Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 20 June 2018

::NATIONAL::

Mehbooba calls it quits as BJP pulls the plug

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti resigned on Tuesday after the BJP announced that it was pulling out of the alliance with her Peoples Democratic Party that has ruled the State since March 2015.
In the Assembly polls in December 2014, the PDP had won 28 seats and the BJP 25 in the 87-member House. The two parties finally formed the government on March 1, 2015 with an ‘Agenda of Alliance’.
Both parties feed off the denominational divide, the BJP depending on the Hindu vote bank in Jammu and the PDP on the Muslim vote bank in Kashmir.
Of late, the two partners were seen pulling in different directions on the approach to be adopted towards growing anti-India protests, separatists and local militants.
Governor N.N. Vohra forwarded his report to the President recommending imposition of Governor’s Rule in the State.

RAJIV GANDHI ASSASSINATION CASE :

The Centre has said releasing the four foreign nationals convicted of the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, in connivance with three Indian nationals, “will set a very dangerous precedent and lead to international ramifications.”
In its communication to the Tamil Nadu government, rejecting its request for concurrence to its proposal to grant remission to the seven life convicts in the case, the government said “...the murder of a former Prime Minister, for what he did for the country was an act of exceptional depravity on the part of the accused, an unparalleled act in the annals of crimes committed in this country.”

DELHI POLITICAL CRISIS

As bureaucrats attended meetings called by Ministers on Tuesday, Delhi Chief Minister ArvindKejriwal ended his sit-in at Raj Niwas.
The nine-day protest called for an end to the bureaucrats’ “strike” and approval for the AamAadmi Party (AAP) government’s proposal for home delivery of public distribution grain.
He added that officers had told him that they had been given the go-ahead “from the top”, referring to the L-G and the Centre, to start attending meetings.

Database on unorganised workers gets under way

The Union Ministry of Labour has called for tenders to design, develop and run the new UWIN — Unorganised Workers Identification Number — Platform
The Unorganised Workers Social Security Act, 2008 had first mandated that every worker be registered and issued a smart ID card.
It will include details of both nuclear and extended families of unorganised workers.
Apart from enabling the delivery of multiple social security services, it will also give the government a wealth of data to drive evidence-based policy making, help identify and enable skill development, and link employers with workers. Business services could also be provided to beneficiaries using IT apps and an open API layer.

Keralites face highest risk of cardiovascular disease, finds study

A study based on two recent national surveys of nearly 8,00,000 adults between 34 and 70 years, has found that people of Kerala — across sexes — were most at risk of cardiovascular diseases while those in Jharkhand were least likely to have the condition.
Researchers at Public Health Foundation of India and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, found that adults in urban areas, as well as those with a higher household wealth, tended to have a greater cardiovascular risk.
In general, the cardiovascular risk is lower in rural areas compared with urban areas. But Goa has bucked this trend with the rural areas showing a higher mean value (18.92%) than the urban areas (18.79%).
While smoking was more prevalent in poorer households and rural areas, wealthy households and urban locations faced risks from high body mass index, high blood glucose and high systolic blood pressure.

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::ECONOMY::

Air India privatisation plan shelved

After it failed to get any buyers for the debt-ridden national carrier, the government has shelved its plan to privatise Air India exactly a year after the Union Cabinet gave its nod for the disinvestment process.
The government confirmed that measures such as cutting down costs as well as monetisation of Air India’s assets would be adopted in order to run the airline.
The source attributed the lack of interest in the disinvestment process to rising fuel prices and hinted that the government could revisit the plan to offload its stake in Air India at a later stage.

NEW CEO FOR ICICI BANK LIKELY

SandeepBakhshi, who is seen as the stand-in chief executive of ICICI Bank, may well end up succeeding MD & CEO ChandaKochhar.
On Monday, the lender appointed Mr.Bakhshi as chief operating officer and whole-time director for five years, after Ms.Kochhar decided to go on leave pending the completion of an inquiry. The executive management of the bank will report to Mr.Bakhshi, who will in turn report to the board.

STOCK MARKETS SLIDE

Stocks spiralled lower for the second straight day, tracking a sell-off across global markets after the U.S. and China reignited their trade dispute.
The BSE Sensex plunged about 262 points to end at a two-week low of 35,286.74, while the broader Nifty dropped 89 points to 10,710.45.
Asian markets nosedived after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to impose additional tariffs on Chinese goods and Beijing vowed to retaliate, fanning fears of a full-blown trade war between the world’s two largest economies.

India to defend GSP benefits at USTR

India is expected to challenge charges levelled against it by the U.S dairy and medical devices industries at a hearing before the United States Trade Representative (USTR) office scheduled for Tuesday and defend its eligibility for benefits under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) programme.
India requires that dairy products [be] derived from animals which have never consumed any feeds containing internal organs, blood meal, or tissues of ruminant origin.
India imports dairy products from countries such as Australia and Switzerland. India will tell the USTR that this is not a question of market access but of certifications
Defending India’s measures to control prices of the medical devices, the submission said, the country was committed to providing its citizens with equitable and affordable access to essential medicines and medical devices.

::INTERNATIONAL::

Airline adopts biofuel in green push

Airbus A350-1000 flies to Hong Kong from France partly on sugarcane-based fuel.
The aircraft, a 334-seater, flew with a 10% blend of biofuel along with traditional jet fuel in its tanks which can hold 1,56,000 litres.
Compared with the conventional jet fuel, biofuel can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80%.

U.S. to withdraw from UN human rights council’

The United States was to announce on Tuesday that it is withdrawing from the UN Human Rights Council, which it accuses of bias against Israel, UN officials said.
Since President Donald Trump took office, the United States has quit the UN cultural agency UNESCO, cut UN funding and announced plans to quit the UN-backed Paris climate agreement.

U.K. links student visa row to issue of ‘over-stayers’

The British government has drawn a direct link between the exclusion of Indian students from a relaxation of visa rules and India’s decision to pull out of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the return of illegal migrants.
The relaxation was extended to ten countries, including China and the Maldives, but not India.
The student controversy has overshadowed other reforms brought in by Britain’s new Home Secretary SajidJavid, including the removal a cap on non-EU doctors and nurses — many of them from India — coming to Britain.
India has welcomed the relaxation but made clear that it continues to have concerns related to Britain’s immigration regime
Politicians from Opposition parties have been critical of the government’s stance. “The exclusion of certain students, such as those from India, from the relaxation of visa rules is nonsensical and cruel,” said Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat’s spokesperson on Home Affairs.