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Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 27 September 2019

::NATIONAL::

NSA reviews security situation in Kashmir

National Security Advisor (NSA) AjitDoval is camping in Srinagar ahead of Prime Minister NarendraModi’s address at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Friday.
For the past week, security officials have been making arrangements to ensure no violence is reported in Kashmir in the wake of the high-profile event as it might affect India’s image globally. Mr.Doval did not accompany Mr.Modi unlike on other occasions when he was a regular part of his entourage.
The NSA held a series of meetings in Srinagar on Thursday where he reviewed the security arrangements and discussed “measures to ease restrictions further.”
Official sources privy to the meetings said the NSA, on his second visit to J&K since its special status was revoked, sought “facts and figures on the several aspects of the Union Territory”. It included ground reports on the law and order situation, militancy and infiltration graph, shutdown in the Valley and status of educational institutions.
On militant outfits indulging in various atrocities on the people and threatening and intimidation to fruit growers, the NSA directed all the concerned departments and agencies “to take strict action against such elements and facilitate the common masses as much as possible.”
During his interaction with the Army and BSF, the NSA stressed that in view of the reports of large scale infiltration attempts, anti-infiltration grid along the border be kept on high alert.

Social media to observe code of ethics in elections

The social media platforms will observe a voluntary code of ethics in the ongoing Haryana and Maharashtra Assembly polls as well as in all future elections.
The Internet and Mobile Association of India and social media platforms Facebook, Whatsapp, Twitter, Google, Sharechat and TikTok have agreed to observe the code of ethics during the elections.
Under it, social media platforms have created a high priority dedicated grievance redressal channel for taking prompt action on the cases reported by the Election Commission.
The social media platforms and the Commission have developed a notification mechanism by which poll panel can notify the platforms for potential violations of electoral laws.
The platforms will ensure that all political advertisements on their platforms are pre-certified from the Media Certification and Monitoring Committees of ECI. Besides, they will voluntarily undertake information, education and communication campaigns to build awareness related to electoral laws and other related instructions.
Our correspondent reports that social media platforms had observed this ethics in the last LokSabha elections also and had taken action on 909 violative cases reported by the Election Commission.

::ECONOMY::

Finance Ministry denies news on liquidity crunch in banks

Finance Minister NirmalaSitharaman has expressed hope that the economy will start looking up in the second half of the current financial year as consumption rises and banks increase their lending operations. She said, in the festive season, the demand will get back and motivate the economy to move at faster rate.
Talking to reporters after holding meeting with Private Banks and Financial Institutions, Union Finance Minister NirmalaSitharaman said, there is no issue of liquidity in private sector banks and financial institutions. She said that in fact, there is more liquidity reaching to them.
The minister said, in many of the micro-finance units, which are in absolutely densely populated rural areas, there is still demand and they are extending loans. She said, these micro-finance units are witnessing positive growth which is encouraging.
The Minister said, loans for affordable housing scheme have taken off well and bankers have demanded to raise limit to 50 lakh rupees from current 45 lakh rupees. She quoted private bankers as telling her that slump in commercial vehicle sales is cyclical and sentiments are driving lower passenger vehicle sales.
Finance Secretary Rajeev Kumar said, private sector banks will join outreach programme in 400 districts for potential lending. He said first round of bank outreach programme in 250 districts will be held from 3rd to 7th October.

Government promises to take decision on raising income tax exemption limit

The government will take a decision on raising the income tax exemption limit at an appropriate time, Minister of State for Finance Anurag Thakur said on September 26.
Last week, the government lowered the corporate tax to 22% from 30% and there has been a clamour for raising income tax exemption limit to push demand and consumption with a view to fuel economy.
The central bank on Tuesday put a slew of restrictions on the Mumbai-based lender, creating panic among thousands of depositors.
Major restrictions include capping withdrawal at ₹1,000 per customer during the six-month period, and banning the bank from extending new loans. The lender has around ₹11,000 crore of public deposits.
With regard to Antigua Prime Minister Gaston Browne reiterating that MehulChoksi may be extradited to India after he exhausts all legal options available with him, Mr. Thakur said it is because of the efforts of the NarendraModi government.
The government through many legislations including Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code has ensured that nobody flees the country with the public money, he said.

