(Current Affairs) National Events | November: 2016

National Events

Centre has written to States to implement the recommendations of nurses pay

  • The Centre has written to the Health Secretaries of all States to formulate a legislation or guidelines to implement the recommendations of a committee on better salaries and working conditions for nurses in private hospitals.

  • Supreme Court, while hearing a public interest litigation had asked the Ministry to set up a committee within a month to study the pay and working conditions of nurses in private hospitals.

  • The court had also asked the Centre to frame guidelines to regulate the working conditions of nurses and consider fixing minimum wages for them. A four-member committee was appointed by the Health Ministry in February.

  • The main recommendation of the committee was that the salary given to nurses in private hospitals should not be less than Rs.20,000 a month.

  • However, in Kerala, the previous United Democratic Front government had set up a minimum wages committee in February this year to fix the wages of all employees in private hospitals, including that of nurses.

  • Though the 26-member committee, which included representatives of two nurses’ associations, various trade unions, and hospital managements had met several times, its term expired when the new Left Democratic Front government took over.

8th BRICS summit ended with the pledge against terrorism

  • The 8th BRICS summit ended with the adoption of the Goa Declaration which pledged opposition to terrorism, even as India failed to get a consensus on references to Pakistan-based terror groups in the final statement.
  • However, in a strongly worded statement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “the most serious direct threat to our economic prosperity is terrorism. Tragically, its mother-ship is a country in India’s neighbourhood.”
  • The text of the declaration did not name any country specifically as the source of cross-border terrorism but officials maintained that India did get the diplomatic edge it wanted from the summit.
  • Introducing the Goa Declaration, Prime Minister Modi said, “We also agreed that those who nurture, shelter, support and sponsor such forces of violence and terror are as much a threat to us as the terrorists themselves.”

PM Modi made stinging attack on Pakistan

  • In a stinging attack on Pakistan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the country “embraced and radiated” the darkness of terrorism which had become its “favourite child” and pitched for decisive action.
  • He pressed the member-nations of BRICS and BIMSTEC groupings to send a clear message to those who “nurture the philosophy of terror to mend their ways or be isolated in the civilised world.”
  • His comments came as he pushed for greater collaboration among BRICS countries, as well as members of the BIMSTECgrouping, on issues such as terrorism, economy, trade as well as connectivity.
  • Among the BIMSTEC leaders present were Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Sri Lankan President and Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Myanmarese leader Aung San Suu Kyi and Bhutanese Prime Minister TseringTobgay.
  • Mr. Modi underlined that geographical barriers and borders posed no limitations on those who wished to harm societies.
  • While slamming Pakistan, Mr. Modi said, “Terrorism has become its favourite child. And, the child in turn has come to define the fundamental character and nature of its parent.”
  • Appealing to the leaders of BRICS and BIMSTEC, Mr. Modi said everyone present should send a “clear message” to those who nurture the philosophy of terror and seek to de-humanise the mankind, “to mend their ways or be isolated in the civilised world.”
  • Mr. Modi said that with 1.5 billion people and a combined GDP of $ 2. 5 trillion, the countries of BIMSTEC had shared aspirations for growth, development, commerce and technology.
  • Similarly, BRICS represents large emerging economies, G-20 member-states and 2 permanent members of the U.N. Security Council.

Standing committee to consult senior jurists for judicial appointments

  • With no end in sight to the tug of war between the judiciary and the Union government on MoP for judicial appointments, the Standing Committee has scheduled a series of interactions with jurists for their views on a way forward.
  • A decision to hold consultations with jurists like senior advocate and a former Solicitor-General Mohan Parasaran and Indira Jaisingh was taken at the meeting of the panel under the chairmanship of Anand Sharma here on October 13.
  • Originally, the interactions were slated for October 23, but now they have been rescheduled for October 25 as some of the senior jurists were not available that day.
  • A member of the panel, who does not want to be quoted on record,said “Our last session was entirely focused on the huge vacancies to the posts of judges in the High Courts and the Supreme Court.
  • The Law Secretary who was present at the meeting was asked by the Chairman as well as some of the members on the differences between the Central government and the Chief Justice of India on the MoP.

