Current Affairs for IAS Exams – 09 July 2016

:: National ::

Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani (22), the architect of the social-media driven psychological warfare in Kashmir, was killed along with two other militants in an encounter in Anantnag district.
Described by security agencies as “the biggest-ever success” in recent times, Wani, who carried a reward of Rs 10 lakh on his head, was tracked after a tip-off that he was planning to come down from the Tral forest area for Eid celebrations.
The militants hurled grenades and opened fire in a bid to escape, but the house where they were holed up was bombed killing all three.

The area under rice (paddy) has gone up from 77.31 lakh hectares during 2015-16 to 81.93 lakh hectares as Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Punjab and Haryana have received good rainfall.
Monsoon has covered most parts of the country, and in the coming days, the planting of kharif crops such as rice, soybeans, pulses and cotton will be further boosted.
In all, the kharif crops have been planted on 406.27 lakh hectares so far as against 431.82 lakh hectares in the corresponding period last year.
The good monsoon, however, has not yet had a positive impact on the water level in major reservoirs, which has gone down because of the poor rainfall in the preceding years.
The IMD is expecting the monsoon to gain momentum during July-August.

Every death caused by the armed forces in a disturbed area, whether the victim is a dreaded criminal or a militant or a terrorist or an insurgent, should be thoroughly enquired into.
“It does not matter whether the victim was a common person or a militant or a terrorist, nor does it matter whether the aggressor was a common person or the state. The law is the same for both and is equally applicable to both."
The verdict tears down the cloak of secrecy about unaccounted deaths involving security forces in disturbed areas and serves as a judicial precedent to uphold civilian and human rights in sensitive areas under military control.
Dealing a blow to the immunity enjoyed by security personnel under the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act of 1958 (AFSPA) against criminal action for acts committed in disturbed areas.
A thorough enquiry should be conducted into “encounter” killings in disturbed areas because the “alleged enemy is a citizen of our country entitled to all fundamental rights including under Article 21 of the Constitution.”
International

A fortnight after Britain voted to exit the European Union (EU), U.K. Business Secretary held talks with Commerce & Industry Minister on the possibility of inking a separate U.K.-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
On the nature of future talks with the EU on the proposed India-EU, Ms. Sitharaman said: “With the EU of course, it shall continue but it will be recalibrated now that U.K. is out of EU, so we shall be doing both.”
Trade with U.K. is substantial. Indian investments in UK are one of the biggest. A lot of jobs created in the U.K. are by Indian investors. Similarly on services, we have great potential.
The Tata group wanted to sell its steel business in U.K. owing to fall in steel prices, cheap imports of the commodity from China and rising energy costs. Tatas move would have hit around 11,000 jobs.
Mr. Javid met Tata Steel senior management chairman Cyrus Mistry ahead of the company’s board meeting and held discussions regarding fate of Tata Steel’s UK assets, put on sale.
In FY’16, India’s exports to the EU were $35.35 billion, while India’s exports to Britain were $9.35 billion.
The U.K. government statement said the U.K. is the largest G20 investor in India, while India invests more in the U.K. than the rest of the European Union combined.
India has also emerged as the third largest source of FDI for the U.K. Commerce.

The government has invited merchant bankers to help it sell minority stakes in 51 companies, including RIL, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank and L&T, and is looking at exiting them within three years.
The Specified Undertaking of UTI (SUUTI) has investments in these 51 listed as well as unlisted companies, like Hindustan Unilever, ITC Ltd, Jaiprakash Associates and a host of Tata Group firms.
Government holds minority stake in these companies through SUUTI, which was formed in 2003 as an offshoot of erstwhile UTI, and is looking at selling them either through an OFS, block deal, bulk deal or regular sale through stock exchanges.
The bankers would have to put in a single consolidated bid for the entire SUUTI Holdings. However, the sale process of each of the 51 companies would be carried out individually.
The government has set up an ambitious disinvestment target of Rs.56,500 crore for 2016-17.
Of the budgeted target, Rs.36,000 crore is to come from minority stake sale in PSUs and the remaining Rs 20.500 crore is estimated to come from strategic sale in both profit and loss-making companies.