Current affairs : January 16, 2017 for all competitive exams
According to a study by rights group Oxfam,
India’s richest 1% now hold a huge 58% of the country’s total wealth — higher
than the global figure of about 50%. In the report titled ‘An economy for the
99 per cent’, Oxfam said it is time to build a human economy that benefits
everyone, not just the privileged few.
- Just 57 billionaires in India now have same wealth
($ 216 billion) as that of the bottom 70% population of the country.
- The richest 1% has owned more wealth than the rest
of the planet. Globally, just 8 billionaires have the same amount of
wealth as the poorest 50% of the world population.
India gears up to ink pact for global customs
transit system
India is gearing up to sign the Transports
Internationaux Routiers (TIR), or the customs convention on the international
transport of goods, as it eyes seamless trade connectivity with both Eurasian
region and Southeast Asia.
- The Convention on International Transport of Goods
Under Cover of TIR Convention is a multilateral treaty that was concluded
at Geneva on 14 November 1975 to simplify and harmonise the administrative
formalities of international road transport.
Saksham – 2017:
Saksham – 2017 (Sanrakshan Kshamta Mahotsav)
is aimed to create awareness amongst masses towards judicious utilization and
conservation of petroleum products along with use of energy efficient
appliances and switching to cleaner fuels.
- The programme is being organized by PCRA (Petroleum
Conservation Research Association) and other Oil & Gas PSUs under the
aegis of Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas.
- It is a month long awareness programme. During
one-month long drive, workshops will be held for drivers of commercial
vehicles and housewives, cooks on adopting simple fuel saving measures.
New Adoption Regulations
come into force from 16 January 2017
The new Adoption Regulations have come into
force on 16 January 2017, which have replaced the Adoption Guidelines, 2015, will further
strengthen the adoption program in the country by streamlining the process.
- Transparency, early de-institutionalisation of
children, informed choice for the parents, ethical practices and strictly
defined timelines in the adoption process are the salient aspects of the
Adoption Regulations 2017.
BSF launches operation ‘Sard
Hawa’ at Rajasthan border
Border Security Force (BSF) launched
operation ‘Sard Hawa’ at the western international border of Rajasthan, under
which vigil will be beefed-up to check the instances of infiltration due to the
dense fog in the area.
- The operation will continue till 28 January 2017.
- The purpose of the operation is to keep a hawk’s eye on the international border, where vigil has been beefed-up and officers have also been asked to be part of the operation to motivate jawans.
App named ‘SEZ India’
launched by Commerce Ministry
The Commerce Ministry has launched a mobile
app ‘SEZ India’ which provides detailed information related to special economic
zones.
- The app was launched under the ministry’s
e-Governance initiatives.
- The app and would help the SEZ units and developers
to find information easily and track their transactions on SEZ Online
System.
- Developers and units can now file all their
transactions digitally through this system and track the status.
Tamil Nadu Gov launched
mobile app ‘pinakin’ for Tourism
For the benefit of both domestic and
international tourists, Tamil Nadu Tourism Department has launched a mobile app
‘pinakin’ with information on tourism in Tamil Nadu with audio facilities.
- The app, in two languages Tamil and English which
covers world heritage tourist sites like Mamallapuram, Thanjavur Big
Temple, Gangaikonda Cholapuram and Darasuram.
Why can’t FM stations broadcast news, asks SC
The Supreme Court has sought the central
government’s response on a plea seeking direction for allowing private FM radio
stations, including community radio to broadcast news.
- At present, the government has kept news out of the
purview of FM channels, which are only allowed to carry All India Radio
news bulletins in exactly the same format.
SC allows 24-week pregnant
woman to have abortion
The Supreme Court has given permission to a
woman in her 24th week of pregnancy to undergo termination of pregnancy after
medical report finds foetus is without skull.
- The Court says, a woman can abort if foetus poses
danger to mother's life.
- The apex court also directed that the termination of
pregnancy be performed by a team of doctors of the hospital which shall
maintain a complete record of the procedure adopted in the matter.
2016 recorded as country's
warmest year
2016 was India's warmest year ever since the
documenting of meteorological records began in 1901.
- The information was revealed by the India
Meteorological Department (IMD) in its release named ‘statement of a
climate of India, 2016'.
- 2016 was warmer than last year by 0.24 degree Celsius.
India slips to 92nd rank on
global talent competitiveness Index
India has slipped 3 places to 92nd rank on
the global index of talent competitiveness that measures how countries grow,
attract and retain talent, a list topped by Switzerland.
- India’s ranking is worst among the five BRICS
countries.
- While China was ranked at the 54th place, Russian
Federation was placed at 56th, followed by South Africa at 67th and Brazil
81st.
RBI raises ATM withdrawal
limit to Rs 10,000 per day from current Rs 4,500
The limit on withdrawals from ATMs has been
enhanced from the current limit of Rs.4,500 to Rs.10,000 per day per card (It
will be operative within the existing overall weekly limit).
- In a major relief for ATM users, the limits placed
on withdrawals and current accounts has been raised with immediate effect.
The Securities and Exchange Board of India
has tightened the rules for mergers and amalgamations by Indian companies in an
effort to make listing process more transparent and give public shareholders a
bigger say in consolidations of companies.
- An approval of public shareholders will be mandatory for any merger between a listed and an unlisted entity if such a merger results in reducing the voting share percentage of pre-scheme public shareholders by more than 5% in the total capital of the merged entity.
WPI inflation rises to 3.39%
in December 2016
Breaking a 3-month declining trend, wholesale
inflation rose to 3.39% in December 2016.
- The increase was mainly due to a rise in prices of
manufactured items, even as food articles turned cheaper.
- Wholesale price index-based inflation had stood at
3.15% in November 2016, and minus 1.06% in December 2015.
- According to Commerce Ministry data, overall wholesale food inflation fell to minus 0.7% in December 2016, from 1.54% in November. But inflation in manufactured articles rose to 3.67% in December, from 3.2% in November.
Prasar Bharti hosts
International Television Dance Festival in Hyderabad
The first edition of Asia-Pacific
Broadcasting Union (ABU) International Television Dance Festival is scheduled
to be held in Hyderabad the city with royal patronage for arts, literature, and
architecture, on January 15, 2017.
- The Dance Festival is conceptualized so as to bring the cultural diversities from across the world into the limelight, by breaking cultural barriers.
Pentavalent Bio Sciences
bags Tata Social Enterprise Challenge
Pentavalent Bio Sciences Pvt Ltd from
Bengaluru has emerged the winner at the Tata Social Enterprise Challenge
2016-17.
- The challenge is a joint initiative of the Tata
group and the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta (IIM-C).
- It recognizes promising early-stage social enterprises that bring about long-term solutions to India's social needs.
