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Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 22 August 2019

::NATIONAL::

Govt.to consider corporatisation of Ordinance factory board

The Government is set to form a high level committee to examine the aspects of corporatisation of the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) and work out the modalities, defence sources said while rejecting apprehensions from employees that there is an attempt at privatisation.
The Kolkata-headquartered OFB with 41 factories spread across the country functions under the Department of Defence Production. Due to this every decision and action needs the approval of the Cabinet, officials said.
Alleging moves to privatise the OFB, three recognised Defence Federations under the OFB have launched a month-long strike from August 20. There are about 82,000 employees in OFB of which around 46,000 are industrial employees who went on strike, sources said.
Meanwhile Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has approved certain decisions on reorganisation of the Army Headquarters (AHQ) that will initiate the biggest transformation exercise in the Army since Independence.
The measures approved include a separate Vigilance Cell under the Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) with tri-service representation, an umbrella organisation under the Vice-Chief of the Army Staff (VCOAS) for enhanced focus on human rights (HR) issues and relocation of 206 Army officers from the AHQ to formations/units in the field, the Defence Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.
Another measure would see a trimming down of the officer strength in the AHQ and 206 officers would be posted out to field formations and units.

Study finds children from shelter homes not finding work

Nearly 40% of children who leave shelter homes after turning 18 are unable to complete schooling, 50% are unable to find paid work and almost 70% are unaware of their after-care entitlements under the law, finds a study conducted by an NGO across five States.
The study,is based on the testimonies of 435 “care leavers” and 100 other key stakeholders such as functionaries working on the ground for child protection. The age of the care leavers was between 17 years and 30 years.
While 48% of these young adults were from government-run institutions, 52% were from NGO-run institutions. Out of the total care leavers, 55% were male and the rest were female.
The survey highlights the poor implementation of after-care provisions prescribed under the Juvenile Justice Act (JJ Act), 2015, for those who leave child care institutions on turning 18. The study found that 27% of children did not receive any form of after care support such as housing, medical facilities, legal awareness, or emotional support after they left their shelter home.
As many as 78% of them did not have health insurance, 67% were not aware of these services and other schemes designed for them, 44% of them had never been consulted over their care and rehabilitation planning during their stay at a home, as is required under JJ Act.
As far as education, vocational skills and the financial independence of these young adults was concerned, nearly 40% could not complete their schooling even after 18 years, and 34% dropped out during transitioning from a home to independent living.

::ECONOMY::

SEBI eases compliance and operational requirements for FPI’s

At a time when foreign investors have been selling Indian shares in huge quantum, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has simplified the compliance and operational requirements for foreign portfolio investors (FPIs), to make the regulatory framework more investor friendly.
The SEBI board, which met here on Wednesday, decided to do away with the requirement that every FPI should have at least 20 investors — known as broad-based in regulatory parlance while simplifying the KYC (or Know-Your-Customer) document requirement for overseas investors.
The regulator has also allowed central banks of countries that are not members of Bank for International Settlement (BIS) to register as FPIs in India since, as per SEBI, such entities are “relatively long term, low risk investors directly/indirectly managed by the government”. FPIs have cumulatively sold shares worth over Rs. 22,000 crore in July and August.
The regulator has also amended the Prohibition of Insider Trading Regulations to include a clause to reward whistle-blowers up to Rs. 1 crore if the information leads to a disgorgement order of at least Rs. 1 crore.
The regulator has also brought in clauses to protect the informant from victimisation in the form of termination, suspension or demotion, among other things.

