Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 21 September 2018

::NATIONAL::

National sex offenders’ registry launched

The first-of-its-kind national sex offenders’ registry launched on Thursday has names and details of some 4.4 lakh people convicted for various sexual offences across the country.
The database is for those convicted for sexual offences 2005 onwards. It includes name, address, photograph and fingerprint details of the convict. A Home Ministry statement said the database would not compromise any individual’s privacy.
India became the ninth country in the world to have a National Database on Sexual Offenders (NDSO), accessible only to law enforcement agencies for the purpose of “investigation and monitoring”. The proposal to set up a registry was mooted by the UPA government after the 2012 Nirbhayagangrape case in New Delhi.
The database will be maintained by the National Crime Records Bureau, that will also track whether the State police were updating the records on time. The database will include offenders convicted under charges of rape, gang rape, Protection of Children from Sexual Offenders Act (POCSO) and eve teasing.
While launching the database, Union Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi expressed concern over sexual assaults in children’s shelter homes and increasing incidents of NRI grooms abandoning their brides.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who was present, launched another portal, cybercrime.gov.in, that will receive complaints from citizens on objectionable online content related to child pornography, child sexual abuse material, and sexually explicit material such as rape and gang rape.

MP govt.to bring in directive so that amended SC/ST act is not misused

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday announced that a directive will be issued shortly to ensure that the amended SC/ST Act is not misused in the State.
He was replying to a query on the protests in the State against Parliament clearing the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Bill, 2018 in August restoring some stringent provisions of the Act.
“The misuse of the (amended) SC/ST Act will not be allowed in M.P. Only after a thorough probe, a case will be registered under it. To this end, a directive will be issued shortly,” the Chief Minister told reporters on Thursday.
A nationwide bandh called on September 6 by some upper caste groups against the restoration of some of the provisions of the SC/ST Act had met with a good response in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh.
Mr. Chouhan has also been targeted by some elements from these groups. On September 2, an organisation opposing these amendments had created ruckus at his public rally in the State’s Sidhi district.

::ECONOMY::

Rating agency claims merger of banks could lead to rise in NPA’s

The proposed merger of three public sector banks, Bank of Baroda, Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank, is expected to result in better operating efficiency in the long run but there could be an increase in slippages in the short-term, India Ratings said on Thursday.
The rating agency said the merged entity may see reduced operating costs, lower funding cost and strengthened risk management practices apart from increasing the scale and reach moderately.
“However, in the short-term, the slippages could increase as recognition of non-performing assets is harmonised and accelerated,” it said.
India Ratings said the proposed merger would require significant bandwidth of management along with deft handling so that operational aspects such as business growth and resolution of large stock of delinquent assets continue receiving adequate attention. It also said the asset-liability mismatch of the smaller banks (Vijaya and Dena Banks) can be better addressed at the consolidated level.
India Ratings further said the consolidated entity’s core equity tier 1 capital is about 9.3% and that Dena Bank’s lower capital buffers are offset by Vijaya’s higher capital buffers.

SEBI urges central government to amend IT act

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) wants the government to amend the Income Tax Act to plug loopholes wherein individuals and companies managed to avail tax benefits on the money paid to the regulator to settle matters under the consent mechanism.
The regulator had already taken up the matter with the government highlighting cases where entities showed the settlement amount paid to the SEBI as a deductible business expense to lower their taxable income and thereby the tax liability.
“A committee formed to review consent framework has highlighted this issue and we are taking it up with the government. We do not think that a company should be allowed to use this [settlement money] for tax benefits,” said a senior SEBI official.
The past has seen at least three instances wherein such a tax benefit was availed by entities that settled their respective matters with the SEBI through the consent mechanism that involves paying a monetary penalty.
In other two instances, Pranav Securities and Reliance Share & Stock Brokers claimed such similar tax benefits. The premise put forth by the tax authorities was that the settlement amount was not a penalty and the money had been paid without admission of guilt.
A section of experts, meanwhile, believe that companies should be allowed to treat the settlement amount as an expense since such payouts are part of the compliance cost.

