueness of the shy and gentle brow-antlered deer popularly known as the Sangai Deer, which is the state animal of Manipur.
• As this festival is being celebrated to promote Manipur as a world class tourism destination, it showcases the best of what the state has to offer to the world in terms of art and culture, handloom, handicrafts & fine arts, indigenous sports, cuisines & music, eco & adventure sports as well as the scenic natural beauty of the land

The 42nd World Congress of the International Committee of Military Medicine (ICMM) was held in New Delhi. It was organised by Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS), Ministry of Defence (MoD). The theme of this edition of World Congress is "Military Medicine in Transition: Looking Ahead." The five-day event was being organised for the first time in India. It was the largest medical conference ever organised by AFMS. It was attended by around 350-400 foreign delegates from 80 countries

India's first Tribal Entrepreneurship Summit has been organised here in Chhattisgarh on 14th Nov, 2017, aiming to inspire, nurture and promote the spirit of entrepreneurship among the tribal youth. Union MoS Science and Technology YS Chowdhary inaugurated the event, organized by NITI Aayog in partnership with Government of United States of America. The event is a part of 8th Global Entrepreneurship Summit being held in India. The summit witnessed the participation of tribal entrepreneurs from various sectors across the country and abroad. The summit has been addressed by eminent speakers from NITI Aayog, health and agri-pharma sectors. The speakers emphasised the importance of forest produce in generating livelihood opportunities for tribals.

The 4^th India-Canada Ministerial Dialogue on Trade and Investment was held in New Delhi on 13^th Nov, 2017. The Indian Delegation was led by the Minister for Commerce and Industry, Shri Suresh Prabhu while the Canadian side was headed by the Minister for International Trade, Mr. Francois-Philippe Champagne. The talks were held in a friendly and encouraging atmosphere covering a host of trade and investment issues. Both sides recognized that the current bilateral trade is much below the potential between the two world's robust economies, despite the huge untapped potential for two-way trade and investment. Both sides noted the progress made during the 10^th Round of the India-Canada Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) held in August, 2017 and expressed their strong commitment for taking forward negotiations for early conclusion. India also highlighted the importance of Services Component under CEPA. Both sides also noted the exchange of wish lists on the Services front and the Indian side reiterated that the architecture for Services under CEPA is a vital focus area and response from Canada on positive elements has to be mutually beneficial. Both sides also took note of the progress made under the Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (FIPA) and expressed their hope for an early conclusion. Also, both sides deliberated on possible cooperation between the supporting agencies concerned, for mutual benefit as well as finding these agencies contributing directly or indirectly for promoting mutual trade interests. The other issues such as early institutionalization of the CEO Forum mechanism, issue of extension of derogation of pulses, etc. were also discussed.

The Second Meeting of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister chaired by Dr. Bibek Debroy, Member NITI Aayog, spelt out a clear road map for stepping up skill development, job creation; enhanced resource investment in the social sector- including for Health and Education and for boosting Infrastructure financing. It formulated far reaching recommendations to guide the evolving framework for the Fifteenth Finance Commission, including the incentivisation of States for achieving Health, Education and Social Inclusion outcomes. The Council is also evolving the design of a new Economy Tracking Monitor, linking economic growth indicators with social indicators for last mile connectivity. Improvements needed in National Accounts and innovative steps for unlocking the growth, exports and employment potential of growth drivers were also deliberated upon, including through transformation of India's Gold Market. The meeting was attended by the EAC-PM Chairman Dr. Bibek Debroy and Members-renowned economists Dr. Surjit Bhalla, Dr. Rathin Roy, Dr. Ashima Goyal, Dr. Shamika Ravi and Member alongwith the Member Secretary and Principal Adviser NITI Aayog Mr. Ratan P. Watal. The deliberations of the Council took stock of the economic and social analysis done by the theme groups and evolving initiatives led by different Members. The Council identified key issues, strategies and recommended interventions in respect of these themes. EAC-PM Meet

