29 Apr 2018: UPSC Exam PIB Summary & Analysis

Inter-Governmental Committee between India and Nepal

• An India-Nepal Inter Government Committee (IGC) on Trade, Transit and Cooperation to Control Unauthorised Trade, led by Commerce Secretaries of the two Governments was held on 26-27 April 2018 in Kathmandu, Nepal.
• Indian delegation was led by Ms. Rita Teaotia, Commerce Secretary and the Nepali delegation headed by Shri Chandra Kumar Ghimire, Commerce Secretary of Nepal. 
• (IGC) on Trade, Transit and Cooperation to Control Unauthorised Trade  is functioning under the India-Nepal Treaty of Trade and India-Nepal Treaty of Transit. It provides a platform for discussing and reviewing bilateral trade and transit related issues.
• Both countries agreed to initiate, by July 2018, a comprehensive review of the bilateral Treaty of Trade which governs the bilateral trade and was last revised in 2009, considering all factors.
• The meeting discussed amendments to the bilateral Treaty of Transit, signed in 1999, to further facilitate transit movement of Nepal’s trade with third countries by expanding transit points, simplification of procedures, electronic cargo tracking and also enabling movement of Indian cargo through Nepali territory.

Israeli Modern Art Exhibition

• The National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi in collaboration with the Embassy of Israel in India and the Petach Tikva Museum of Art, Israel is organizing an exhibition.
• This has been titled ‘To the End of Land’-contemporary art from Israel on the occasion of 25 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
• The exhibition presents a wide range of references and approaches to recent changes in the economic and social landscape in Israel, as manifested by the appearance of natural scenery in Israeli contemporary art. 
• The chosen title, “To the End of Land:, strives to draw attention to some of the cultural, social, and political aspects embodied in their artistic explorations of land.

Railways emerges as the Preferred Carrier of Automobile in the Country

• Indian Railways has emerged as the most preferred mode of transportation given the low cost of transportation, faster service, reliability and safety offered by railway system. 
• In 2017-18, around 29 million vehicles were produced in country registering a growth of 14.78 percent over the same period last year. 
• Given the current low car penetration, rising prosperity and the increasing affordability of private vehicles, the automobile industry is poised to grow even faster in India.  
• These vehicles need to be transported to the far flung areas of the country. Indian Railways in recent time have undertaken a number of initiatives to capture automobile traffic.
• Railways has decided to liberalise Automobile Freight Train Operator(AFTO) policy to encourage more private investment in special wagons, procurement of our own BCACBM (high-capacity railway wagons) and NMG wagons.

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