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Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 4 August 2018

::NATIONAL::

Centre to push for promotion quota for SC/ST’s

Citing “1000 of years of deprivation” suffered by Dalit communities, the government on Friday began its push for providing “accelerated promotion with consequential seniority” for Scheduled Castes/ Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST) members in public employment.
The government objected to a creamy layer concept among the SC/ST. “You cannot dissect the SC/ST and see those who are worthy (of quota) and those who are not,” Mr.Venugopal,attorney general submitted.
Government said it wanted a total of 22.5% (15% for SC+7.5% for ST) posts reserved for promotion for SC/ST in public employment. Only this quantum would satisfy their need for adequate representation.
The two-judge Bench’s referral was based on a series of questions of law, including clarity on Article 16 (4), which deals with the State's powers for providing for appointments or posts for “any backward class of citizens”; on Article 16 (4A), which arms the state with power to make provisions for quota in promotion with consequential seniority to SC/ST communities; and finally Article 16 (4B), which deals with unfilled vacancies of a year reserved for SC/ST kept from being filled up.

Centre approves supreme court collegium recommendation

Three high court judges were on Saturday appointed to the Supreme Court, taking the total number of judges in the apex court to 25.
Notifications announcing the appointments of Uttarakhand High Court Chief Justice K.M. Joseph, Madras HC Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Orissa HC Chief Justice Vineet Saran to the Supreme Court were issued on August 4.
Justice Joseph’s name was recommended for appointment as a judge of the Supreme Court by the collegium headed by Chief Justice of India DipakMisra on January 10.
The executive had also pointed out that several high courts remain unrepresented and Justice Joseph’s elevation would be against the principle of regional representation. His parent high court is the Kerala HC.
The collegium, on May 16, in-principle reiterated the decision to recommend Justice Joseph’s name. But the recommendation was sent to the government in July.

::ECONOMY::

TRAI recommends promotion of R&D in telecommunication sector

Suggesting that India aim at net zero imports of telecommunications equipment by 2022, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Friday recommended the setting up of a ₹1,000 crore fund for promoting research and innovation in the sector.
The recommendations, TRAI said, aimed at enabling Indian telecom equipment manufacturing sector to transition from an import-dependent sector to a global hub of indigenous manufacturing.
To address security concerns, TRAI had suggested that the telecom service providers be incentivised for deploying indigenous telecom products “beyond the quantities to be mandated” under the preferential market access policy.
It added that subsequently, setting up of Telecom Entrepreneurship Promotion Fund(TEPF) and Telecom Manufacturing Promotion Fund(TMPF) should also be considered.

India plans to impose tariffs on U.S products from September

India said on Saturday that delayed higher tariffs against some goods imported from the United States will go into force on September 18.
New Delhi, incensed by Washington's refusal to exempt it from new tariffs, decided in June to raise import tax from August 4 on some U.S. products, including almonds, walnuts and apples, and later delayed the move.
Trade differences between India and the United States have been rising since President Donald Trump took office. Bilateral trade rose to $115 billion in 2016, but the Trump administration wants to reduce its $31 billion deficit with India, and is pressing New Delhi to ease trade barriers.
India has proposed to buy petroleum products from the U.S. to help narrow the trade deficit. The United States has also emerged as a top arms supplier to India and U.S. companies are bidding for military aircraft deals worth billions of dollars.

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::INTERNATIONAL::

Asian countries raise concern overn U.S-China trade war

Asian countries have voiced concern about the potentially devastating impact of a U.S.-China trade war, with Ministers calling for the acceleration of talks for a gigantic Beijing-backed free-trade deal that excludes the United States.
Fear that a simmering trade spat between the world's top two economies could spiral into a full-blown trade war with painful consequences for China's neighbours was among topics dominating discussion at a regional summit in Singapore on Saturday.
The measures, which the White House ridiculed as "weak" but China said were "fully justified", came after Washington said it would increase the rate of additional tariffs on Chinese goods worth $200 billion.
Other top Asian diplomats at Saturday's forum, hosted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), spoke out against protectionism, warning that it places the region's development in jeopardy.

U.S pressurises Russia & China to impose north Korean sanctions

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday warned Russia, China and other countries against any violation of international sanctions on North Korea that could reduce pressure on the North to abandon its nuclear weapons.
Speaking on the sidelines of an Asian security forum in Singapore, Mr.Pompeo told reporters that the U.S. has new, credible reports that Russia is violating UN sanctions by allowing joint ventures with North Korean companies and issuing new permits for North Korean guest workers.
At the United Nations, meanwhile, a summary of a report by experts monitoring UN sanctions against North Korea was sent to the Security Council on Friday that said North Korea is continuing with both its nuclear and missile programmes.
On Thursday, the White House announced that Mr. Trump had received a new letter from Mr. Kim and had responded quickly with a letter of his own. The correspondence came amid fresh concerns over Pyongyang’s commitment to denuclearisation despite a rosy picture of progress painted by Mr. Trump.

::SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY::

MoeF claims that cities of India are not polluted on all WHO parameters

Stating that 14 cities of India are included in the list of 20 cities, which have recorded high levels of PM2.5, Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate, Dr. Mahesh Sharma has pointed out that these cities in WHO Report do not report pollution on all parameters.
In a written reply to a question in LokSabha, the Minister referred to the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Ambient Air Quality Database (update 2018), which consists of mainly annual means for PM10 and/or PM2.5, covering more than 4000 human settlements in 108 countries for the years from 2008 to 2016.
The Minister highlighted that under National the Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Program (NAMP), the parameters monitored are mainly PM10, SO2 and NO2. Initially, 94 non-attainment cities were identified for formulation of action plans.
Dr. Sharma emphasised that the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has formulated National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) for abatement of air pollution in the country. He stressed that the NCAP aspires to strengthen the ongoing government initiatives targeted towards prevention, control and mitigation of air pollution.

::SPORTS::

PV Sindhu enters semifinal of world championships

Olympic silver medallist P.V. Sindhu continued her incredible run in the World Championships, earning a second successive final spot after seeing off Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi at the women’s singles semifinals here on Saturday.
The World No. 3 , who had finished runner-up at the Glasgow edition last year after losing to another Japanese NozomiOkuhara in an epic showdown, notched up a superb 21-16, 24-22 win over the World No. 2 in a 55-minute hard-fought match.
The 23-year-old Indian, who won bronze in 2013 and 2014, will face Olympic champion and former two-time gold medallist Carolina Marin of Spain in the final.