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Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 04 October 2019

::NATIONAL::

Government to bring in new national policy for senior citizens

To improve services and benefits for senior citizens, amendments to the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007 and a national policy were on the cards, Union Social Justice and Empowerment Minister ThawarchandGehlot said on Thursday.
Mr.Gehlot was speaking at the ceremony of the Ministry’s annual national awards for senior citizens and organisations working for their cause.
President Ram NathKovind handed out the awards honouring 15 individuals and organisations as part of the Ministry’s celebrations of the International Day of Older Persons, which was on October 1.
He said, under the RashtriyaVayoshriYojana, physical aids and assistive living devices like wheel chairs, hearing aids, spectacles, support stick set care have been distributed so far.
The scheme was initiated in 2017 and so far 1 lakh 13 thousand Vayoshri camps had been organised to distribute these aids. Senior citizens in a large number from all parts of Delhi took part in the Walkathon.
The event consisted of Police Band performance, Cultural and musical programmes by Senior citizens and Yoga & fitness session with Police Band.

I & B ministry considers fake news more dangerous than paid news

Fake news is more dangerous than paid news and there is need for the government and the media to combat it jointly, Information and Broadcasting Minister PrakashJavadekar said on Thursday.
The government will not take any step that may curb media freedom, the minister said and suggested there should be some kind of regulation on over-the-top platforms (OTT), as there is for the print and electronic media as well as films.
OTT platforms include news portals and also ‘streamers’ such as Hotstar, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, which are accessible over the Internet or ride on an operator’s network.
The Press Council of India takes care of the print media, the News Broadcasters Association (NBA) monitors news channels, the Advertising Standards Council of India is for advertising while the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) takes care of films, he said.
He said several media channels are tackling the menace by showing the truth with programmes such as “Viral Sach”, and added that the print media should also carry columns on similar lines uncovering the truth of fake news.
On the 10% customs duty to be levied on imported newsprint and the subsequent demands for a rollback from the print media industry, Mr.Javadekar said discussions have taken place on the issue involving all stakeholders and the matter will be settled.

::ECONOMY::

Government to give top priority to affordable and sustainable energy

Petroleum Minister DharmendraPradhan has said that securing affordable and sustainable energy is a top priority for India. Speaking at the India Economic Summit in New Delhi, he said, the price volatility and concerns about sustained oil supplies have made consuming countries vulnerable given the fact that India, along with most South Asian countries, have a major dependency on crude oil and gas imports.
The Minister said that it is only natural that the global energy deliberations pay close attention to the developments in energy sector in India. He said, this has a lot to do with the emergence of India as third-largest energy consumer in the world, and the fact that India is playing a leading role globally by implementing several transformative initiatives to reduce energy poverty in the country.
Mr Pradhan said, to transform India into a 5 trillion dollar economy, it is imperative to increase energy availability to 1.3 billion people, whose per capita energy consumption is lower than the global average.
He said, the energy demand is estimated to grow at 4.2 percent per annum up to 2035. The Minister said, the approach to re-energize India will be guided by the Energy Vision of India, as enunciated by Prime Minister NarendraModi, covering the four pillars of energy access, energy efficiency, energy sustainability and energy security.
As part of the integrated approach towards energy planning, energy justice will also be a key objective in itself.

Centre releases SwachhPaniAbhiyan in line with SBA

The Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Shri Ram Vilas Paswan today made a clarion call for beginning a ‘SwachhPaniAbhiyaan’ or clean water mission in line with Prime Minister ShriNarendraModi’s ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan’.
ShriPaswanasserted that it is not a matter of consumer rights but of people’s lives and therefore must be given priority. ShriPaswan stated that it is Prime Minister NarendraModi’s vision to provide piped Drinking water to all households by 2024 and for furthering this vision and mission, he has started this Abhiyaan which has begun from Delhi and will be taken across the nation.
The Union Minister chaired a meeting with officials of Bureau of India Standards (BIS), Delhi Jal Board (DJB), officials from Ministry of Jal Shakti &Department of Consumer Affairs and FSSAI where it was discussed that the Standards for Drinking Water which are being set by BIS must be made mandatory which are currently voluntary in nature and only then can they be enforced.
BIS informed during the meeting that it had collected samples from 11 places from Delhi region and tested them on 42 parameters such as PH levels, Odour, Metal content, Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) and all samples failed to meet the BIS standard on multiple parameters. ShriPaswan said it is the responsibility of DJB to provide clean drinking water to all residents of Delhi and people are facing numerous issues due to this.
ShriPaswandirectedBIS officials to collect samples from State Capitals and compile the results by November, 2019 itself. The process of collecting samples from State Capitals including Delhi has already begun. BIS will be conducting a test of all the water samples for which teams have been deployed.

