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  • WBCS Current Affairs 25/02/2017 to 04/03/2017
    Posted on March 5th, 2017 in Current Affairs, Weekly Current Affairs
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    WBCS Current Affairs 25/02/2017 to 04/03/2017

    1. The State Legislative Assembly has passed the West Bengal Clinical Establishments (Registration, Regulation and Transparency) Bill, 2017, by a voice vote. It repeals the West Bengal Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2010. It aims to overhaul private healthcare in state and take stringent measures against health institutions accused of medical negligence and corrupt practices. Key Facts The legislation seeks to bring transparency, end harassment of patients and check medical negligence in private hospitals and nursing homes. It brings clinics, dispensaries and polyclinics under its ambit. It makes mandatory for private hospitals to pay compensations in case of medical negligence. Hospitals violating this law will be liable to pay fine of Rs. 10 lakh or more. Compensation in case medical negligence: Rs 3 lakh for minor damages, Rs 5 lakh for big damages and minimum Rs. 10 lakh in case of death. This compensation will be given within six months. The compensation amount will not be more than Rs 50 lakh. Regulatory Authority: Establishes 13 member West Bengal Clinical Establishment Regulatory Commission to monitor activities of private hospitals. The high-powered commission will be headed by sitting or former judge. It will have status of a civil court. It will be empowered to summon both parties in case of a dispute and examine case before passing an order. Penal measures: It ranges between compensation and scrapping the licence of the physician/hospital. The commission can put offender behind bars up to 3 years. It can also order trying the offender under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) provisions if it deems fit. Fair Pricing: Hospitals with more than 100 beds must start fair price medicine shops. They are mandated to declare bed charges, ICU charges and package costs which can’t be altered.Continue Reading WBCS Current Affairs 25/02/2017 to 04/03/2017.

    2. For the first time in 16 years, Odisha has achieved highest decline in Infant Mortality Rate (IMR). This decline is far better than the national average. According to the fourth round of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS), Odisha’s IMR has come down by 29% between 2005 and 2015 which is highest trend in the country. It was 96 per 1000 births in 2000 has been reduced to 40 in 2015-16.

    3. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has prohibited all camping activity on beaches which fall within 100 meters along the River Ganga from Shivpuri to Rishikesh in Uttarakhand. The 50 km stretch of River Ganga between Shivpuri to Rishikesh is a hub of eco-tourism and river rafting. The judgment came on a petition which had highlighted pollution caused by unregulated camping in the river and its adjoining areas. It also highlighted pollution caused to the river and the soil due to leftovers of tourists. Key Facts NGT bench gave this ruling by relying on various studies conducted by the Uttarakhand government and the Wildlife Institute of India (WII). It held that river rafting is one of the significant components of eco-tourism, but it needs to be encouraged but with a clear mandate so that it does not cause any environmental and biodiversity degradation It clarified that the portion of the identified beaches which fall outside the restriction of 100 meters should only be used for effective camping activity. The remaining part of the beach should not be permitted for any activity including tenting, toilets and other incidental requirements. NGT held that the illegal and improper activities at the camping sites led to the pollution of River Ganga. I ordered implementation of management plan prepared by State government. About National Green Tribunal NGT is a special fast-track court to handle the expeditious disposal of the cases pertaining to environmental issues. It was established under National Green Tribunal (NGT) Act, 2010 enacted by the Parliament, under India’s constitutional provision of Article 21, which assures the citizens of India the right to a healthy environment.

    4. West Bengal Government has given official language status to endangered tribal language Kurukh, mother tongue belonging to the Dravidian family. It was given this status by the state government last month and but was announced recently by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Key Facts In West Bengal, it is spoken by Oraon tribal community who live in Dooars (alluvial floodplains in northeastern India that lie south of outer foothills of Himalayas and north of Brahmaputra River basin). Most of the tribal languages in West Bengal have their origins in the Austro-Asiatic and Tibeto-Barman families. But Kurukh is an exception which has its origin from the Dravidian family is Malto, which is not spoken in West Bengal, but in the Jharkhand’s Rajmahal hills area. Santhali, Munda and Hoe languages spoken in state that belong to Austro-Asiastic family, while the languages spoken by the Tamang, Lepcha and Bhutia tribes of the Darjeeling hills are of the Tibeto-Burman group. About Kurukh language Kurukh language belongs to subfamily of Dravidian languages, spoken by some 17 lakh people (2001 census report) of the Oraon tribes of Chota Nagpur plateau of east-central India. It is closely related to Kumarbhag Paharia and Sauria Paharia languages, which are together referred to as Malto. Its script is called Tolong Siki. The language has been listed “vulnerable”state in UNESCO’s list of endangered languages. Jharkhand has recognised Kurukh as a language and its script in 2003. It allows students can write their school final examination in its script.