Panel says Cauvery basin a reason for farmers suicide

  • The parched Cauvery basin is become a fertile reason for farmers' suicides and mass migrations to urban areas in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, a Supreme Court-appointed High Level Technical Team told the apex court.

  • In its report, the team, said the “ground realities” of the Cauvery delta region include drought, rising unemployment, bore wells dug a 1000-feet deep for ground water and withering of acres of crops in both States.”

  • On October 4, a Bench led by Justice Dipak Misra, unable to resolve the impasse over the release of water, set up the team to conduct a field inspection in the Cauvery area.

  • The matter is scheduled for hearing on October 18.

  • Babies born to women aged over 40 from assisted reproduction have fewer birth defects

  • Babies born to women aged over 40 from assisted reproduction have fewer birth defects compared with those from women who conceive naturally at that age, a new study has found.

  • This is contrary to widespread belief that the greater risk of birth defects after assisted conception is due to the frequent use of these services by older women.

  • According to researchers from the University of Adelaide in Australia, this may point to the presence of more favourable biological conditions in IVF (in vitro fertilisations) specific to pregnancies in older women.

  • The research is based on data of all live births recorded in Australia from 1986 – 2002, including more than 3,01,000 naturally conceived births, as well as 2,200 births from IVF and almost 1400 from ICSI(intracytoplasmic sperm injection).

  • The average prevalence of a birth defect was 5.7 per cent among naturally conceived births, 7.1 per cent for the IVF births, and 9.9 per cent for the ICSI births, across all age groups.

  • In births from assisted reproduction, the prevalence of birth defects ranged from 11.3 per cent at its highest for women less than age 30 using ICSI, down to 3.6 per cent for women aged 40 and older using IVF.

Laboratory have developed way of producing electricity from water at room temp

  • In a major breakthrough, scientists at Delhi’s National Physical Laboratory (NPL) have developed a novel way of producing electricity from water at room temperature without using any power or chemicals.
  • A team led by Dr. R.K. Kotnala used nanoporous magnesium ferrite to split water into hydronium (H3O) and hydroxide (OH) ions and used silver and zinc as electrodes to make a cell that produces electricity.
  • The hydroelectric cell that uses magnesium ferrite of 1 sq. inch size produces 8 mA current and 0.98 volt.
  • According to a paper published in the International Journal of Energy Research, magnesium ferrite of 2-inch diameter produces 82 mA current and 0.9 volt.
  • Now, the hydroelectric cell material design has been improved and a 2-inch diameter material generates 150 mA current and 0.9 V.
  • Since magnesium has high affinity for hydroxide, it spontaneously splits or dissociates water into hydronium and hydroxide ions.
  • The hydronium ions get trapped inside the nanopores of magnesium ferrite and generate an electric field. The electric field helps in further dissociation of water.
  • Magnesium ferrite is made as an oxygen-deficient material and has plenty of oxygen vacancies.
  • To further enhance the activity of magnesium ferrite, about 20 per cent of magnesium is replaced with lithium.
  • The substitution of lithium at magnesium site increases the sensitivity of magnesium ferrite. This is helpful in dissociating water at room temperature as the electrons get trapped in the oxygen deficient sites.

The Centre has proposed a four-slab rate structure for the Goods & Services Tax

  • The Centre has proposed a four-slab rate structure for the Goods & Services Tax, ranging from zero to 26 per cent, at a meeting of the GST Council.
  • The structure proposes the GST at 0 per cent on a host of goods and services, including food, health and education services, and at 26 per cent on luxury items, such as fast-moving consumer goods and consumer durables.
  • On consumption of ultra-luxury items and demerit goods, such as big cars and tobacco products, it proposes imposition of cess over and above a 26 per cent GST rate.
  • The GST is proposed to be levied at 6 per cent, 12 per cent or 18 per cent on the remaining goods and services.
  • The rate proposed on all items is by and large lower than the current rate. In the 26 per cent slab, for instance, currently most goods are being taxed at about 27 to 31 per cent.
  • The proposal retains only the Clean Environment Cess from the multitude currently in place, with the GST subsuming all the others, including the Swachh Bharat Cess, the KrishiKalayan Cess and the Education Cess.