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::INTERNATIONAL::

Pakistan invites Saudi Arabia to become strategic partner of CPEC

Saudi Arabia will be the third “strategic partner” of the $50 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a senior Pakistani Minister announced on Thursday, soon after Prime Minister Imran Khan returned from his first foreign trip to the cash-rich kingdom.
The CPEC is the flagship project of the multi-billion dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a pet project of Chinese President Xi Jinping, aimed at enhancing Beijing’s influence around the world through China-funded infrastructure projects.
Addressing a press conference here on Mr. Khan’s two-day visit to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, Minister of Information Fawad Chaudhry said Pakistan’s main interest lies in cooperation with Saudi Arabia on matters of trade and security.
China has rejected accusations that its financial backing for the CPEC was a “debt trap” that could compromise cash-strapped Pakistan’s sovereignty.
The CPEC is the fastest-moving and flagship project of President Xi’s global Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
The CPEC aims to construct and upgrade the transportation network, energy projects, a deep-water port at Gwadar and special economic zones to eventually support Pakistan’s industrial development as a manufacturing hub by 2030.

South & North Koreas on the verge of unity

Kim Jong-un and Moon Jae-in visited the spiritual birthplace of the Korean nation on Thursday for a show of unity after their North-South summit gave new momentum to Pyongyang’s negotiations with Washington.The 2,744-metre peak is considered sacred by all Koreans as the birthplace of Dangun, the legendary founder of the first Korean kingdom.
The North Korean leader on Wednesday agreed to shutter the Tongchang-ri missile-testing site in the presence of international observers, a move the U.S. welcomed by saying it was ready for immediate talks aimed at denuclearising the North.
Pyongyang also said it could dismantle its best-known nuclear facility at Yongbyon, if the U.S. takes “corresponding measures”, as Mr. Kim and the South Korean President held their third summit this year.
It is an important caveat — Mr. Moon told reporters on his return to Seoul that the U.S. would need to “end hostile relations with North Korea and provide security guarantees for the North Korean regime”.
It would be the first such trip by a North Korean leader since the Korean War ended in an armistice, leaving the peninsula divided and technically still in a state of war, and Mr. Moon said the historic journey could happen later this year.
The two leaders also agreed to open a permanent facility for family reunions, work towards joining up road and rail links, and bid jointly for the 2032 Olympics.

::SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY::

West Bengal witnesses around 1 lakh migrant birds

The number of winged visitors at the Raiganj Wildlife Sanctuary in West Bengal’s Uttar Dinjapur district has crossed all previous records. As per a census carried out by the State Forest Department, the wildlife sanctuary, spread over 130 hectares, recorded 98,532 birds this year.
This the highest number of birds which has visited Raiganj Wildlife Sanctuary over the past several years. What is encouraging is that the number of migratory birds is increasing every year,” Dwiparna Kumar Dutta, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Raignaj, told.
According to Mr Dutta, the sanctuary has one of the highest numbers of Openbill stork population not only in India but in Asia and this makes the sanctuary unique. “Of the 98,000 birds about 67,000 are Openbill storks. Then there are cormorants, night herons, little egrets, flycatchers, owls and other species,” he said.
The sanctuary, which is also known as the Kulik Bird Sanctuary, drawing its name from the river Kulik, attracts a large number of tourists every year, including birdwatchers and wildlife enthusiasts. Situated near Raiganj in Uttar Dinajpur district of West Bengal, the sanctuary is home to 164 bird species.

::SPORTS::

WADA lifts ban on Russian athletes

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) on Thursday lifted a ban on Russia’s anti-doping agency, RUSADA, paving the way for Russian athletes to return to competition across all sports.
“Today, the great majority of WADA’s Executive Committee decided to reinstate RUSADA as compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code subject to strict conditions,” WADA president Craig Reedie said. He said the decision “provides a clear timeline by which WADA must be given access to the former Moscow laboratory data and samples.”
Reedie added that if the commitment was not met, WADA would reinstate the ban on the Russian anti-doping agency.