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::INTERNATIONAL::

India – Mauritius jointly inaugurate developmental projects

Prime Minister NarendraModi and Mauritian Prime Minister PravindJugnauth today jointly inaugurated two landmark projects in Mauritius through video conferencing. These are Phase-1 of the Metro Express and a new ENT Hospital.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr Modi said, both these projects will serve the people of Mauritius and they are symbols of India’s strong commitment to the development of the Island nation.
Mr Modi said, both India and Mauritius are diverse and vibrant democracies, committed to working for the prosperity of our peoples, as well as for peace in the region and the world. He said, today's inauguration of projects herald a new chapter in the shared history, heritage and cooperation between India and Mauritius.
The Prime Minister said Indian Ocean Economy holds great promise for people of the two countries.
In his address, Mr Jugnauth said, people of Mauritius will be ever grateful to India. He said, Mauritius needs the blessings of Mother India for development.
India is already involved in a number of projects in Mauritius including Hospitals and Housing projects. In 2016, India provided a Special Economic Package of 353 million dollars for the execution of five projects in the Indian ocean country.

WEF praises India’s jump towards a global profile

President of World Economic Forum BorgeBrende has said that steered by a decisive leadership, India now has a significantly enlarged global profile.
In an opinion piece for Prime Minister NarendraModi's website, Mr Brende said, the stage is set for the country to realize its vision of becoming a five-trillion dollar economy in the next five years and 10-trillion dollar economy in the next decade-and-a-half.
He said, with the increasingly strong probability of global growth falling short by at least one percentage point from projections, the magnitude of the decline is comparable to the agonizing global recession of the early 2000s.
The WEF President said, India's has been a dramatic rise, deserving of the global attention that it has commanded. He said, India's commitment to renewable energy through voluntary and ambitious renewable power capacity targets, a lead role in the Paris Climate Agreement negotiations and the International Solar Alliance shows its aspiration of becoming a leader in environmental security and climate change mitigation.
He pointed out that India has also expanded its global stature in space exploration through widely celebrated breakthroughs such as its recent lunar mission and its distinction of becoming the fourth country worldwide to shoot down a low-orbit satellite with a missile.
India was able to secure most of its contracted supplies from its second-biggest oil supplier, Saudi Arabia, in the aftermath of the 14th September drone and missile assault on the Kingdom's main oil facility that knocked out about 5.7 million barrels a day, about half of the country's output.

::SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY::

India-Mongolian military exercise to begin at Bakloh

14th edition of Indo – Mongolian joint military training, Exercise Nomadic Elephant-XIV, being conducted over a period of 14 days, will commence from 05 Oct 2019. The exercise will be conducted from 05 Oct 19 to 18 Oct 19 at Bakloh.
The Mongolian Army is being represented by officers and troops of the elite 084 Air Borne Special Task Battalion while Indian Army is being represented by a contingent of a battalion of RAJPUTANA RIFLES.
Nomadic Elephant-XIV is aimed at training troops in counter insurgency &counter terrorism operations under United Nations mandate. The Joint Exercise will enhance defence co-operation and military relations between the two nations.
It is an ideal platform for the armies of both the nations to share their experiences & best practices and gain mutually during the joint training.
The joint training will also lay emphasis on conducting operations by a cohesive subunit, comprising of troops from both the armies, in an adverse operational conditions thus enhancing the interoperability between the two armies.

::SPORTS::

Women’s world boxing championships begin in Russia

The World Women's Boxing Championship will begin at Ulan Ude in Russia today. The best female boxers in the world will compete in the 11th edition of the championships, the most prestigious boxing titles in the word.
India will play with a ten-member squad comprising experienced and young boxers. Six-time champion M C Mary Kom will start as a strong medal contender for India yet again in 51 kilogram category.
Spotlight will also be on former champion and Mary Kom's contemporary L Sarita Devi in 60 kilogram category.