India gets support from US for cross-LoC strikes

  • The U.S. supports cross-LoC strikes by India, U.S. Ambassador Richard Verma said, adding that Washington has drastically cut assistance to Pakistan in the past five years over concerns on terror.
  • India launched strikes on ‘terror launch pads’ along the LoC after the terror attack on an Army camp in Uri, in which 19 Indian soldiers were killed.
  • In a rare admission that the U.S. had spoken to the Pakistani leadership about the use of “proxies” as terror groups, Mr. Verma also said it was important to “stand in solidarity with India on that front.”
  • Ambassador revealed that since 2011, U.S. military aid to Pakistan had dwindled 73 per cent over differences with the Pakistan government’s action on terror, indicating the recent hold on F-16 sales as well as $300 million withheld by the Pentagon.
  • Mr. Verma wouldn’t commit to a timeline on when India’s membership to the Nuclear Suppliers Group would come through, nor did he respond on whether President Obama would engage the Chinese leadership directly.

Delhi Air quality is at very poor level

  • The Capital’s air quality on Tuesday took a turn for the worse with monitoring stations across the city recording it in the ‘very poor’ category.
  • The average (24-hour rolling) of PM2.5 and PM10, suspended respirable pollutants, were recorded as 120.8 and 248 micrograms per cubic metre by System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) around 5.30 p.m., as against the corresponding safe limits of 60 and 100.
  • SAFAR’s Dhirpur, Pitampura, Delhi University, Pusa Road, Mathura Road and airport stations had ‘very poor’ air quality index. Even last week, the air quality fluctuated between moderate and poor categories.

PM says Indian army is among best in the world

  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi saluted the Army for its recent surgical strikes along the Line of Control in Kashmir and said the action had won it worldwide accolades.
  • Mr. Modi likened the surgical strikes to Israel’s exploits and said the Indian forces had shown they were no less than anybody.
  • Israel is known for its targeted military strikes against enemy countries and militant outfits.
  • Criticising the previous governments at the Centre for not implementing the One Rank, One Pension (OROP) scheme for ex-servicemen, Mr. Modi pointed out how the National Democratic Alliance government had kept its promise on OROP.
  • “Appreciating our commitment and on our request, the ex-servicemen have agreed for us to pay the amount in four simple instalments. We have already released Rs. 5,500 crore to them,” the Prime Minister said.
  • He recalled that before becoming the Gujarat Chief Minister he was the party in charge of Himachal for a long time and was instrumental in installing the first Dhumal government in 1998.
  • The Prime Minister said BJP Chief Ministers Shanta Kumar and Prem Kumar Dhumal had done a lot for Himachal and credited them for their role in providing drinking water and initiating the road networking in the State.
  • The current Congress Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, he alleged, had his hands full in tackling the corruption cases against him.
  • The Prime Minister said Himachal was given Rs. 72,000 crore by the 15th Finance Commission against the paltry Rs. 21,000 crore by the UPA in the 14th Finance Commission.

People's Resurgence and Justice Alliance launched by Irom Sharmila

  • Beginning her political journey, rights activist Irom Sharmila on Tuesday announced a new political party.
  • The party, named the Peoples Resurgence and Justice Alliance (PRJA), will contest the Assembly polls in Manipur in 2017.
  • She will be the co-convenor of the party, which includes a number of activists and entrepreneurs.
  • Speaking on the occasion, Ms. Sharmila said that that everyone is seeking a change in Manipur, but for a positive change to emerge, each person needed to be a part of the process of change.
  • The 44-year-old Sharmila, who broke her 16-year-long fast for the withdrawal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) on August 9 earlier this year, had previously announced her decision to test political waters.

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