    5. Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) has successfully coordinated Operation Thunder Bird from January 30 to February 19, 2017 in its fight to end poaching of India’s wildlife animals. It also had convened Operation Save Kurma, a species specific operation on turtles between 15 December 2016 and 30 January 2017. Key Facts Operation Thunderbird: It is code-name of INTERPOL’s (International Criminal Police Organization) multi-national and multi-species enforcement operation for wildlife protection. It has resulted in huge seizures of 2, 524 Live species of scheduled animals, 9 wild animal carcasses, 19.2 kg elephant ivory, 1 tiger skin, 1 organ pipe coral, 1 jar snake venom, 8 leopard skins and 1 Indian Mujtac skin. The operation brought about a unanimous approach by the state enforcement agencies in the fight against wildlife crime in the country. It had received overwhelming response from the states of Assam, Meghalaya, Maharashtra, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Uttrakhand, Bihar, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Gujarat, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh. Operation Save Kurma: It was species specific operation on turtles. Under it total of 15,739 live turtles were recovered from 45 suspects, having inter-state linkages. It helped the enforcement agencies to focus on the existing trade routes and major trade hubs in the country, which will be continued in future. About Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) WCCB is statutory multi-disciplinary body under the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) to combat organized wildlife crime in the country. It was established in June 2007 by amending the Wildlife (Protection) Act (WLPA), 1972, a special Act to protect the wildlife and fauna in the country. It is headquartered in New Delhi and has five regional offices at Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Jabalpur; three sub-regional offices at Amritsar, Guwahati, and Cochin; and five border. Functions: Under Section 38 (Z) of WLPA, 1972, it is mandated to collect and collate intelligence related to organized wildlife crime and disseminate it to state and other enforcement agencies for immediate action. It assist foreign authorities and international organization concerned to facilitate co-ordination and universal action for wildlife crime control. It is tasked with capacity building of the wildlife crime enforcement agencies for scientific and professional investigation into wildlife crimes and assist states to ensure success in wildlife crimes prosecutions. It advises Union Government on issues relating to wildlife crimes having national and international ramifications, relevant policy and laws. It also assists and advises the Customs authorities in inspection of the consignments of flora & fauna as per the provisions of Wild Life Protection Act, CITES and EXIM Policy governing such an item.

    6. The World Wildlife Day is observed on 3rd March every year to celebrate and raise awareness about the world’s wild fauna and flora. It is celebrated to mark the signing of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) on this day in 1973. Significance of Day: It aims to create awareness and encourages people across the globe to protect endangered species. It also calls for taking up urgent steps to fight wildlife crime which has wide-ranging environmental, economic and social impacts. 2017 theme: “Listen to the Young Voices”. It aims to empower and engage the youth in conservation issues. Engaging and empowering youth is the call of this year. Background The World Wildlife Day was designated by United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at its 68th session on 20 December 2013. On this day in 1973, CITES was adopted. Wildlife has an intrinsic value and contributes to the ecological, social, economic, genetic, scientific, educational, cultural, aesthetic and recreational aspects of sustainable development and human well-being. Habitat loss, poaching and climate change are among the most alarming challenges faced by wildlife today. Poaching and trafficking of wildlife is now the most immediate threat to many species. There is pressing need for enhanced action to ensure survival of wildlife in its natural habitats. About Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) CITES is international agreement to regulate worldwide commercial trade in wild animal and plant species. Its aim is to ensure that international trade does not threaten the survival of the species in the wild. It was drafted as a result of a resolution adopted in 1963 at a meeting of members of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). It entered into force in July 1975. CITES is legally binding on state parties to the convention, which are obliged to adopt their own domestic legislation to implement its goals. It classifies plants and animals according to three categories, or appendices, based on how threatened. They are. (i) Appendix I: It lists species that are in danger of extinction. It prohibits commercial trade of these plants and animals except in extraordinary situations for scientific or educational reasons. Appendix II species: They are those that are not threatened with extinction but that might suffer a serious decline in number if trade is not restricted. Their trade is regulated by permit. Appendix III species: They are protected in at least one country that is a CITES member states and that has petitioned others for help in controlling international trade in that species. In addition CITES also restricts trade in items made from such plants and animals, such as food, clothing, medicine, and souvenirs.

