Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 4 DECEMBER 2018

::NATIONAL::

NGT penalises Delhi govt.for not curbing air pollution

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Monday directed the Delhi government to deposit an environmental compensation of Rs. 25 crore with the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) for failing to curb air pollution in the national capital.
A Bench, headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel, said that in case the government failed to comply with the orders, a sum of ₹10 crore a month would be levied.
Further, the Chief Secretary has been directed to prepare an action plan “identifying the name of the persons responsible to execute and responsible officer to supervise and the consequences for failures.”
The directions came when the tribunal was hearing a plea filed by city residents Satish Kumar and Mahavir Singh, alleging pollution is caused due to the burning of plastic, leather, rubber and other waste materials on agricultural lands in Mundka and Neelwal villages.
The tribunal said that a performance guarantee of ₹25 crores has to be provided by the State government and in case of non-compliance of orders, the amount would be forfeited.

Vice president urges nation to create awareness against life style diseases

The Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu has called upon the medical fraternity to launch nationwide awareness campaign on the health hazards posed by modern lifestyle in view of the growing incidence of non-communicable diseases.
Quoting the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2016 report that showed that Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) and injuries were the main cause of death among people of all age groups in India, Shri Naidu said that it was incumbent upon the medical fraternity to launch a nationwide campaign to create greater awareness on the health hazards of modern-day lifestyles.
The Vice President urged the private sector to make medical treatment accessible and affordable to the common man. He expressed concern over the rising cost of healthcare services and added that there have been instances in which families have been driven to penury or burdened by debts because of the high costs of treatment.
The Vice President said such challenges cannot be met by governments alone and called upon the private sector to focus more on improving health infrastructure in rural areas. The rural-urban disparity in healthcare and insurance is adding to the financial burden of the people, he added.
The Vice President said that every citizen has the right to the highest attainable standards of physical and mental health and called for coordinated efforts of all the stake holders including doctors, researchers, government and private organizations to act in unison give the citizens access to efficient and affordable healthcare.
The Vice President said that Public Private Partnership could be the model to bridge the gap by providing technically advanced primary and secondary healthcare centres that act as the first response units to combat diseases or general ill health.

::ECONOMY::

Optimal utilisation of demographic dividend crucial for India’s economic growth : Centre

India has an advantage of Demographic Dividend like no other country in the World has today with over 60% percent of its youth in the working age group at present”, said Minister of State for Chemicals & Fertilizers, Road Transport & Highways, Shipping, ShriMansukh L. Mandaviya in a statement.
ShriMandaviyasaidthatin the near future, most of the sectors of Indian economy would require more skilled workforce than the present. It would be both a challenge and an opportunity for India to provide its workforce with required skill sets and knowledge to enable them to contribute substantially to its economic growth.
Prime Minister of India, ShriNarendraModi has identified ‘Skill India’ as a mission to skill India’s youth and ensure optimal utilization of India’s demographic dividend, the Minister added.
In this background,the Minister informed that the Department of Chemicals & Petrochemicals, under Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers, has made good progress in creating skilled workforce and generating gainful employment for Indian youth through Central Institutes of Plastic Engineering & Technology (CIPETs) across the country.
Giving information in this regard, ShriMandaviya informed that since 2014, there has been a significant jump in the number of CIPET centres in the country from 23 to 39 in 2018. In the field of Plastics Engineering and Technology, CIPET is running long-term and short-term courses, including post-graduate, under-graduate and diploma.

