Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 25 July 2015

Current Affairs for IAS Exams – 25 July 2015

:: National ::

Javadekar non-committal on air pollution-induced deaths

CO2 not recognised as air pollutant as per CPCB norms, he told Parliament

• Air quality monitoring stations will be installed in every state and by every concerned organisation, the Union Environment Minister Prakash Javdekar said.— Photo: Sushil Kumar Verma

• Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar on Friday refused to take a stand on whether air pollution in Delhi was indeed causing 80 deaths every day as per his earlier submission to the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

• In a press conference outside Parliament here, at the conclusion of a review meeting with National Capital Region States – Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi and Haryana, he said the Union Environment Ministry had set itself yet another three-month deadline to tackle air pollution in the capital.

• Mr. Javadekar said action plans will be formulated to tackle the four main focus areas — agriculture, construction waste, demolition waste and vehicular pollution. “Air quality monitoring stations will be installed in every state and by every concerned organisation,” he said. The earlier three-month deadline, set by the Ministry in April, to take proactive measures to tackle Delhi’s air pollution ended on July 22, prompting Friday’s review meeting.

• Earlier this week, Mr. Javadekar had cited a study ‘Epidemiological Study on Effects of Air Pollution on Human Health in Delhi’ published in 2008, to state that 80 deaths take place in Delhi every day due to air pollution-induced illnesses. He also cited another study ‘Study on Ambient Air Quality, Respiratory Symptoms and Lung Function of Children in Delhi’ to support the claim in Parliament. However, on Friday, the Minister appeared non-committal on the matter and in a written submission to Lok Sabha said “no conclusive evidence exists that air pollution led to loss of lives of patients suffering from respiratory diseases.”

• Environmental groups are unhappy with the Ministry’s measures to tackle the problem. In February this year, Greenpeace India conducted an air-quality monitoring survey inside five prominent schools across Delhi and found the PM2.5 levels (particulate matter) to be four times the Indian safety limits and 10 times that of the air quality safety standards set by the World Health Organisation.

• Mr. Javadekar said that the detailed action plan on tackling air pollution will only be revealed on Monday.

Defence, aero PSUs reveal hurdles to ‘Make in India’ (Register and Login to read Full News..)

:: Business ::

Now RBI’s independence, is in govt’s hand

• If indeed the second draft of the Indian Financial Code, released on Thursday for public comments, is implemented in its entirety, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor will have no veto power in the proposed seven-member Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) that will have a dominant say in setting interest rates and that is not good news for the economy.

• The matter of veto power is highly critical given the proposal is that four out of the seven members in the MPC should be from the government’s side.

• This means the full control to chart the course of monetary policy will be with the government and not the RBI. The monetary policy, as we know it today, will cease to exist.

• This will effectively undermine the independence of the central bank — an institution that has guarded the economy well from the pre-independent days, through multiple crisis-phases.

• The RBI is probably among the few public institutions India can be proud of with impeccable integrity and proven track record. The government shouldn’t do the blunder of killing the RBI’s power to have a final say on the monetary policy.Reuters

• This was clear when the finance ministry tried to cut the central bank down to size by mooting the idea to shift the power of debt management from the institution.

• The decision was, however, reversed later when RBI put up a stiff opposition. Compared with the separation of debt management, denying the RBI the veto in MPC is a much more serious issue. If the government sticks to the plan, it can run into a serious, direct face-off with the central bank this time around.

• At present, the monetary policy is framed by the central bank after factoring in the recommendations of an expert advisory committee, assessing multiple economic indicators in domestic and global markets and, finally, consulting with the finance minister on the broader policy direction. The final decision, however, rests with the governor.

• But, under the proposed framework, RBI governor will be one of the several members of the committee and the government will dictate the policy.

• In effect, the power to decide the country’s monetary policy will be shifted from an independent, credible institution to the political interests of the government, for whom monetary policy will then be among the many tools under disposal to work operate in line with its political agenda.

• The difference is that the RBI undertakes the complex process of monetary policy formulation keeping in mind the long-term good of the economy, regardless of the immediate consequences, sometimes unpleasant to the ruling government.

• Previous RBI governors D Subbarao and Y V Reddy, who have preferred to describe the tensions with the governments on policy issues as ‘constructive tensions’, has batted for sufficient autonomy in its functions in the larger interest of the country.

• To safeguard the economy, it is highly critical that central bank enjoys dominance in policy decisions.

What is the Indian Financial Code?.

• The revised draft of Indian Financial Code, released on 23 July 2015, has already made to the headlines, as it proposes to dilute the RBI Governor's power; he may no longer have the power to veto policy rates.

• The major change as of now is that there will be four members appointed by the central government and three from RBI, earlier the ratio was other way around.