    7. The Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) formally handed over an indigenously developed Weapon Locating Radar (WLR) system dubbed as ‘SWATHI’ to Indian Army. The DRDO also handed over a Nuclear, Biological and Chemical (NBC) recce vehicle Mk-I and NBC treatment drugs to the Indian Army.

    8. India has accepted an invitation to attend the next meeting of the Permanent Indus Commission (PIC) of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), to be held in Lahore in March 2017. The last round of the PIC was held in July 2016. This development came after two months of diplomatic negotiations, with World Bank officials playing mediator in encouraging Pakistan to extend the invitation and for India to accept. Comment It signals a major shift in India’s position on talks with Pakistan on IWT as it had announced suspending talks after the Uri terror attacks in September 2016. This decision was taken by meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and attended by National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar, Water Resources Secretary and senior PMO officials. Decision taken in the meeting: Utilise water from Indus River under India’s share to fullest. It also suspended talks on the Permanent Indus Commission (PIC), the dispute redressal mechanism until terrorism stops. It decided to build more run-of-the-river hydropower projects on western rivers (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab) to exploit full potential. In November 2016, India also rejected World Bank’s decision to constitute a Court of Arbitration to look into complaints from Pakistan over India’s construction of Kishenganga and Ratle river water projects. India had clearly mentioned that WB’s decision was biased in Pakistan’s favour. About Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) IWT is a water-distribution treaty between India and Pakistan. It was brokered by the World Bank (then the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development). It deals with sharing of water of six rivers — Beas, Ravi, Sutlej, Indus, Chenab and Jhelum between the two countries. It was signed by then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and President of Pakistan Ayub Khan in Karachi on September 19, 1960. As per treaty, control over three eastern rivers —Ravi, Beas and Sutlej was given to India. While control over three western rivers — Indus, Jhelum and Chenab was given to Pakistan. It allows India to use only 20% of the water of Indus river, which flows through it first, for irrigation, power generation and transport. Most disagreements and disputes have been settled via legal procedures, provided for within the framework of the treaty. Under it, a Permanent Indus Commission was set up as a bilateral commission to implement and manage the Treaty. The Commission maintains and exchanges data and co-operates and solves disputes arising over water sharing between the two countries. The Treaty also provides arbitration mechanism to solve disputes amicably. The treaty has survived India-Pakistan wars of 1965, 1971 and the 1999 Kargil standoff besides Kashmir insurgency since 1990. It is most successful water treaty in world.

    9. The Union Government has announced that half of the 4,096-km long border India shares with Bangladesh has been fenced. The remaining half will be fenced by 2019 deadline. Its aim of fencing the India-Bangladesh border is to curb infiltration and smuggling of cattle and fake Indian currency notes (FICN). However, land acquisition is a major challenge to completing the work by the deadline. Besides, government is going to use technological solutions such as cameras and lasers across cross border rivers, where fencing is not possible. Background India and Bangladesh share a 4,096 km land boundary, largest among the international boundaries that India shares with its neighbours. The border runs along five states, West Bengal (2,216.7 km), Assam (263 km), Meghalaya (443 km), Tripura (856 km) and Mizoram (318 km).

    10. Indian Navy successfully test-fired an anti-ship missile for the first time from an indigenously built INS Kalvari submarine. During a test firing in the Arabian Sea, the missile successfully hit a surface target at extended ranges. This launch is considered as significant milestone of Indian Navy in enhancing its “sub-surface” warfare prowess. Key Facts INS Kalvari is the first of India’s six Scorpene-class submarines which are being built under the Project 75. It has been designed by France’s DCNS and was manufactured at state-owned Mazagon Dock Limited in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The anti-ship missiles will provide the Kalvari class submarines ability to neutralize surface threats at extended ranges.

    11. The Union Government has notified the Specified Bank Notes (Cessation of Liabilities) Act, 2017 to prohibit the holding, transferring or receiving of scrapped old Rs.500 and Rs. 1000 currency notes from 31 December, 2016, This law makes possession of more than a certain number of the old Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 notes a criminal offence. Key Features of Act It ends the liability of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the government on the demonetised Rs.500 and Rs. 1000 currency notes. It prohibits the holding, transferring or receiving of demonitised notes from 31 December, 2016 and confers power on the court of a first class magistrate to impose the penalty. Possessing more than 10 pieces of old notes by individuals and more than 25 pieces for study, research or numismatics purposes will attract a fine of Rs. 10,000 or five times the value of cash held, whichever is higher. Fine of a minimum of Rs, 50,000 will be imposed for a false declaration by persons for being abroad during the demonetisation period (9 November-30 December, 2016). Background The Union Government had demonetised old Rs.500 and Rs. 1,000 notes from November 2016 on the recommendations of the RBI’s central board to eliminate unaccounted money and fake currency notes from the financial system. As a follow up, The Specified Bank Notes (Cessation of Liabilities) Act, 2017 was passed by Parliament in February 2017 and received assent of President Pranab Mukherjee on 27 February 2017. The law aims to eliminating the possibility of running a parallel economy using demonetised currency notes. The demonetisation had abruptly sucked out 86% of the currency in circulation in the form of Rs.500 and Rs. 1,000 out of the system.