Whatsapp seeks RBI nod to expand its payment services

WhatsApp Chief has written to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), seeking a formal nod to expand payments services to all its 200 million users in India.
The messaging app, which has drawn fire from the government over spread of fake messages on its platform, continues to wait for a regulatory clearance to launch full-fledged payments operations in India, months after its ‘testing’ amassed nearly one million users, and almost two years since it first began discussions with the government on its payments services plans.
The development comes at a time when competitors such as Google have forged ahead with their payments offerings.
WhatsApp is currently piloting WhatsApp payments, and its Chief Chris Daniels has now written to the RBI urging that a formal approval be granted to take the payments product to all its users in the country.
When contacted, a WhatsApp spokesperson said the platform is working closely with the Indian government, National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), and multiple banks, including payment service providers to expand the feature to more people and support the country’s digital economy.
WhatsApp has also made a case for scaling up its operations by citing the productivity gains that have accrued to Indian small business as a result of the digital tool, and expressed its deep commitment to the market.
WhatsApp’s ambitious payment services’ blueprint has been caught in a bind, over concerns around authentication and its data storage practices. In the past, its home grown rivals have alleged that WhatsApp’s payment platform has security risks for consumers and is not in compliance with the guidelines.

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::INTERNATIONAL::

Former UN secretary general to take steps for Korean denuclearisation

Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Monday to take concrete steps toward complete denuclearisation and gain the trust of the international community if he wants sanctions lifted.
Mr. Ban, a former South Korean foreign minister, said “this is the time” to achieve North Korea’s denuclearisation after nearly a quarter century of unsuccessful efforts, and that the North and the world should not lose this opportunity.
US President Donald trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in say tensions have eased significantly since then, but Ban, who is in Tokyo for a World Bank event, said the crisis is not over and that North Korea should fully disclose its nuclear weapons inventory to a trusted international organisation such as the International Atomic Energy Agency.
“The crisis is still continuing because of North Korea’s development of nuclear, missile and weapons program and materials. It is North Korea which should clearly state and show by taking actions, then I am sure that there will be no reason why the Security Council of the United Nations will continue to impose the sanction on North Korea,” Mr. Ban said.

Qatar to quit OPEC from next year

Qatar is withdrawing from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) as of January 2019, Saad al-Kaabi, the country’s Energy Minister said on Monday, December 3, 2018.
The decision came after Qatar, one of OPEC’s smallest producers but the world’s largest liquefied natural gas exporter, reviewed ways to enhance its role internationally and plan long-term strategy, including focusing on its gas industry, he said.
The announcement comes ahead of the meeting by OPEC and its allies including Russia on December 6-7 to discuss cutting supply.The Minister said the decision was not easy as Qatar has been in OPEC for 57 years, but that the country’s impact on OPEC production decisions was small.
He stressed that Doha would continue to abide by all its commitments like any other non-OPEC oil producer.
The withdrawal decision reflects Qatar’s intent to focus its efforts on developing its natural gas industry, the Minister said, as the Gulf state moves to increase LNG production from 77 million to 110 million tonnes annually.
He said the decision was not linked to a political and economic boycott of Qatar imposed since June 2017 by OPEC’s de facto leader Saudi Arabia and three other Arab states.

::SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY::

World Bank unveils USD 200 bn in climate action investment plan

The World Bank has unveiled 200 billion US Dollars in climate action investment for 2021 to 2025, adding that this amounts to a doubling of its current five-year funding. The move coincides with a UN climate summit in Katowice.
In a statement, the World Bank said, the move represents a significantly ramped up ambition to tackle climate change and sends an important signal to the wider global community to do the same.
The statement said the breakdown of 200 billion dollars would comprise approximately 100 billion in direct finance from the World Bank. Around one-third of the remaining funding will come from two World Bank Group agencies with the rest private capital mobilised by the World Bank Group.
World Bank senior director for climate change, John Roome said, if the emissions are not reduced, 100 million more people will be living in poverty by 2030.

::SPORTS::

John Rahm wins Hero world golf challenge trophy

For the past three days, Jon Rahm has been talking about how well he is striking the ball. On Friday, the World No. 8 fired a bogey-free 63 to get noticed. Needing to shoot a low score to be first among the three overnight leaders, Rahm reproduced the rampaging ball-striking for another flawless 65.
Eventually, they all added up for a dominating four-shot victory for the debutant Spaniard at 20-under 268 in the $3.5 million Hero World Challenge in Nassau.
Beginning the final round tied with American Tony Finau and Swede HenrikStenson at -13, Rahm shifted gears and raced away to -19 for a five-stroke lead and was never challenged.