• The IFC bill is expected to table in the Winter session of the parliament. The Parliament will finalise the code, which will eventually find its way to the Union Cabinet for approval.

What is the Indian Financial Code? How does it work? (Register and Login to read Full News..) 

U.S. calls Burundi election 'deeply flawed' (Register and Login to read Full News..)

:: Sports ::

Finally, BCCI takes interest in conflicts of interest

• Call it the Justice Lodha Committeeeffect. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has finally decided to tackle the menace of conflict of interest. Board secretary Anurag Thakur has shot off a letter to state associations, instructing them to to sign a declaration stating they have no conflicts of interest.

• Thakur wants associations to ensure that every official declare the absence of "any personal or family allegiance, bias, inclination, obligation or any interest of whatsoever nature, directly or indirectly which may in any way affect or provide any financial or any other benefit to me, my family or close relations or which may tend to interfere with or affect my objectivity, independence, impartiality and neutrality in any decision making process, acts and conduct relating to or arising out of discharge of my office of president or honorary secretary of (the respective association)..."

• The declaration also states that, "In the event of any act, function of the association or any decision making process or related to any tournament or otherwise, any conflict of interest do arise, I shall forthwith disclose the same and refrain myself from being associated with the same in any manner whatsoever or by whatever name described."

• Every state association receives a generous annual grant from the BCCI. According to sources, the payout is about Rs 35 crore. The associations use this money to run the show.

• Often, officials belonging to these associations award contracts for generators, water tanks, food, refreshments, clothing, kits, etc to companies owned by them or to people known to them. There have been allegations that some officials, who work in an honorary capacity, receive 'cuts' from such deals. This is one of the main reasons why officials cling onto their chairs for decades.

• The BCCI is now trying to address this issue.

• Thakur writes that the issue of conflict of interest has "caused enough consternation in our organisation" and that the BCCI "needs to collectively address and avoid for the future to come".

• Thakur's concerns are valid. The BCCI finds itself in this mess largely because of N Srinivasan, the former president whose India Cements Ltd owns the Chennai Super Kings. Both Srinivasan and the board have been pulled up by the Supreme Court for failing to address this issue. Now, CSK stands suspended from the IPL for its role in the betting and spot-fixing scandal.

• Given that the Supreme Court-appointed Justice Lodha Committee has sought an additional five months to suggest ways and means to improve the functioning of the BCCI, Thakur's letter assumes extra significance. After all, the BCCI wants to show the world that it is keen on setting its house in order.

• Thakur acknowledges that the BCCI needs to "protect the reputation and institutional integrity so as to earn broad trust, faith and confidence in all our activities".

Shubham Jaglan: Indian Tiger Woods in the making

• NEW DELHI: An Indian tiger cub is prowling the golf courses in the USA. And he is hunting trophies by the week.

• Prodigy Shubham Jaglan, the 10-year-old son of a milkman from hinterland Haryana, swung his way to the IJGA World Stars of Junior Golf crown in Las Vegas, winning by a handsome five-stroke margin. Last week, he had clinched the IMG Academy junior world championship for the 9-10 age category in San Diego.

• "It's a dream come true. My year's hard work has given me all these titles," he told a TV channel.

• The young master already has the next tournament at Pinehurst in his sights. Winning at Pinehurst would make it a junior grand slam of sorts for him. "That will be a huge achievement for me," said Shubham.

• Coached since the age of seven by India's former top golfer Nonita Lall Qureshi, Shubham comes from Israna, a village in Haryana's Panipat district.

• Supported by the Golf Foundation, a charitable society formed by golfers such as Amit Luthra to help talented, underprivileged golfers, he now lives with his family in Ashram, a south Delhi colony.

• Before being spotted by Nonita, the young golfer trained at an abandoned agriculture field and practised his bunker shots from a concrete mixer filled with sand. He learnt most of his early golf watching pros on YouTube.

• Shubham, who featured in Aamir Khan's Satyamev Jayate last year, has won over 100 tournaments so far. And this is just the beginning.

Times View

• The case of Shubham Jaglan is an excellent illustration of how much sporting talent there is in a country of India's size - if only spotted and nurtured. Shubham's feats prove that given the right opportunities and access to sporting facilities, such talent can reach global levels. Unfortunately, access to sporting facilities is so constrained and a culture of sports so lacking that despite a population of over a billion, the country produces hardly any world-class sportspersons. Governments need to invest and create the infrastructure so that every child can participate in sports. Corporates too can do their bit to ensure Indian sports takes its rightful place on the global stage.

Oman qualify for World Twenty20 for first time (Register and Login to read Full News..)

Click Here to Register for Full News

Click Here for Archive

Sources: Various News Papers & PIB

This is a Part of Online Coaching Programme for IAS Exam