    12. Indigenously developed supersonic Advance Area Defence (AAD) interceptor missile was successfully test-fired from launch complex III of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Abdul Kalam Island in Balasore, Odisha. The supersonic interceptor missile is capable of destroying any incoming enemy ballistic missile at low altitude. The successful test validates the reliability of its two layered Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) system.About India’s BMD programme The Research Centre Imarat (RCI) of the DRDO has played pivotal role in the development of all strategic missiles, spearheaded under the India’s double-layered ballistic missile defence (BMD) programme. The BMD consists of two interceptor missiles, Advanced Area Defence (AAD) missile for endo-atmosphere or lower altitudes and Prithvi Defence Vehicle for exo-atmospheric ranges. The DRDO expects deployment of BMD shield by 2022. India will be fourth country in the world after the US, Russia and Israel to successfully built effective anti-ballistic missile system. Earlier in February 2017, DRDO had successfully carried out test of the exo-atmospheric Pirthivi interceptor missile destroying the target outside the earth’s atmosphere at an altitude of over 85 km.

    13. Government appointed ‘Working Group on Migration’ headed by Partha Mukhopadhay has recommended necessary legal and policy framework to protect the interests of the migrants in the country. The panel in its report stated that the migrant population makes substantial contribution to economic growth and so it is necessary to secure their Constitutional rights. The 18-member Working Group was constituted by Union Ministry of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation (HUPA) in 2015.

    14. Thiruvananthapuram, capital of Kerala has topped in city governance ranking of the Annual Survey of India’s City Systems (ASICS) 2016 conducted by Janaagraha Centre for Citizenship and Democracy. This year it was the fourth edition the annual survey which had evaluated 21 major cities from the 18 states. It highlighted inadequacies in urban governance that could affect public service delivery and quality of life.What is ASICS? The ASICS is designed to help city leaders pin point issues in urban governance in their cities and help them chalk out a reform roadmap to make them more livable. It ranks citites in the scale of 0 to 10 scale. The better scores of city in the survey, indicates it will be able to deliver better quality of life to citizens over the medium and long-term. The major parameters of the survey included urban capacities and resources, urban planning and design, empowered and legitimate political representation, and transparency, accountability and participation. Highlights of 2016 ASICS Thiruvananthapuram topped in 2016 Survey. Pune is ranked second, up two ranks from 2015. Kolkata retained its third rank. National capital Delhi slipped to ninth rank from earlier seventh. Bhubaneswar was the biggest gainer in the 2016 survey as it jumped by eight places to the 10th spot compared to 2015 position. Bengaluru dropped by four places to 16th rank. Ludhiana, Jaipur and Chandigarh retain their previous last three positions of 19th, 20th and 21st respectively. Cities in India continue to score poorly across their city-systems framework with their average scores of between 2.1 and 4.4 on 10 scale. London and New York score 9.3 and 9.8 on the same parameters. Changes in planning laws are needed to address the issues challenging the efficient planning of the cities to deliver a high quality of life to citizens.