Centre asks dairy cooperative sectors to reduce plastic use

The Centre has asked all milk cooperatives and private dairies to halve plastic usage by October 2, by subsidising one litre packs to discourage the use of 500 ml packs and by offering a rebate to customers who return the plastic pouches which can then be recycled.
However, the country’s biggest milk coop which generates about 2.8crore plastic packets per day says such buyback schemes are not viable.
In his Independence Day speech, Prime Minister NarendraModi had called for an end to single use plastics. The milk industry is one of the largest users of single use plastics, with the growing use of disposable pouches replacing milk vendors and vending machines in many areas.
Under the Extended Producer Responsibility component of the Plastic Waste Management (PWM) Rules, revised in 2018, industries are already required to recover and recycle part of the plastic packaging they generate.
At a meeting with major dairy stakeholders , the Animal Husbandry and Dairying Secretary AtulChaturvedi requested the cooperatives which own the Amul and Mother Dairy brands to create a protocol and action plan to recycle milk pouches.
“Reduce consumption of plastics by subsidising price of 1 litre pack, rebate customers for bringing back plastics, [and] reuse pouches,” said an official statement.

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::INTERNATIONAL::

Zambia seeks Indian investments for development

Zambia has sought investment from India in various sectors, including agriculture, information and communications technology, and manufacturing.
Speaking at a business session in New Delhi today, Zambia's President Edgar ChagwaLungu invited Indian businesses, saying huge trade and investment opportunities exist in his country for them.
Mr Lungu said, there is huge potential in areas such as agriculture, agro-processing, tourism, construction, and manufacturing. Speaking at the event, Zambian Trade Minister Christopher Yaluma assured that Indian investments would be fully protected in his country.
Commerce and Industry Minister PiyushGoyalsaid, the current bilateral trade is still quite moderate and hoped that businesses of both the sides work together.
Mr Goyal said, both the countries can increase cooperation in areas, such as agriculture, infrastructure, automobiles and health care.

India-Russia to mutually support each other’s sovereignity

India and Russia have reiterated their longstanding position of mutual support for each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity and non-interference of third parties.
National Security Advisor AjitDoval and his Russian counterpart Nikolai Patrushev met in Moscow today and held a discussion on regional and international issues and reaffirmed their intention to intensify counter-terrorism cooperation.
A release by the Ministry of External Affairs said, they also discussed the bilateral cooperation between the two National Security Councils.
Mr Doval and Mr Patrushev reviewed preparations for Prime Minister NarendraModi's visit to Vladivostok for the Eastern Economic Forum in early September.
The National Security Advisor also met Dmitry Rogozin who is the Director of Russia's space agency, ROSCOSMOS, to review ongoing cooperation in the field of space and India's Gaganyaan programme.
Mr Rogozin applauded the progress of Chandrayaan and conveyed Russia’s support for the success of the Mission. The two sides discussed space cooperation, which is expected to figure prominently in the Bilateral summit in Vladivostok.

::SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY::

Study reveals long term exposure to vehicle exhaust could cause eye disease

Long-term exposure to pollutants from vehicle exhaust is linked to a heightened risk of age-related macular degeneration or AMD, say researchers.
In a study of nearly 40,000 people in Taiwan, researchers found that high levels of exhaust could nearly double the risk of the condition, which damages the macula, the part of the eye needed for sharp, central vision.
It is one of the most common causes of poor vision in older people and is most likely caused by an interplay between genetic and environmental risk factors.
The study, published in the Journal of Investigative Medicine , shows that exposure to the highest levels of air pollutants was associated with an almost double risk among those aged 50 and older.
During the monitoring period, a total of 1,442 people developed cases of AMD.Those with the highest level of exposure to nitrogen dioxide were nearly twice as likely (91%) to develop AMD than those exposed to the lowest level.Those exposed to the highest level of carbon monoxide were 84% more likely to develop AMD.

::SPORTS::

BCCI gives clearance to former pacer S.Sreesanth

The Ombudsman of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), has ordered that Indian pacer S Sreesanth's ban for alleged spot-fixing will end in August next year.
In his order passed on 7th of this month, OmbudsmanD.K.Jain observed that the cricketer, who is now 36, is well past his prime, having already served six years. Jain said, ends of justice would be met by making it a seven-year suspension and letting Sreesanth play next year.
The BCCI banned Sreesanth for life in August 2013 along with his Rajasthan Royals teammates AjitChandila and AnkeetChavan for indulging in alleged spot-fixing in the Indian Premier League of that year.