• Lead presentations to the Council were made by experts on key themes including Infrastructure Financing by the Chairman EAC-PM Dr. Bibek Debroy, who underlined the need for infrastructure financing to be accorded high priority, with new mechanisms for a risk coverage umbrella.
• Member NITI Aayog, Dr. Vinod K. Paul highlighted strategies for achieving Swastha Bharat by 2022.
• The Skill Development Strategies were presented by Dr. Secretary Skill Development, KP Krishnan who highlighted convergent initiatives to reach out to youth and women.
• Secretary MoSPI, Dr. TCA Anant outlined improvements needed in National Accounts, complemented by the presentation by the Member Secretary EAC-PM, Mr. Ratan P. Watal demystifying issues on the current account deficit and the gold market.
• He also shared recommendations on the evolving framework for the Fifteenth Finance Commission.
• The unique feature of the new Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister is turning out to be its ability to link economic growth with social aspects, with greater last mile connectivity.
• Its value addition as an independent institutional mechanism for providing informed advice to the Prime Minister is increasingly being recognized, with focused time bound recommendations to move from policy to practice, benefiting from consultation with a wide spectrum of experts and stakeholders.

Shri Kiren Rijiju inaugurated the 'India Disaster Response Summit', organised jointly by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and Facebook, on how best to leverage social media platforms to 'prepare, respond and recover' for, during and after a disaster. Calling it a great example of execution on the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi's ten-point agenda on Disaster Management, which has clearly listed harnessing technological innovations to create a culture of disaster resilience in the country, Shri Rijiju said, the world is moving towards partnerships, where people are proactively partnering with the Government in responding to disasters. This partnership is a benchmark and first of its kind - GoI are the first Government to partner with Facebook on disaster response. Shri Rijiju also invited other technology companies to create tailored solutions for disaster-related challenges. Disaster Information Volunteers (DIV) programme, wherein a network of trained volunteers would provide supplementary information on disasters in their local communities to assist Government relief efforts through the Facebook Workplace platform, was introduced. The programme will be piloted in two disaster prone states - Assam and Uttarakhand, he added. Facebook will now share its disaster maps, developed using aggregated, de-identified data, with NDMA. These maps can aid swift disaster response by providing real-time, actionable information.

President Ramnath Kovind launched the 21st World Congress of Mental Health, organised by the World Federation for Mental Health in partnership with Caring Foundation and other institutions. He added that the biggest obstacle mental health patients encounter is stigma and denial. A major gap in combating the mental health challenge, experts said, is that of human resource. India has 1.25 billion people but just 700,000 doctors - less than one million. In the field of mental health, the scarcity is even more acute. There are only about 5,000 psychiatrists and less than 2,000 clinical psychologists in the country. The President said that India's National Mental Health Programme is building 22 centres of excellence in the field of mental health. The District Mental Health Programme has already covered 517 of 650 districts in India. It is taking the conversation about mental health to the grass-root of society. The World Congress of Mental Health will comprise key sessions such as those on terrorism and mental health care; the Mental Health Care Act, 2017; role of films and mental healthcare; spirituality and guru as therapist; Vishwa Samvad, which is a global dialogue across stakeholders, including patients and caregivers; sports and mental health; and youth and mental healthcare.

The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, inaugurated the Global Clubfoot Conference being organised by the CURE India in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, in New Delhi (November 1, 2017). The clubfoot is one of the most common orthopaedic birth defects. It can cause permanent disability if not treated early. This affects the child’s mobility and confidence. Inevitably, education and schooling suffer - and the child cannot fulfil his or her potential. In India the burden of disability affects more than 10 million people. The differently-abled or Divyang as we call them deserve equal opportunities in all avenues of life. Mainstreaming their social and professional experience is a commitment for all of us. Having said that, many of these disabilities are preventable or curable - which is often forgotten. Prevention, treatment and mainstreaming have to go in parallel. Polio was once a serious cause of loco-motor disability, but over the past six years we have not had a single case of paralytic poliomyelitis. Public hospitals are partnering with CURE International India to reach out to as many children as possible. The programme is now active in 29 states of India. What is Clubfoot?

• Clubfoot is a birth defect where one or both feet are rotated inwards and downwards. The affected foot, calf, and leg may be smaller than the other.
• Initial treatment is most often with the Ponseti method.
• The condition is less common among Chinese and more common among Maori. Males are affected about twice as often as females.