    15. The BCCI Awards are a set of annual cricket awards given by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). These awards in various categories recognise and honour the best Indian international and domestic cricketers of the past year. The awards were first given in 2006–07. Recipients of 2015-16 BCCI Awards are CK. Nayudu Lifetime achievement award: Padmakar Shivalkar, Rajinder Goel. BCCI Lifetime achievement award: Shantha Rangaswamy. BCCI special award: Late Ramakant Desai, VV Kumar. Polly Umrigar Award: Virat Kohli. For third time, he was conferred with this award after 2011-12 and 2014-15 season. Lala Amarnath Award for the best all-rounder in the Ranji Trophy: Jalaj Saxena (Madhya Pradesh). Lala Amarnath Award for the best all-rounder in domestic limited-overs competitions: Axar Patel of (Gujarat). Madavrao Scindin Award Highest scorer in the Ranji Trophy: Shreyas Iyer (Mumbai). Madavrao Scindin Award Highest wicket-taker in the Ranji Trophy: Shahbaz Nadeem (Jharkhand). A. Chidambaram Trophy Highest scorer in (U-23): Jay. G. Bosta (Mumbai). A. Chidambaram Trophy Highest wicket-taker in (U-23): Satyajeet Bachhav (Maharashtra). NKP Salve Award Highest scorer in (U-19): Arman Jaffer (Mumbai). NKP Salve Award Highest wicket-taker in (U-19): Ninad Rathva (Baroda). Raj Singh Dungarpur Award Highest scorer in (U-16): Abhishek Sharma (Punjab). Raj Singh Dungarpur Award Highest wicket-taker in (U-16): Abhishek Sharma (Punjab). Jagmohan Dalmiyra Award (Best Woman cricketer (Sr.): Mithali Raj (Railways). Jagmohan Dalmiyra Award (Best Woman cricketer (Jr.): Deepti Sharma (Uttar Pradesh). Best Umpire in Domestic cricket: Nitin Menon. Best performance in BCCI Domestic tournaments: Mumbai Cricket Association.

    16. The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare unveiled last National Family Health Survey-4 (NFHS-4) for 2015-16. It has shown positive trends in key health indicators, including an decline in infant mortality rate (IMR) and improvement in sex ratio at birth during 2015-16. The survey was conducted after collecting information from 6 lakh households, 7 lakh women and 1.3 lakh men. For the first time it provides district level estimates. Key Highlights from NFHS-4 Infant Mortality Rate (IMR): It has declined from 57 to 41 per 1,000 live births between NFHS-3 (2005-06) and NFHS-4. IMR has declined substantially in almost all the states during the last decade. It dropped by more than 20% in Tripura, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Arunachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Odisha. It reflects that concerted efforts and focussed interventions in the sector can translate to improved outcomes. Sex ratio at birth (number of females per 1,000 males): It has improved from 914 to 919 at the national level over the last decade. It is highest in Kerala (1,047), followed by Meghalaya (1,009) and Chhattisgarh (977). Haryana also witnessed a significant increase from 762 to 836. Institutional births: Increased by 40 percentage points from 38.7% in NFHS-3 to 78.9% in NFHS 4. There was an increase of 34.1% institutional births in public facility, while Assam has experienced more than a 40 percentage point increase. Proportion of women who received at least 4 antenatal care visits for their last birth has increased by 14 percentage points from 37% to 51.2% over the decade (2005-15). Total Fertility Rate (TFR): It also has declined to 2.2 children per woman from 2.7 in NFHS-3. Thus, it is moving closer to target level of 2.1. There was considerable decline in TFR in each of the 30 states/UTS, maximum decline was observed in Uttar Pradesh (1.1 child), Nagaland (1.0 child), Arunachal Pradesh (0.9 child) and Sikkim (0.9 child). Bihar failed to register substantial decline. Full immunization coverage: Children within the age of 12-23 months have been fully immunized (BCG, measles and 3 doses each of polio) and DPT increased by 18 percentage points to 62% in NFHS-4 from 44% in NFHS-3. It has increased in Punjab, Bihar and Meghalaya by 29 percentage point each. In Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh it increased by 28 percentage points each. Underweight children: There was a decline by 7 percentage points, a consequence of improved child feeding practices and focus on nutritional aspects of children. There was “substantial” decline of anaemia from 69% in NFHS-3 to 58% in NFHS-4 among children aged 6-59 months. The maximum decrease was reported in Assam with 34 percentage points followed by Chhattisgarh (30% points), Mizoram (26% points) and Odisha (20% points). Contraceptive prevalence rate among currently married women: It has increased by 7 percentage points from NFHS-1 (41%) to NFHS-2 (48%), 8 percentage points from NFHS-2 to NFHS-3 (56%). However, the rate decreased by 2 percentage points from NFHS-3 (56%) to NFHS-4 (54%), but pills and condom usage have shown increasing trend.

