Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 14 August 2018

::NATIONAL::

Ease of Living Index released by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs

Three cities in Maharashtra — Pune, Navi Mumbai and Greater Mumbai top the first Ease of Living Index brought out by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
The national capital, New Delhi, is ranked 65 among 111 cities, while Chennai is in 14th place. Kolkata did not participate in the survey.
A city’s ranking reflects its ability to provide data, as well as its actual performance on four different parameters — institutions or governance, social indicators, economic indicators and physical infrastructure.
Releasing the Index, Housing and Urban Development Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said the ranking marks “a shift to a data-driven approach to urban planning and management.” He said future editions of the Index may also incorporate citizen and stakeholder feedback rather than relying on government data alone.
Particular complications were seen in indicators such as health where local governments did not have access to data from private hospitals. The consortium assisted cities in plugging the data gap with regard to certain indicators.

Corporate affairs ministry to amend rules to bring openness in Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013.”

In order to ensure better implementation of the law against sexual harassment at workplace, the Centre has made it mandatory for companies to disclose whether they have constituted an internal complaints committee (ICC) to probe such allegations.
The Corporate Affairs Ministry has amended the Companies (Accounts) Rules, 2014, governed by the Companies Act, 2013, mandating the disclosure. This has been a long-standing demand from Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi.
The new clause says that the report will have to contain “a statement that the Company has complied with provisions relating to the constitution of Internal Complaints Committee under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013.”
Under the Sexual Harassment at Workplace Act, it is mandatory for any organisation with 10 or more employees to constitute an ICC. An employer who doesn’t do so could face a fine of up to Rs. 50,000.
The committee would have powers similar to those of a civil court and would have to complete its inquiry within 90 days.

::ECONOMY::

Third party survey report on railway station cleanliness released by ministry

Minister of Railways, Coal, Finance & Corporate Affairs, ShriPiyushGoyal has released a report on Station Cleanliness conducted by Quality Council of India (QCI).
This is the third such audit cum survey which has been conducted by Railways to increase level of cleanliness by identifying unclean spots/gaps and to improve cleanliness standards and also to propel healthy competition among railway stations.
The Minister further added that Railways has been prioritizing cleanliness, punctuality and catering services for the passengers. In last 4 years, Swachh Rail Swachh Bharat Campaign has witnessed tremendous improvement in terms of cleanliness in waiting area, platforms, trains, toilets, parking at the stations.
The Minister went on to state that the cleanliness rankings of the stations will not only be a reward for the stations that have performed well but will also be an impetus for further improvement for the ones that didn't make it to the top rankings.
He added that this year the cleanliness rankings conducted by Quality Council of India shows that in A-1 category stations, two important tourist stations i.e. Jodhpur (1st place) and Jaipur (2nd place) of North Western Railway in Rajasthan have made their mark.

CBI to charge sheet MD of PNB in fraud case

The Centre on Monday gave its approval to the CBI to prosecute UshaAnanthasubramanian, the managing director and chief executive officer of Allahabad Bank, who was in the same position at Punjab National Bank (PNB) at the time of the multi-crore scam involving fugitive diamantaireNiravModi and his uncle MehulChoksi.
Ms.Ananthasubramanian was also reportedly dismissed from service on Monday, despite it being the last day of her tenure before her superannuation. She had been divested of all powers after her name appeared in the CBI’s charge sheet relating to the fraud, but remained an employee of the bank.
Meanwhile, the Punjab National Bank in a statement on Monday said it was taking “all required steps to check any kind of gap, loopholes and deviations in system and procedures.”
With regards to provision made for the loss incurred on account of the fraud, the bank provided Rs. 7,178 crore, 50% of the total amount of Rs. 14,356 crore in the fourth quarter of the last financial year.

Online Coaching for UPSC PRE Exam

General Studies Pre. Cum Mains Study Materials

::INTERNATIONAL::

India rejects U.K proposal of DNA matching to curb illegal immigration citing privacy breach.

