Current Affairs for IAS Exams – 01 July 2016

:: National ::

India gets huge help from WB for solar project

The World Bank announced $ 1 billion in support of India’s ambitious solar generation plans, its largest financing of solar projects for any country in the world.
The projects now under preparation include solar rooftop technology, infrastructure for solar parks, bringing innovative solar and hybrid technologies to the market, and transmission lines for solar-rich States.
The commitment includes an agreement for a $ 625 million grid-connected rooftop solar programme for financing the installation of at least 40 megawatts of solar photovoltaic installations.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and World Bank Group president Jim Yong Kim, who is on two-day trip to India, discussed the emphasis the multilateral institution is laying on accelerating India’s renewable energy push.
“India’s plans to virtually triple the share of renewable energy by 2030 will both transform the country’s energy supply and have far-reaching global implications in the fight against climate change,” he said.
According to him, India had become a leader in implementing the promises made in Paris for COP21 and the efforts against global warming.

MHA against proposal of business visitors to get visa-free entry

Ministry of Home Affairs has informed the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) that they were against a proposal to allow “visa-free” entry to business visitors and tourists from eighteen key countries, including China.
Electronic tourist visa on arrival (eTV), it said, was granted within 48 hours of an application being received in almost 87 per cent of the cases.
Normal tourist visas, which were valid for six months, were issued within three days in 90 per cent of the cases.
The PMO had, a few days ago, held an inter-ministerial meeting to review a Cabinet note from the Commerce Ministry on dispensing with the visa requirement for business visitors and tourists from countries belonging to the BRICS and the proposed Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) countries.
MHA was also liberalising the visa regime and was expected to increase the duration of long-term visa from one year to five years, said the official.
The demand was increasing by the day and 4.5 lakh eTVs were issued in the last one year.
At present, foreigners were granted tourist visa on arrival for 30 days, while a normal tourist visa can be obtained for 6 months.

‘State of the World’s Children’ report for 2016 released by UNICEF (Register and Login to read Full News..)

:: International ::

Countries urged Sri Lanka to do much more for reconciliation

In their response to the comments made by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights at the UN Human Rights Council, the countries urged the island nation to see to it that the commitments made last October were carried out.
The U.K., one of those which sponsored the resolution, underscored the importance of “a comprehensive approach” in dealing with the past, restoring confidence in state institutions, and developing a just political settlement for all people.
The United States, another sponsor of the motion, wanted Sri Lanka to make “continued tangible steps” towards setting up “credible justice, accountability, and reconciliation mechanisms.”
The government should “continue taking steps” to build the confidence of communities and normalise life in the Northern and Eastern provinces.
Expressing hope that the ongoing process of constitutional reforms would result in the crucial basis for “a nation that acknowledges its ethnic and cultural diversity and for achieving reconciliation,” the Scandinavian country also wanted the Sri Lankan government to work hard to “keep the tight time schedule” for the process.

China blames US for trying to drive wedge between regional countries

China slammed the US for trying to drive a wedge among regional countries in response to remarks by a U.S. official in New Delhi on India’s unsuccessful bid for membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and the South China Sea issue.
Reacting to comments in New Delhi by U.S. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs, Thomas Shannon, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said: “In the plenary meeting in Seoul, India’s accession was not on the agenda”.
He added that the Seoul conference, instead, discussed “technical, political and legal” issues concerning the accession of countries, which had not signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
Mr. Shannon had said in an apparent reference to China’s role that, “We understand that in a consensus-based organisation, one country can break consensus. But in order to do so it must feel comfortable that it will not be isolated.”
Regarding the South China Sea, Mr. Hong pointed out that China was “strongly dissatisfied” with the assertions by the U.S. official, who had said that Beijing was indulging in “madness” through its behaviour in these waters.
Mr. Hong countered: “The remarks made by the U.S. official tries to drive a wedge between regional countries, confuse right from wrong and are extremely irresponsible.”

Core sector grew by 2.8 percent

Eight core sectors of the economy posted a 2.8 per cent year-on-year growth in May, the slowest pace since 2.9 per cent in January, due to a decline in output of refinery and steel products.
These eight sectors — comprising almost 38 per cent of the weight of items included in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) — had recorded an 8.5 per cent growth in April, which was the highest since 8.54 per cent in November 2014.
The low growth in May was on account of a contraction in output of crude oil (- 3.3 per cent versus 0.8 per cent growth in May 2015) and natural gas (- 6.9 per cent, versus - 3 per cent in May 2015) in addition to a very marginal expansion registered by refinery products (1.2 per cent versus 7.8 per cent in May 2015).
The core sector output had gone to the negative growth territory in November 2015 when it shrank by (-) 1.3 per cent.
When core sector recorded an 8.5 per cent growth in April, the highest since 8.54 per cent in November 2014, experts had pointed out that it was becoming difficult to expect a one-to-one correspondence between core sector growth and overall IIP.
The IIP for April shrank (-) 0.8% — the first IIP contraction in three months.
The cumulative growth of the core sector during April to May in FY’17 was 5.5 per cent as against 2.1 per cent during the same period in the previous fiscal.

Money held by Indians in Swiss banks has fallen by nearly one-third (Register and Login to read Full News..)

IMF says Brexit is topmost global risk (Register and Login to read Full News..)

:: Science and Technology ::

LCA Tejas to finally join Air Force

Two indigenously developed Tejas Light Combat Aircraft are set to join the Indian Air Force as part of the first squadron.
They will launch the new Squadron 45 ‘Flying Daggers’, which will get the remaining 18 aircraft including four trainers in 2018.
Sulur in Tamil Nadu has been chosen as the LCA base. The LCA project began in 1985 and the IAF planned to induct it in 1994 to replace the MiG-21s.
After long delays, the LCA achieved the first level of flight worthiness or Initial Operational Clearance in December 2013. The Final Operational Clearance is expected by this year-end.

NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has captured a spectacular fireworks display (Register and Login to read Full News..)

:: Sports ::

The shooting World Cup Finals has been allotted to India for 2017

The shooting World Cup Finals in pistol, rifle and shotgun has been allotted to India for 2017 by the International Shooting Sport Federation.
In a release issued, the National Rifle Association of India said that the allotment was made in the ISSF Executive Committee meeting in Moscow.
India has already been allotted a World Cup which will be staged at the Dr. Karni Singh Range, Tughlakabad, here in February. The World Cup Finals will also be hosted at the same venue in October.