    17. Three institutes of Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE), Dehradun have developed 20 high-yielding varieties of plant species. These three institutes are Forest Research Institute (FRI), Dehradun Tropical Forest Research Institute (TFRI), Jabalpur and Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding (IFGTB), Coimbatore. ICFRE’s Variety Releasing Committee (VRC) has granted approval for the release of these varieties of plant species. These developed varieties had gone through stringent long field trials and testing before release. Key Facts FRI, Dehradun: It has developed 10 improved varieties of Melia dubia (popularly known as Dreake or Malabar Neem) and 3 clones of Eucalyptus tereticornis, the timber of which is in high demand in the industry. The HYV cultivars of Melia have high productivity per unit area, with an average of 34.57 cubic metre per hectare per annum (cm/h/a). It is a desirable characteristic for plywood industry. The HYV varieties of Eucalyptus have average recorded productivity as 19.44 (cm/h/a), against the present productivity 5-7 (cm/h/a). They are also resistant to wall gasp and pink disease. IFGTB, Coimbatore: It has developed five inter-specific hybrids of Casuarina equisetifolia X Casuarina junghuhniana for timber use. TFRI, Jabalpur: It has developed two varieties of medicinal plant Rauvolfia serpentina. About Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) Dehradun based ICFRE was established as an autonomous organisation under Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC). It carries out the holistic research on forestry species, transfer technologies developed to the states and other user agencies and imparts forestry education. There are 9 research institutes and 4 advanced centres under ICFRE to cater to the research needs of different bio-geographical regions. They actively engaged in improvement of plantation tree species to improve, quality, yield and productivity to meet the demand for domestic consumption by industries.

    18. The Union Government has signed a Financing Agreement with World Bank for IDA credit of $63 million for the Tejaswini Socio-Economic Empowerment of Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW) Project. It is World Bank’s first project in India solely focused on the welfare of adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) aged between 14 and 24 to complete their secondary level education and provide relevant skills for job market. About Tejaswini Project It seeks to empower adolescent girls with basic life skills to acquire market driven skill training or completion of secondary education, depending on the inclination of the beneficiary. Its three main components are Expanding social, educational and economic opportunities: Support AGYW to achieve greater social, educational, and economic empowerment at community level and institutional level. Intensive service delivery: It will evaluate more intensive community-level service delivery models focused on increasing AGYW’s access to educational interventions, training and employment opportunities State capacity-building and implementation support: It aims to support strengthening of institutional capacity and outreach of concerned government agencies to enable effective and efficient delivery of services for AGYW in the state. Life skills education includes four core elements: (i) Resilience and soft skills (ii) Rights and protections (iii) Health and nutrition. (iv) Financial literacy. The project is being delivered in 17 Districts of Jharkhand. About 680,000 adolescent girls and young women in these districts are expected to benefit from the program.

    19. The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has entered into 10 more Advance Pricing Agreements (APAs) pertaining to various sectors of economy like Telecom, Banking & Finance, Pharmaceutical, Steel, Retail and IT etc It includes 7 Unilateral APAs, 2 Bilateral APAs with the United Kingdom and Japan. Seven of these Agreements have Rollback provisions in them. With this, the total number of APAs entered into by the CBDT has reached 140. It includes 130 Unilateral APAs and 10 Bilateral APAs. In current FY 2016-17, 76 APAs (61 Unilateral and 7 Bilateral APAs) were signed.

    20. The Union Government has shifted the responsibility of promoting digital transactions in the country to the Union Ministry of IT and Electronics (MEITY) from NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog. In this regard, Government already has changed the business transaction rules to enable MEITY to promote digital transactions, including digital payments. Key Facts This decision was taken in view of the core competence of MEITY to promote digital means for various transactions. NITI Aayog which is a think-tank is more focused on monitoring and suggesting ways to improve various government schemes rather than getting involved with implementation. MEITY is responsible for promotion of e-governance schemes for empowering citizens as well as promoting inclusive and also sustainable growth of electronics and IT sector and IT-enabled services industries. Background Earlier, the Central Government had set up a committee under the chairmanship of NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant to push adoption of e-transactions amid the cash crunch faced by citizens due demonetisation. NITI Aayog also implemented two programmes Lucky Grahak Yojana and Digi-Dhan Vyapar Yojana to promote e-payments. Transfer of the business to Ministry will help Government to effectively promote digital transactions to achieve its target of reducing cash to GDP ratio to around 8%, which is at present hovering over 13% in the country.

