Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 03 April 2014

No-first use of nuclear weapons

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has proposed a global convention on ‘no-first use’ of nuclear weapons as it could lead to elimination of atomic arsenal.
If all states possessing nuclear weapons recognise that if this is so (nuclear weapons are only for deterrence) and are prepared to declare it, there can be an establishment of global no-first use norm.
In many ways this can open the ways to gradual reduction and finally elimination through a nuclear weapon convention.
Dr. Singh said that it was important to reduce the importance of nuclear weapons. However, this cannot be done by a single nation, but requires a multilateral agreement.
Although India supports a nuclear-free world it declared itself a nuclear state owing to the “harsh” security environment.
Moreover it needs to be noted that by 2032, India intends to produce 62,000 MW of electricity through nuclear power.

NCAER survey

Families with an annual income of Rs 1.5 lakh are among the richest 20 per cent in the country, data from the 2011-12 round of India Human Development Survey (IHDS) conducted by the National Council for Applied Economic Research (NCAER) shows.
While incomes have grown considerably in the last seven years, access to adequate public services is still severely lacking, says the data collected from 42,000 households across the country.
The NCAER, is the only research organisation with a large sample survey to estimate household income. The government’s National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) collects data on consumption expenditure, which is often used as a proxy for income.
The situation on the public services front is still grim. Piped water available indoors has grown by only 2% and is now available to 27% households. In urban areas, piped water is available to between half and two-thirds of families. Of families which get piped water, less than a third get three hours of supply a day.
Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa and Delhi have the highest coverage of families for piped water (60%). Delhi gives its residents water for the most number of hours in a day.
Flush toilets are now accessible to one-third of all households and over two-thirds of urban households. Toilet coverage is the highest in Kerala (92%), Delhi (79%) and Punjab (74%).
Access to electricity is inching towards becoming universal with 83 per cent of all households getting supply. Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Delhi have 100% access to ‘some electricity’. No State had reached this milestone in 2004-05. Just 45% households with access to power get 18 hours or more of electricity in the day. Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Kerala, Delhi and Gujarat lead the country in terms of supply of 18 hours or more.

US military base shooting

A gunman opened fire at the Fort Hood military base in an attack that left four people dead, including the shooter, at the same post where more than a dozen people were killed in a 2009 mass shooting.
One of the officials, citing internal U.S. Justice Department updates, said 14 others were hurt. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release information by name.
A U.S. law enforcement official said the shooter died of what appeared to be a self—inflicted wound. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.
President Barack Obama vowed that investigators would get to the bottom of the shooting.
In a hastily arranged statement in Chicago, Obama said he was following the situation closely. He said the shooting brought back painful memories of the 2009 attack.
Obama reflected on the sacrifices that troops stationed at Fort Hood have made including enduring multiple tours to Iraq and Afghanistan.
The rampage ended when Hasan was shot in the back by Fort Hood police officers outside the building. He was paralyzed from the waist down and is now on death row at the military prison at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas.
After that shooting, the military tightened security at bases nationwide. Those measures included issuing security personnel long—barreled weapons, adding an insider—attack scenario to their training and strengthening ties to local law enforcement, according to Peter Daly, a vice admiral who retired from the Navy in 2011. The military also joined an FBI intelligence—sharing program aimed at identifying terror threats.
In September, a former Navy man opened fire at the Washington Navy Yard, leaving 13 people dead, including the gunman. After that shooting, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel ordered the Pentagon to review security at all U.S. defense installations worldwide and examine the granting of security clearances that allow access to them.

Smog in U.K.

British authorities have warned people in London with heart or lung conditions to avoid exertion as a combination of industrial pollution and Sahara dust blankets the country in smog.
The environment department said the air pollution level could reach the top rung on its 10—point scale.
The department said the smog was caused by pollution from Britain and industrialised areas of the continent staying in place because of light winds, along with dust blown up from a storm in the Sahara desert.
Many motorists awoke this week to find cars covered in a film of red dust.

Anti-dumping duty on raw silk imports

To boost domestic silk production, Assocham has urged the government to extend anti-dumping duty on raw silk imports from China, which have grown by 7 per cent during the last 12 years, till December 2015.
The Government had imposed antidumping duty on imports of Mulberry Raw Silk of 2A grade and below from China in January 2003, which remained in force until January 2008 and was subsequently extended till January 2014 after a sunset review.
Silk import restrictions have two facets; one is concern of sericulture farmers opposing cheap Chinese raw silk imports threatening their livelihood, while the other issue is of the weaving community which requires raw silk to meet the rising demand.
India’s silk industry provides jobs to over 7.6 million people across 51,000 villages operating over 3.28 lakh handlooms and over 45,800 powerlooms with over 8.14 lakh weavers, an Assocham study found.
China is biggest exporter of raw silk to India accounting for almost 99 per cent of exported raw silk worth $ 224.5 million as of 2012-13. Raw silk imports from China grew at a compounded annual growth rate of 7 over per cent during 2000-01 and 2012-13.

No. 1 team in ICC T20 rankings

Riding on their superb unbeaten run in the World Twenty20 Championships so far, the Indian cricket team toppled Sri Lanka to clinch the top spot in the ICC rankings .
India have moved ahead of Sri Lanka into the number-one position on the Reliance ICC T20I Team Rankings Table
India gained seven ratings points after remaining unbeaten in their group engagements in Bangladesh to finish on 130, bringing them on par with Sri Lanka. But when ratings were calculated beyond the decimal point, Mahendra Singh Dhoni's side found itself ranked higher. With both India and Sri Lanka through to the semi-finals, both have a chance to either retain or reclaim the number-one position.

Wind energy in Tamil Nadu

Wind energy generators in the State have mooted a project that will give real time data on wind energy generation and also forecast the energy generation expected from the wind turbines in the State.
Tamil Nadu has about 7,300 MW of installed wind energy capacity. Of this, nearly 90 MW was added during the last 12 months. The total capacity consists of 11,900 wind turbines and 110 pooling stations.
The wind energy generators have proposed to the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation that equipment can be installed at the generating points and it can be integrated with meteorological data, says one of the wind mill owners here. The technology is available in the European countries and the system will bring down wastage of wind energy.
Consumption of wind energy in 2013-14 was just about 9,000 million units as against over 11,000 million units in the previous year. Nearly 4,000 million units were wasted and the wind energy generators have suffered a loss. About 130 MW of installed wind energy capacity was added in the State in 2012-13 and nearly 90 MW in 2013-14.

Verdict criminalising homosexuality

The Supreme Court agreed to consider the plea for an open court hearing on curative petitions filed by gay rights activists against its verdict criminalising homosexuality.
A bench headed by Chief Justice P Sathasivam, before whom the matter was mentioned by senior lawyers appearing for different parties, said that it will go through the documents and consider their plea.
Curative petition is the last judicial resort available for redressal of grievances in court and it is normally considered by judges in-chamber without granting opportunity to parties to argue the case.
The petitioners, including NGO Naz Foundation which has been spearheading the legal battle on behalf of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community, contended that there was an error in the judgement delivered on December 11 last year as it was based on old law.
The apex court had earlier dismissed a batch of review petitions filed by the Centre and gay rights activists including noted filmmaker Shyam Benegal against its December 2013 verdict declaring gay sex an offence punishable up to life imprisonment.