Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 3 April 2015

:: National ::

BJP's next mission: End manual scavenging

The Bharatiya Janata Party, in a bid to increase its reach and hold, proposes to take up four nation-wide non-political programmes, including an end to manual scavenging.
An announcement in this regard was made at the inaugural session of the party’s two-day national executive that began in Bengaluru.
Briefing the media later, Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Prakash Javadekar said party workers would be roped in as volunteers for these programmes.
The party would work out a programme to involve its workers in relocating 23 lakh persons who currently do manual scavenging work, he said.
Party workers would also be involved in creating awareness about the Central scheme for the girl child - Beti bachao, beti padhao - to prevent female foeticide.
The other two non-political programmes are the Clean India campaign or Swachch Bharat and the cleaning of the Ganga, he said.

Army to take Swachh to Everest

The Army is taking the Swachh Bharat campaign to the Everest with a mountaineering team planning to clean up and bring down tonnes of garbage dumped there by mountaineers over the decades.
The campaign is part of the golden jubilee of the scaling of the world’s highest peak by an Indian team for the first time.
Fifty years ago, an Indian team led by Captain (the then Lieutenant Commander) M.S. Kohli scaled the Mount Everest (Sagarmatha) for the first time. Major A.S. Cheema was the first Indian to scale the peak, Army officers said.
“The Army team will contribute towards restoring the ecological balance of the route by bringing down some of the non-biodegradable waste left behind by generations of climbers,” an Army officer said . The Army mountaineers aim toconvey the message of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a clean environment, the officer added.
The team aims to bring down at least 4,000 kg of non-biodegradable waste from the high-altitude camps.
The 30-member team is being led by Major R.S. Jamwal, an experienced mountaineer. Army Chief General Dalbir Singh flagged off the team. They will depart for Kathmandu on April 4 and begin scaling the peak mid-May. The team has been undergoing special endurance and mountaineering training for the mission.

Prasar Bharati honours Mrinal Sen

The Prasar Bharati handed over a copy of the documentary Celebrating Mrinal Sen to the nonagenarian auteur at his south Kolkata residence as part of paying tribute to the “living legends of our country.”
Jawhar Sircar, Chief Executive Officer of Prasar Bharati, handed over the DVD, a release by the Press Information Bureau said.
The archival documentary is primarily based on conversations between Mr. Sen and film critic Sameek Bandyopadhyay, interspersed with excerpts from his memorable films and comments from actors and crew members of his film.

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:: International :

France moves to ban ultra-thin models

France’s lower house of Parliament has approved a measure that would make it a crime to use anorexic models.
Other countries including Israel and Spain have also cracked down on the glorification of dangerously thin models.
The French measure would only apply within France, but could have symbolic impact beyond because of its outsized influence on the fashion world.
Lawmakers adopted the amendment, as part of a larger public health bill working its way through the legislature.
They adopted a related amendment earlier this week targeting those who run pro-anorexia websites.
A similar measure in 2008 failed to get final approval in the French legislature.
Up to an estimated 40,000 people suffer from anorexia in France, 90 per cent of them women, according to the health ministry.

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:: Business and Economy:

Merc edges out Audi as No.1 luxury brand

German luxury car brand Mercedes has overtaken its rival Audi in total sales during Q1 of this calendar year to grab the Number.1 position in the Indian luxury car market.
During January-March 2015, Mercedes sold 3,566 units, up 40 per cent when compared with the year-ago sales. Audi sold 3,181 units (up from 2,740 units) during this period.
Mercedes has been reducing the sales gap with Audi over the past couple of years. It lost leadership position in 2009. But, started gaining from second-half of 2013. In 2014, Mercedes sold 10,201 units. Audi’s sales were, however, higher by 650 units.
The company attributed the robust growth to its strong and diverse product portfolio, comprising NGCs (new generation cars), the sedans and the SUVs (sport utility vehicles).
The new Mercedes C-Class, launched in February, clocked the best-ever sales in March. The high preference for the new C-Class sedan was closely matched by the E-Class sedan, which contributed significantly to the volumes in Q1 2015.
“Our ‘Live the Best’ philosophy is yielding rich dividends and our objective of achieving a double-digit growth moving in the right direction,'' Eberhard Kern, Managing Director & CEO, Mercedes-Benz India.
The fierce battle between Mercedes and Audi is set to intensify during this calendar year with both the brands are in the process of launching numerous products across segments. While Mercedes has planned ‘15 in 15’ product strategy, Audi has proposed to roll out 10 new products this year.

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:: Science and Technology ::

China to commission 3 nuclear submarines

China would soon commission three indigenously-built advance nuclear-powered attack submarines having a vertical launcher capable of delivering its latest supersonic anti-ship missiles, state media reported.
China Central Television (CCTV) showed a satellite picture earlier this week of three submarines anchored at an unidentified port, and reported that the vessels were China’s most advanced Type-093G nuclear-powered attack submarines, just completed by a Chinese shipyard and awaiting delivery.
With a teardrop hull, the submarine is longer than its predecessor, the Type-093, and has a vertical launching system, China Daily reported.
Another article carried by the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s website said the Type-093G’s wing-shaped cross-section is designed to improve speed and mobility as well as reduce noise, and that the vertical launcher is capable of delivering the country’s latest YJ-18 supersonic anti-ship missiles.
The Type-093G is reported to be an upgraded version of Type-093, China’s second-generation nuclear-powered attack submarine, which has entered active service.
The strategic force of the PLA Navy now has about four nuclear-powered Type-094 ballistic missile submarines, up to six Type-093 nuclear-powered attack submarines and about three old Type-091, CCTV quoted foreign media reports as saying.

:: Sports ::

SAI approves Ahrens as women’s coach

Less than a week after Hockey India submitted a revised proposal for the appointment of the chief women’s coach, the Sports Authority of India has cleared Mathias Ahrens for the job.
The Canadian was second on the shortlist submitted by the federation to replace Neil Hawgood. New Zealand’s Anthony Thornton was finalised as first choice but was unable to join due to medical issues.
HI President Narinder Batra said: “The SAI’s decision is welcome and we will now try to get Ahrens as soon as possible. (High Performance Director) Roelant Oltmans is co-ordinating the appointment, and from what I have been told, Ahrens has already confirmed his willingness to take up the job. We are open to flying him directly to New Zealand to join the team there (at the Hawkes Bay Cup tournament from April 11 to 19) if he is available immediately.”
Ahrens is currently technical director of junior hockey with Vancouver Hawks and is looking after the under-18 development programme there.
If he is unable to join the team immediately after the formalities are over, Ahrens will begin training the girls here for the World League semifinals, to be held in Belgium in June.