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::INTERNATIONAL::

PM holds meeting with Iranian president

Prime Minister NarendraModi met the Iranian President Dr. Hassan Rouhani on the sidelines of the High-Level Segment of the 74th Session of United Nations General Assembly in New York yesterday. The two leaders discussed bilateral relations and exchanged views on regional and global developments of mutual interest.
According to an official press release, the Prime Minister reiterated India's support for giving priority to diplomacy, dialogue and confidence-building in the interest of maintaining peace, security and stability in the Gulf region, which is of vital importance for India.
External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said, the two leaders discussed bilateral cooperation and exchanged views on the situation in the region. Noting that India and Iran shared old and civilizational ties, the two leaders assessed the progress in bilateral relations since their first meeting in Russian city of Ufa in 2015.
They especially mentioned overcapitalization of Chabahar Port and noted its importance as gateway to and for landlocked Afghanistan and the Central Asian region. During the meeting, it was agreed to mark the 70th Anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations in 2020.
Indo-Iran ties have been on an upswing in the past few years. Mr.Modi visited Tehran in May 2016. During the visit, India and Iran signed nearly a dozen agreements, centrepiece of which was a deal on development of the strategic Chabahar port.
Later, India, Iran and Afghanistan signed a trilateral agreement providing for transport of goods among the three countries through the port. In February 2018, Mr.Rouhani visited India, becoming the first Iranian President to visit India in a decade. During his visit, the two sides signed a dozen agreements.

Estonia agrees to help India develop multipurpose identity card

Estonia Ambassador to New Delhi KatrinKivi said, his country is willing to assist India in the development of a single multipurpose identity card in view of the country's experience in the domain of e-governance.
The Ambassador's comments came a day after Prime Minister NarendraModi held a bilateral with Estonian President KerstiKaljulaid, where the two discussed ways to deepen cooperation in the domain of e-governance, cybersecurity, and innovation. Mr.Modi's meeting with Kaljulaid had come on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly session in New York.
Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday had pitched for the idea of a single, multipurpose identity card for citizens covering "all utilities" from Aadhaar to banking and voting.
The Home Minister at an event of the Registrar General of India had said that we can have just one card for all utilities like Aadhaar, passport, bank account, driving licence, voter card.

::SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY::

IPCC report warns of climate change threat to oceans

With representatives from nearly 200 countries at the United Nations Climate Summit underway in the United States, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) — the apex referee for scientific evidence on the impact of global warming made public a special report on Wednesday that underlined the dire changes taking place in oceans, glaciers and ice-deposits on land and sea.
The report updates scientific literature available since 2015 — when the IPCC released its comprehensive 5th Assessment Report — and summarises the disastrous impacts of warming based on current projections of global greenhouse gas emissions.
The ‘Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate’ was prepared following an IPCC Panel decision in 2016 to prepare three Special Reports and follows the Special Reports on Global Warming of 1.5°C (SR1.5), and on Climate Change and Land (SRCCL).
The 1.5°C report was a key input used in negotiations at Katowice, Poland last year for countries to commit themselves to capping global temperature rise to 1.5°C by the end of the century.
“A major impact is in the Hindu Kush Himalayan Regions,” said AnjalPrakash, a researcher at The Energy Resources Institute (TERI) School of Advanced Studies, and among those involved with the report, adding, “Floods will become more frequent and severe in the mountainous and downstream areas of the Indus, Ganges and Brahmaputra river basins.

::SPORTS::

IAAF honours PT USHA with veteran pin

The world athletics governing the body, International Association of Athletic Federations, IAAF, today honoured the Indian track and field legend PT Usha with a Veteran Pin in recognition of her contribution to the growth of the sport.
IAAF chief Sebastian Coe presented her the Veteran Pin during the 52nd IAAF Congress at Doha.Usha was one of three persons from Asia to receive the honour.
Often called the "queen of track and field", Usha is one of the greatest sprinters to have come out of India. At the 1982 New Delhi Asian Games, she won silver medals in 100m and 200m events.