Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 25 July 2018

Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 25 July 2018

::NATIONAL::

Loksabha clears anti-corruption amendement bill

  • The LokSabha on Tuesday passed the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill, 2018 that seeks to punish bribe-givers and bribe-takers.
  • The Bill also extends the ambit of public servants who will be protected by the provision of a prior government sanction for prosecution and also a provision now to get prior permission for starting an investigation.
  • Safeguards had been provided to ensure that honest officers were not intimidated by false complaints.
  • Many members who took part in the debate stressed on the need to curb election expenditure and bring about electoral reforms to stop corruption in politics.

Supreme court questions centre for not appointing lokpal

  • The Supreme Court on Wednesday said the government’s stand on completing the appointment of the Lokpal, an ombudsman to protect the common man from corruption in public service and power centres, is “wholly unsatisfactory”.
  • On July 19, the Selection Committee discussed that the Search Committee would comprise seven persons, including the Chairperson. These persons have to be from expertise as diverse as anti-corruption policy, public administration, insurance, banking, law and management.
  • The court asked the government to file the affidavit in four weeks. The court has for the past several months been constantly urging the government to complete the Lokpal appointment.
  • The Act intends the LoP to be the part of the selection committee of the PM, the CJI and the Speaker, which has to first appoint an eminent jurist among their ranks. However, on April 27 last year, the Supreme Court, in a judgment, clarified that the Lokpal appointment process need not be stalled merely due to the absence of the LoP.

::ECONOMY::

TRAI chief claims pesky calls norms not targeted to any particular firm.

  • TRAI chairman R.S. Sharma on Tuesday said regulations to curb pesky calls and messages have nothing to do with a specific firm but aim to make it easier for users to complain.
  • This interaction follows debates over the fate of the iPhone in India as its maker Apple and TRAI have been at loggerheads on the issue of allowing access to the regulator’s DND application on its operating system.
  • The TRAI app, which allows users to easily complain about pesky calls and messages from telemarketers, requires access to SMS and call logs on the mobile device. This requirement has been viewed by some stakeholders to be a violation of customers’ privacy.
  • While TRAI’s DND application is available on Google’s Play Store, Apple has not added the application to its App Store citing privacy issues as the app seeks permission to view users’ call logs and text messages.
  • If such devices do not permit functioning of such Apps then Access Providers shall, on the order or direction of the Authority, derecognise such devices from their telecom networks,” the regulations said.

IRDAI panel to review motor insurance cover costs

  • Insurance regulator IRDAI has constituted a 16-member committee to examine motor third party insurance pricing aspects and make recommendations on the premium rates for 2019-20.
  • Apart from examining the third party cover pricing aspects, including data related ones, the committee has been tasked to revisit the classification of vehicles, in view of the development in the industry. Its term will be till December 31, IRDAI said in an order constituting the committee, recently.
  • Besides two others from the authority, the panel will have a senior official each from the Centre’s Department of Financial Services as well as the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways as members.

Government to continue Nutrient Based Subsidy and City Compost Scheme till 2019-20

  • Government has decided to continue NBS and City Compost Scheme till 2019-20.
  • As per approval of Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), the total expenditure likely to be incurred for continuation of NBS and City Compost Scheme is Rs. 61,792 crores or subsidy expenditure for the scheme on actual basis since national rollout of DBT entails 100% payment of subsidy to fertilizer companies on sale of fertilizers to farmers at subsidized rates.
  • Under the policy, a fixed amount of subsidy, decided on annual basis, is provided on subsidised P&K fertilizers depending on their nutrient content. Under this policy, MRP is fixed by fertilizer companies as per market dynamics at reasonable level which is monitored by the Government.
  • The Government of India approved a policy on promotion of City Compost which has been duly notified by the Department of Fertilizers on 10.2.2016 wherein Market Development Assistance (MDA) of Rs. 1500/MT in the form of subsidy has been provided for scaling up production and consumption of city compost.

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::INTERNATIONAL::

PM gifts cows to Rwanda for the Girinka scheme

  • In an unusual gift, Prime Minister NarendraModi on July 24 presented 200 cows to poor villagers in Rwanda to support President Paul Kagame’s ambitious initiative for poverty reduction and tackling childhood malnutrition.
  • The Girinka Programme was initiated by Mr.Kagame in 2006 to provide one cow per poor family for their nutritional and financial security.
  • He said people in India too would be pleasantly surprised to see the cow being given such importance as a means of economic empowerment in villages, in faraway Rwanda. He said that the Girinka Programme will help transform villages in Rwanda.
  • Mr.Modi said that the Rwandan government can also work on honeybees on the lines of the Girinka Programme wherein honey can be produced along with milk and both businesses can be run together which would provide additional benefits.

CHINA & BHUTAN discuss border dispute issues

  • China and Bhutan have discussed their boundary dispute and reached many agreements during a two-day visit of Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou, the Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.
  • Mr. Kong also invited Bhutan to take part in Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) during the visit, which ended on Tuesday.
  • The two countries do not have diplomatic relations but maintain contacts through periodic visits by officials.
  • Chinese Foreign Minister on the visit said that he stated during his talks that the two sides should continue to push forward the border negotiations; abide by the principled consensus reached; jointly maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas; and create positive conditions for the final settlement of the border issue between the two.

::SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY::

Harwarduniversity develops underwater trap to study marine life

  • Studying soft-bodied deep sea creatures like jellyfish and squid have been a difficult task for marine biologists as existing underwater tools cause damage or even kill them.
  • Researchers from Harvard University’s Wyss Institute have developed an origami-inspired sampler using folding polyhedral sides that can trap deep sea soft creatures without causing them any harm.
  • Origami, the Japanese art of folding, is used as an inspiration to help build 3D objects from 2D sheets. They have developed a way to fold 3D shapes from its 2D net using only one actuator.
  • The device named Rotary Actuated Dodecahedron (RAD) can be attached to any remotely operated vehicle (ROV). The pilot of the ROV uses cameras to position the sampler near a sea creature of interest and then tells the operator of the sampler to close the sampler, entrapping the creature.

Japanese satellite to carry newly wed name plaques into space

  • The sky is no longer the limit for lovers looking for unusual ways to commemorate their nuptials, with a Japanese company now offering to blast commemorative wedding plaques into space.
  • For about 30,000 yen ($270), newly-weds marrying at the hotel will be able to emboss their names and design elements on 16-by-eight-millimetre titanium plates that will be loaded onto a tiny satellite.
  • The satellite will be taken up to the International Space Station on a supply ship, and then released by astronauts.
  • Customers will receive photos of the craft carrying their plaques as it swirls among the stars, Warpspace chief executive Toshihiro Kameda said.

::SPORTS::

New football stars in FIFA awards shortlist

  • French World Cup winners KylianMbappe, Antoine Griezmann and Raphael Varane were included alongside perennial candidates Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi on a 10-man shortlist for the FIFA best player award on Tuesday.
  • Luka Modric was nominated for the prize as well after helping Croatia reach the final, with the Real Madrid midfielder named the player of the tournament in Russia.
  • France coach Didier Deschamps and compatriot ZinedineZidane, who led Real Madrid to a third successive Champions League title, headlined the 11 candidates in the running for men’s coach of the year.

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