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Current Affairs for IAS Exams – 09 December 2015

:: NATIONAL ::

Delhi Govt comes up with details of odd-even formula

First phase of plan from January 1-15, impact of first phase will decide its extension.
Vehicles ending with odd number to run on dates starting with odd number similarly for even number.
This will be applicable only between 8 am to 8 pm and Sunday's will be free for all.
1000 more buses will be put on roads to check the extra traffic.

Difference between Kerala and Tamil Nadu over Mullaperiyar dam

As heavy rain brought the water level in the Mullaperiyar dam closer to the permissible limit of 142 feet, the Kerala government is preparing to move the Supreme Court against Tamil Nadu for the failure to comply with dam safety regulations.
Three spillway shutters of the Mullaperiyar dam were lifted by half a foot following a surge in inflow.
The water level was 141.78 ft at 5 p.m. on Tuesday. Against an inflow of 2,600 cusecs, Tamil Nadu drew 2,000 cusecs while 600 cusecs were released into the Idukki reservoir through the Periyar river.

Parliament must ratify WTO deals

Ahead of the Nairobi meeting of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), civil society groups have urged the Union government not to undertake new binding commitments with- out public consultation as well as before debate and ratification by Parliament.
Organisations such as the Forum against Free Trade Agreements and the National Working Group on Patent Laws and WTO also asked Parliament to take inputs from all stakeholders and carry out a thorough assessment of the employment, social and environmental impacts arising out of the commitments India makes at the WTO-level talks as well as due to the various free trade agreements (FTA) between India and other countries.

‘Reality check of India’ fight with TB (Register and Login to read Full News..)

Forest survey of India report 2015 (Register and Login to read Full News..)

:: INDIA AND WORLD ::

India for better relationship with Pakistan

The theme of the conference jointly hosted by Pakistan and Afghanistan, is ‘Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process: Enhanced cooperation for countering security threats and promoting connectivity in the Heart of Asia region.’
Ms. Swaraj’s presence has heightened the sense of drama in Islamabad.
The presence of an important Minister from New Delhi has turned the Heart of Asia conference into a platform where both India and Pakistan can discuss many other bilateral issues apart from their future roles in Afghanistan.
The conference is already being noted for bringing together President Ashraf Ghani with the top handlers of Pakistan’s Afghanistan strategy.

India, Brazil and China positive about Climate deal

The countries forming the BASIC group — Brazil, South Africa, India and China — on Tuesday committed themselves to a comprehensive, balanced, ambitious and legally binding agreement emerging from the Paris Climate Change conference, but cautioned that it must not deviate from the differentiation principles that are already part of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
China, which has a parallel understanding with the U.S. on tackling climate change, joined the other developing countries in the bloc, and carefully skirted the contradictions between the U.S. position and the stand of the developing countries.
Developing countries are being asked to undertake low carbon strategies as a commitment at CoP21, but there are differences on what kind of funding would be provided for adaptation, loss and damage, and support actions.
From India’s perspective, events such as the Chennai and Uttarakhand floods and distressing crop failures due to drought are strongly linked to climate change, and an agreement for the future must have provisions for adaptation, and loss and damage.
India and China are apprehensive about the report of OECD, which claimed that $62 billion had been raised in 2014.
On a second contentious issue, the review of national actions pledged in Paris as INDCs for the period after 2020, India said countries had made national choices of either a five-year or ten-year INDC.

:: INTERNATIONAL ::

No end to South China Sea tensions

Russia’s decision to export is highly capable Su-35 planes is expected to bolter China’s military presence in the South China Sea. It is also set to escalate military technology exchanges that would help Beijing and Moscow develop cutting edge weapons.
After protracted negotiations that lasted several years, Russia finally relented to sell China, 24 Su-35 planes.
$2 billion deal means that transfer of technology, which Beijing badly requires to develop the next generation of weapons, is part of the contract.
China will benefit from the purchase of the Russian jets in three ways. First, the acquisition of 24 Su-35 planes would greatly extend China’s reach over the South China Sea.
Su-35 planes, capable of taking off from short runways, will cover a large footprint if deployed from China’s newly developed artificial islands in the South China Sea. Second, the Russian jets can effectively counter the U.S. F-35 stealth fighters.

:: BUSINESS ::

e-commerce will enter in mutual fund and crowd fundng

Capital markets regulator the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) will soon put in place norms to help entrepreneurs raise funds through ‘crowdfunding’.
While discussions are also underway to allow sale of mutual funds through e-commerce platforms.
A SEBI-constituted committee, headed by Infosys co-founder N. R. Narayana Murthy, to suggest ways for raising of funds through crowdfunding is likely to submit its report in a month.
The markets regulator had earlier come out with a discussion paper for crowdfunding norms to help young entrepreneurs and small groups of people raise funds.
Crowdfunding typically involves young entrepreneurs and small groups of people raising funds for their ventures through various online platforms involving individuals and organisations.
SEBI Chairman also said the regulator was actively working towards making it possible for mutual funds (MF) to sell their schemes on e-commerce platforms.

Healthy signs for Indian softwarefirms

Software market in India is expected to grow at 12.8 per cent to reach $5.3 billion in 2016, research firm Gartner
The growth is being driven by trends like increasing adoption of Software as a service (SaaS) and open source software (OSS), changing buying behaviours and purchasing styles associated with digital business and Digital India initiative of the Indian government.
the Indian government is serious about leveraging information technology for effective governance.
The Digital India initiative, MyGov citizen portal, the Self-Employment and Talent Utilization (SETU) program for startups, and smart cities initiatives are some examples

Non- tax revenue on the up

The huge increase in non-tax revenue to Rs 1,43,633 crore from Rs.94,704 crore can mostly be attributed to the ‘Economic Services’ component of the ‘Other Non-Tax Revenue’ segment.
One large component of this economic services segment is revenue earned through the energy sector, due to the auctions taking place there, and another is the revenue the government is earning in stages from the telecom auctions conducted last year
Another area contributing to the increase in non-tax revenue is the dividends and profits accruing to the government, especially what was transferred from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to the government
The increase in tax revenue can mostly be explained by the fact that indirect tax collections in the form of customs, excise and service tax have increased significantly due to revenue-generating measures taken by the government over the last year such as increasing the excise duty on petrol, diesel and tobacco, and increasing the service tax rate.

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Direct tax benefits to SEZ will continue (Register and Login to read Full News..)

:: SPORTS ::

Football academy of BRICS came in Delhi

With hopes of catching young talent and providing professional support for the development of football, Delhi Dynamos FC, on Tuesday, announced the launch of the Delhi Dynamos BRICS Football Academy in India.
The academy, catering to players above five years of age, will focus on exposure to international coaches and players, and providing 360-degree support, including education, in world-class facilities.
DDFC will also represent host India in the BRICS Under-17 Football Cup 2016, and participate in all grassroots and CSR-related activities of BRICS.