    21. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has urged governments, scientists and pharmaceutical companies to develop new drugs to tackle 12 antibiotics-resistant super-germs threatening an explosion of incurable diseases. This is for the first time, WHO has published a list of bacteria threatening to turn once easily-treatable infections into incurable diseases. It held that antibiotics may not be ready in time if it is left on market forces alone. Key Facts WHO described these antibiotics-resistant super-germs as “priority pathogens” as they are greatest threats to human health. They are no longer respond to an ever-growing list of ineffective antibiotics. They were targeted based on the severity of disease they cause how many drugs still work against them, how easily they spread and how many new ones are already being developed. WHO divided these 12 “priority pathogens” into three categories of new medicine priority: critical, high and medium. The high and medium priority categories include drug-resistant bacteria that cause more common diseases such as gonorrhea and salmonella-induced food poisoning which hit poor countries particularly hard. These 12 germs cause ailments including blood, lung, brain, and urinary tract infections, food poisoning from salmonella and gonorrhoea. The most urgent section contained three bacteria families resistant to carbapenem antibiotics which are last-resort treatment for many life-threatening infections.

    22. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has set up of an inter-disciplinary standing committee on cyber security to review the threats inherent in the existing and emerging technology. The 11-member committee will be headed by Meena Hemchandra, RBI Executive Director. It can co-opt more experts and also operate through a framework of sub-committees to examine specific issues. Key Facts The committee will study adoption of various security standards and protocols, interface with stakeholders. Based on study, it will suggest appropriate policy interventions to strengthen cyber security and resilience.

    23. The National Science Day (NSD) i.e. Rashtriya Vigyan Diwas (राष्ट्रीय विज्ञान दिवस) is celebrated every year on February 28 in India. The 2017 theme is “Science and Technology for Specially Abled Persons”. This day marks the epoch-making discovery of Raman Effect by Indian physicist Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman (CV Raman) on February 28, 1928. This discovery was awarded with the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930. This day is celebrated as science festival in the entire nation by organising science exhibitions, seminars, workshops, symposiums and many other activities. Background The National Science Day was instituted by the Union Government in 1986 based on the demand of National Council for Science and Technology Communication (NCSTC) forwarded. The first National Science Day was celebrated on 28 February 1987. What is Raman Effect? Some part of light beam after passing through a transparent medium gets scattered. This phenomenon of scattering of light is termed as Raman Scattering and the cause of scattering is called the Raman Effect. The wavelength of these scattered rays is different from that of the incident rays of light.

    24. India’s first integrated heliport was inaugurated today at Rohini in North Delhi. This heliport has been developed by Pawan Hans Limited. It will play an important role in providing various helicopter services ranging from offshore transport, connecting remote & inaccessible Islands of Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep besides promoting heli-tourism in India. Key Facts It is spread over more than 25 acres. It consists of a terminal building having a capacity of 150 passengers along with four hangars with the parking capacity of 16 helicopters and 9 parking bays. It also has a maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facility for upkeeping of Pawan Hans’ helicopter fleet as well as for third-party maintenance work. It also has its own separate Air Traffic Control. It will also be used for operating services for disaster management, emergency medical services, law and order surveillance as well as a centre for the skill development of pilots and engineers. It will reduce congestion at the Delhi Airport, which currently handles about 40 to 50 helicopter arrivals and departures on an average per day besides the large-scale fixed-wing operations

    25. According to Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) scientist, pests eat away about 30-35% of the annual crop yield in India. Such large-scale crop-loss is having an adverse effect on the agricultural biosafety which is paramount to food security of the country. Key Facts Among such pests, nematodes (microscopic worms many of which are parasites) have emerged as a major threat to crops in the country. They have caused loss of 60 million tonnes of crops annually. They are causing loss of crops to the tune of almost 60 million tonnes or 10-12 % of crop production every year. Indian farmers are still not fully aware about these potential crop-destroyers. In the past particular kind of nematode had affected plants such as potatoes and tomatoes in India. The Potato Cyst Nematode was first discovered in Nilgiris and now has spread to various parts of the country. What are Nematodes? Nematodes are microscopic worms many of which are parasites consisting of roundworms, threadworms and eelworms. They have successfully adapted to nearly every ecosystem from marine (salt or brackish water) to fresh water, to soils, and from the tropics to the harsh polar regions, as well as the highest to the lowest of elevations. Depending on the species, a nematode may be beneficial or detrimental to plant health. The predatory nematodes breed by soaking a specific recipe of leaves and other detritus in water. Crop rotation of agricultural plants with nematode-resistant species or varieties is one of the simplest way of managing parasitic infestations of nematodes.

