Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 22 August 2015

Current Affairs for IAS Exams – 22 August 2015

Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu today inaugurated a mobile-based application system introduced by Eastern Railway, R-Mitra, to ensure women's safety and said that it is an "extremely useful app" that could be used by regional railways nation-wide.
"Around 2.7 crore to 3 crore people travel in the Indian Railways system on a day-to-day basis. Different types of crimes are committed by anti-social elements," Prabhu said at the Eastern Railway headquarter here.

Faced with depletion of forest resources due to over exploitation and destructive harvesting, eight member-countries of SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) have decided to join hands to promote community-based sustainable management of Non-wood Forest Produce (NWFP).
A three-day meeting of the SAARC Expert Group on Community-based Sustainable Management of NWFP and Income Generation for Communities held at the Kerala Forest Research Institute (KFRI), Peechi, last week mooted the establishment of legal, fiscal and market mechanisms to ensure sustainability of NWFP harvesting with community participation.
Delegates from the eight member-nations, namely Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, resolved to set up a comprehensive policy framework to legalise the collection, processing and certification of the products and to facilitate value addition.
The meeting also came to a general consensus on establishing a real-time market intelligence and monitoring system for high value forest produce.
The meeting was organised by KFRI in association with the SAARC Forestry Centre (SFC), Thimphu, Bhutan. In a special address, SFC Director Sangay stressed the need to identify the potential of NWFPs in supporting livelihoods.
He called on SAARC nations to utilise the opportunities offered by the synergy between conservation and livelihood.

In a big relief to FIIs, a government-appointed committee has recommended that there was no case for imposing the controversial minimum alternate tax (MAT) on FIIs retrospectively, a suggestion that the government is said to be "favourably" considering.
The A P Shah Committee, which was appointed by the government to go into question of levy of MAT on capital gains made by foreign institutional investors (FIIs), submitted its report to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on July 24.
The panel, a top source said, has recommended that there was no basis for levy of MAT on FIIs for period prior to April 1, 2015.
The Committee saw no legal basis for levy of 20% MAT on past capital gains, he said adding that the government is "favourably" considering the recommendation.
While the issue had riled foreign portfolio investors, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had in his Budget for 2015-16 exempted FIIs from the levy from April 1.
Foreign investors have invested about $20 billion in Indian stocks in the past year and $28 billion in bonds.
In its 66-page report, the Shah panel recommended relief for FIIs from paying Minimum Alternate Tax (MAT).

If U Mumba, the runners up of the in augural season of the Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League last year, have emerged as the hot favourite to claim the crown in Season 2, it has a lot to do with their skipper Anup Kumar.
The vice-captain of the national team, is the catalyst behind the team's supreme form.
The Deputy Commissioner of Police from Haryana has not only won the respect of teammates with his cool approach, it has also won the hearts of fans across the country. "He is as cool as ice," says Surinder Nada, who had accidently made it to the team despite not be ing the first
This season U Mumba have been brilliant. With 12 wins in 14 matches, the franchise has been a revelation and coach E Bhaskaran is not shy to deflect the credit onto Anup. " As a coach I can't do much when the game is on.
This year the time-outs too have been reduced to a minute-and-a-half each which does not leave too much time for me to strategise.
Here, Anup and his cool attitude come in handy. He becomes a coach among his teammates and guides them exactly the way I would have in each situation. He has an amazing ability to grasp whatever I tell him," says Bhaskaran, who also happens to be the coach of the national team.