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Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 20 August 2018

::NATIONAL::

RajyaSabha Chairman, LokSabha Speaker appeal to MPs to generously contribute for Kerala flood relief

The Chairman, RajyaSabha, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu andLokSabha speaker today, urged the Members of Parliament to generously contribute from their MPLADS funds for relief and rehabilitation works in flood affected Kerala besides considering to donate their one month’s salary for the same.
Both the Presiding Officers of Parliament took the lead by announcing their decision to donate their one month salary for relief works in Kerala.
At the behest of Shri Naidu, RajyaSabha Secretariat on the 16th of this month wrote to the Ministry of Home Affairs regarding the Government’s assessment of the scale of calamity in Kerala and the Government clarified that “Keeping in view of the intensity and magnitude of the floods/landslides of 2018 in Kerala, this is a calamity of a ‘severe nature’ for all practical purposes.”
As per MPLADS Guidelines, if the Government declares a calamity as of ‘severe nature’, each Member of Parliament can contribute up to Rs. 1.00 cr for relief and rehabilitation works. The Guidelines further say that from the day an MP makes such contribution, concerned authorities have to identify relief works in one month time and the same should be implemented within eight months.

Centre stresses on the Need to Develop Consensus Amongst Concerned States on Interlinking of Rivers

Union Minister for Water Resources today stressed on the need to develop consensus amongst the concerned states on interlinking of rivers so that the water draining unutilized into the sea could be utilized for the needy areas.
Reiterating that the project for interlinking of rivers is very important for enhancing water and food security of the country and essential for providing water to drought prone and water deficit areas.
ShriGadkari said that steps have been taken for early implementation of five interlinking projects and Memorandum of Agreement for implementation of these projects is being finalised in consultation with the concerned state governments.
The successful completion of these projects will lead to reduction in disaster during floods, improved irrigation facilities, employment generation in rural agriculture, and increase in exports and decrease in migration from villages.
ShriGadkari requested the Ministers of various States to identify the river basins which have surplus water availability in their States after meeting all demands, from where water can be transferred to deficit areas so that drought in those areas can be mitigated, agricultural production could be increased, resulting in the upliftment of socio-economic profile of the society.

::ECONOMY::

Back series data on GDP released by ministry

The back series data on GDP has been prepared by the Committee on Real Sector Statistics, constituted by the National Statistical Commission. The report has been released on the website of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI).
The Indian economy clocked a 10.08% growth rate in 2006-07 under the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the highest since liberalisation of the economy in 1991, according to the data.
The report compares growth rates between the old series (2004-05) and new series based on 2011-12 prices.
As per the old series (2004-05), the expansion in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at constant prices was 9.57% during 2006-07, when Manmohan Singh was PM. As per the new series (2011-12), the growth number stands revised at 10.08%.

Tea exporters see competitive opportunity in rupee depreciation

Tea growers see an opportunity to boost the competitiveness of Indian tea in the global market, riding on the rupee’s recent weakness.
The weakening rupee does present us with an opportunity to increase exports,” Indian Tea Association (ITA) chairman AzamMonem said. He said this would help Indian exporters enhance their competitiveness vis-a-vis African countries where the tea season begins in September.
India’s tea exports remained flat at 46.8 million kg between April and June compared to a year earlier although prices increased marginally.ArijitRaha, secretary general, ITA concurred that in certain markets a weak rupee would help spur exports.
In the backdrop of rupee volatility, a 22-member delegation led by Tea Board deputy chairman Arun Kumar Ray will visit Kazakhstan from August 22-24.
The delegation will comprise large and small tea growers, packers and tea brokers. While small growers had participated in overseas tea expositions earlier, this is the first time they would be part of a delegation, said BijoyChakraborty, president of the Confederation of Indian Small Tea Growers Association.

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::INTERNATIONAL::

Indo-Japan ministerial meetings held in Newdelhi

The Defence Minister of Japan Mr.Itsunori Onodera is on a bilateral visit to India at the invitation of the Defence Minister of India SmtNirmalaSitharaman from 19 to 20 August 2018. The two Ministers held the annual Defence Ministerial Meeting on 20 August 2018 in Delhi. Minister Onodera also called on Prime Minister of India the same day.
The Ministers noted the fact that Prime Ministers of Japan and India emphasised the significance of defence and security cooperation in enhancing the strategic partnership between the two countries in September 2017, and exchanged views and ideas in a constructive and forward-looking manner.
The Ministers shared the recognition that it is important for the two countries to further strengthen defence and security cooperation under the ‘Japan-lndia Special Strategic and Global Partnership’ that aligns Japan’s ‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy’ with India’s ‘Act East Policy’ to work together in achieving common objectives.
The Ministers recognised that the peace and stability of the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean are crucial for ensuring the peace and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region, and had a frank exchange of views on the current security situation in the Indo-Pacific region, including developments in the Korean Peninsula.

Nepal introduces new criminal codes for data sharing offences

Nepal introduced a new criminal code on Friday that makes sharing confidential information a jailable offence, sparking concerns among journalists that the laws could be used to muzzle the press.
Media have warned that the Communist-led government, which has shown an increasing intolerance for dissent, could use the vaguely worded code to silence critics. The new laws make publishing private information, recording audio or taking pictures without permission punishable by up to three years in jail and a fine.
The Kathmandu Post newspaper called for the government to reconsider the laws, which are worded in a way that leaves “much room for interpretations” and could be used to prosecute journalists, an editorial said.
The Himalayan nation is ranked 106 out of 180 countries in the Reporters Without Borders press freedom index.

::SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY::

Drones to transport organs and devices for diagnosing diseases

A start-up that designs and makes unmanned aerial vehicles or drones is planning to focus on security and civilian applications.
One application is to use these drones to transport organs faster than ambulances for organ transplant procedures to save lives.
General Aeronautics is among a growing number of start-ups incubated by the Society for Innovation and Development (SID) housed on the IISc campus in Bengaluru, which aim to commercialise innovations that can have a direct impact on society.
Most of the start-ups are based on moonshot ideas. These include drones to transport organs, satellites that provide Internet connectivity in rural areas and devices that help doctors to detect and diagnose diseases like cancer.
The incubator, tucked away in a discreet corner of IISc’s verdant campus, connects these deep science start-ups with customers and investors and even helps in writing the business plans. What differentiates the SID facility, says Mr.Murali, is that it also supports the young ventures with business and technical mentorships from the institute’s faculty and provides access to its sophisticated equipment.

::SPORTS::

Bajrangpunia shines with gold

For the first 76 seconds, BajrangPunia made it look ridiculously easy. The final of the 65kg freestyle wrestling competition on the opening day of the Asian Games here looked like being yet another walk in the park for the 24-year old, who had won all his previous bouts on the day on technical superiority.
He refuted any pressure in the title bout but on a day when double Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar crashed out in the opening round, pawan Kumar Saroha lost his bronze medal match and two others MausamKhatri (97kg) and SandeepTomar (57kg) — faltered, Punia was the sole torch-bearer of Indian wrestling.