    26. India and Asian Development Bank (ADB) has signed $375 million pact for loans and grants to develop 800 km Visakhapatnam-Chennai Industrial Corridor. It is the first phase of a planned 2,500-km East Coast Economic Corridor. Earlier in September 2016, ADB had approved $631 million in loans and grants for the industrial corridor. Key Facts The loans comprises $500 million multitranche facility to build key infrastructure in the four main centres along the corridor — Visakhapatnam, Kakinada, Amaravati, and Srikalahasti (Yerpedu) in Andhra Pradesh. The first tranche of $245 million will finance subprojects to develop high-quality internal infrastructure in 2 of the 4 nodes of the corridor — Visakhapatnam and Yerpedu—Srikalahasti. It also has $125 million policy-based loan that will be used for capacity development of institutions engaged in corridor management. It will also provide support to enhance ease of doing business and for supporting industrial and sector policies to stimulate industrial development. About East Coast Economic Corridor (ECEC) ECEC is India’s first coastal economic corridor along eastern coast. It stretches about 2,500 kms from Kolkata (West Bengal) in the north to Kanyakumari (Tamil Nadu) in the south. It will connect long eastern coastline and strategically located ports with the multiple international gateways to connect India with global value chains (GVCs) in East and Southeast Asia. It supports Union Government’s flagship Make in India campaign, which aims to boost manufacturing by attracting foreign investment and facilitating the establishment of manufacturing hubs. ECEC also aligns with port-led industrialisation under Sagarmala initiative and Act East Policy by linking domestic companies with vibrant global production networks of East and Southeast Asia. ADB: It is Manila based regional development bank. It was established in 1966 and is owned by 67 members of which 48 are from the Asian region.

    27. India and Germany have ratified a comprehensive Social Security Agreement (SSA) to improve investment flows between the two countries. The agreement was signed in October 2011 and its instruments of ratification were exchanged in February 2017. It will come into force from May 1, 2017.

    28. The Haryana government has set up an online system called sex ratio monitoring dashboard as part of the ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ Scheme to monitor the sex ratio in the Panipat district. The system will have the data of child sex ratio collected from all villages every month in the district by the state Health and Women and Child Welfare Departments. Key Facts The sex ratio monitoring dashboard as a pilot project has been developed in association with National Informatics Centre. It will have the data on critical villages where more attention was required towards skewed child sex ratio. It will help to take steps needed to tackle the social problem of low child sex ratio. The dashboard seeks to serve as an effective tool for enhancing ground-level coordination between the state’s Health and Women and Child Welfare Departments for enhancing ground-evel coordination. Background Haryana has skewed sex ratio in the state and it is one of the lowest Child Sex Ratio in country which stands at 879 girls per 1,000 boys as against the national child sex ratio of 918 girls per 1000 boys. About Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao Scheme The scheme was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January 2015 from Haryana for 100 districts across the country to address the issue of declining Child Sex Ratio (CSR). It is designed to address the issue of declining CSR and related issues of disempowerment of women through a life cycle continuum. The main objective is to prevent gender biased sex selective elimination by strict enforcement of laws with stringent punishment to violators. The Union Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD), is the nodal agency for the implementation of the scheme.

    29. According to data released by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), India attracted $46 billion foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2016. It shows that, India’s FDI grew by 18% in 2016 as compared to $39.32 billion FDI inflows in 2015. Key Facts The main sectors which attracted the highest FDI inflows included services, telecom, trading, computer hardware and software and automobile. Bulk of the FDI came in from Singapore followed by Mauritius, Netherlands and Japan. Background Foreign investments are considered crucial for India as it needs around 1 trillion dollars for overhauling its infrastructure sector such as ports, airports and highways to boost growth. Strong inflow of foreign investments mainly helps to improve the country’s balance of payments (BoP) situation and also strengthen the rupee value against other global currencies, especially dominant US dollar. To attract inflow of foreign investments, the central government has announced several measures including liberalisation of FDI policy and improvement in business climate. In the Budget 2017-18, Finance Minister further announced relaxation of foreign investment norms and also abolished Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB).

    30. India and Bangladesh have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the sustainable development of Sylhet, a metropolitan city in northeastern Bangladesh with financial aid from India. The signing of MoU comes after Indian Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar’s visit to Bangladesh to discuss preparatory aspects of PM Sheikh Hasina’s proposed visit to India in April 2017 and other aspects of bilateral relations.

    31. Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje inaugurated a medical project Rajasthan Heart Attack Treatment programme (RAHAT) to provide people timely treatment during heart attacks in remote and rural areas. She also flagged off RAHAT ambulance fitted with equipment and trained paramedical staff required for treatment of heart disease. With this, Rajasthan became the second state in the country after Tamil Nadu to launch health programme against Heart Diseases.

     

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    1 Comment

    1. Amrita Mukherjee says:

      I want to be updated with current affairs.

    2. Amrita Mukherjee says:

      I want to be updated with current affairs.

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