India rejected a proposal by the UK to use DNA sampling to establish the nationality of illegal migrants living there citing “privacy issues.”
Although a Memorandum of Understanding on return of illegal migrants was initialled after due approval of the Union Cabinet in January by Minister of State for Home KirenRijiju, India refused to sign the final pact during the visit of Prime Minister NarendraModi to U.K. in April.
As per the original MoU, security agencies in India were to verify the antecedents of illegal migrants without documents in the U.K. within 72 days and those with documents within 15 days.
If no report was given within the stipulated time frame, the illegal migrant would be deported automatically.The agreement was put on indefinite hold after National Security Adviser AjitDoval conveyed that the 15-day limit was unworkable.
According to the British government’s estimates, there are around 1,00,000 Indians overstaying their visa in the U.K.
India has contested this and said that as per their estimate, the number will not be more than 2,000.

India sends INS sahyadri to Fiji to boost ties

To further strengthen our strong bilateral relations with Fiji, an Indian Naval Ship (INS) Sahyadri entered Port of Suva this morning on a goodwill visit.
The Naval Ship is visiting Republic of Fiji enroute to India after participation in the RIMPAC 2018 at Hawaii. During the visit, the Indian Naval Ship personnel will have professional interaction with their Republic of Fiji counterparts and the Ship will have an Open Day for general public on 14 August 2018.
A Medical Camp will be organized in collaboration with Fijian Government where the doctors from India and Fiji will jointly perform Free Health Screening on 15 August 2018 from 1000 hours to 1630 hours at RatuSukuna Park, Suva where IN and RFMF bands will also perform jointly at 1130 to 1330 hours.
INS Sahyadri (F49) is the third and latest ship among the Shivalik Class of indigenously built Stealth Frigates and forms a part of the Eastern Fleet of Indian Navy. INS Sahyadri draws her name from the beautiful, age-defying Western Coast (also known as Sahyadri ranges) stretching across 1600 Kms. along the Western Coast of India.

::SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY::

Studies reveal that coral reefs could withstand climate change

There may be hope for marine reefs to survive modern-day global warming, say scientists who have found that coral-algal partnerships have endured numerous climate change events since the age of dinosaurs.
The relationship between corals and the mutualistic micro-algae that enable them to build reefs is considerably older and more diverse than previously assumed, according to a study published in the journal Current Biology.
The micro-algae, commonly called zooxanthellae, lives inside the cells of corals, allowing them to acquire energy from sunlight and to build the massive, economically valuable reef formations upon which countless marine organisms rely for habitat.
The team used genetic evidence including DNA sequences, phylogenetic analyses and genome comparisons to calculate the micro-algae’s approximate age of origin.
They also used classical morphological techniques, in which they compared visual characteristics of these symbionts using light and electron microscopy, along with computer modelling and other methods, to discover that in addition to being older, the algae family is far more diverse than previously perceived.

Blue light from digital devices could accelerate blindness

Blue light from digital devices, including smartphones, could accelerate blindness, researchers have found. Exposure to blue light continuously might cause poisonous molecules to be generated in the eye’s light-sensitive cells and lead to macular degeneration.
As one of the leading causes of blindness in the U.S., macular degeneration does not lead to total blindness, but can make daily activities difficult.
It’s no secret that blue light harms our vision by damaging the retina. Our experiments explain how this happens, and we hope this leads to therapies that slow macular degeneration, such as a new kind of eye drop,” said AjithKarunarathne, a faculty at the University of Toledo.

::SPORTS::

Viratkohli loses ICC test ranking top spot

India captain ViratKohli, on Monday, lost his top position in the ICC Test rankings for batsmen, dropping to second after the second Test against England at Lord’s.
Kohli lost the position to former Australian captain Steve Smith, who is currently serving a one-year ban.

R.vaishali becomes woman grandmaster

Seventeen-year-old R. Vaishali, elder sister of R. Praggnanandhaa, became a Woman Grandmaster, completing her final norm in the Riga Technical University Open chess tournament in Riga, Latvia on Sunday.
Vaishali had acquired her second WGM norm at the Gredine Open (Italy) the same tournament where her brother became a GM.