Daily Current affairs - June 27th, 2017 for all competitive exams
The UN, recognizing the
importance of these enterprises, decided to declare 27 June the Micro-, Small
and Medium-sized Enterprises Day to raise public awareness of their
contribution to sustainable development.
- Micro-, small and medium sized enterprises are vital
in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular in promoting
innovation, creativity and decent work for all.
- Theme: Small Business,
Big Impact
CVC can now probe corruption cases in private sector
banks
The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) can now probe allegations of
corruption in private sector banks and against their employees. The Reserve
Bank of India (RBI) has given the necessary approval to the CVC on this.
- The
move comes after the Supreme Court last year ruled that the chairman,
managing directors and other officers of a private bank could be seen as
public servants when it came to the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act,
1988.
Consensus on NCBC bill
A parliamentary panel examining a bill, which seeks to accord
constitutional status to the National Commission for Backward Classes, has
reached a consensus, paving the way for its likely passage in Rajya Sabha in
the monsoon session.
- With
the passage of the bill, the NCBC, a statutory body under the Ministry of
Social Justice and Empowerment, will get a constitutional status.
- The
bill was referred to the Rajya Sabha’s select committee after the
opposition prevailed on the government to do so. It was passed by the Lok
Sabha in April this year, but the opposition blocked its consideration in
the upper house.
- Insertion
of a new Clause (26C) under Article 366 to define Socially and
Educationally Backward Classes.
K Kasturirangan, to head drafting committee of National Education
Policy:
The ministry of human resource development has set up a new committee to
make the final draft on the National Education Policy (NEP).
- The
nine-member panel is to be chaired by former ISRO chief K Kasturirangan.
Mexico, India to hold
disarmament meet
India and Mexico have agreed
to hold an important conference on regional and global disarmament.
- The
meeting would be headed by the Joint Secretary of the disarmament division
of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) from the Indian side.
- It
was taken up during the seventh meeting of the Mexico-India Joint
Commission (JCM) and the fourth round of Foreign Office Consultations held
on June 23 in Mexico City.
- The
special disarmament meeting is likely to build on the time-tested
India-Mexico collaboration on disarmament starting from the 1980s when
both countries led the Group of Six, an anti-proliferation group of six
countries that tried to contain cold war nuclear rivalry between the U.S.
and the USSR.
India may ask Myanmar to end
ceasefire with NSCN(K)
India may ask Myanmar to
revoke its ceasefire pact with the National Socialist Council of
Nagaland-Khaplang (NSCN-K).
- The
NSCN-K was banned by India in 2015 for various attacks against its
security forces.
- During
earlier bilateral meetings, India had handed over a list of over 20
insurgent camps operating in Myanmar, a few kilometres from the Indian
border.
- The
Myanmar Army has denied the existence of any insurgent camps on its
territory.
- India
and Myanmar share an unfenced border of 1,643 km adjoining Arunachal
Pradesh (520 km), Nagaland (215 km), Manipur (398 km) and Mizoram (510 km)
and permit a ‘free movement’ regime up to 16 km across the border.
Cabinet to consider proposal
for outright sale of Air India
The Union Cabinet will soon
decide the fate of the state-owned carrier Air India by deliberating on three
options to divest the government’s majority stake and consider the creation of
a special purpose vehicle (SPV) to get rid of a major portion of its more than
Rs. 50,000-crore debt.
- The
three options on the table are a full 100% sell-off, a 74% stake sale or
retaining a 49% share in the airline, as per the note prepared by the
Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) for the
Cabinet's consideration.
- According
to the plan, of the airline's over Rs. 30,000 crore total working capital
loan, Rs. 25,000 crore will be earmarked for the SPV.
- Air
India has a total debt of around Rs. 52,000 crore which comprises of Rs.
22,000 crore as aircraft loan and the remaining as working capital loan.
ISRO-made system to alert users at unmanned level
crossings
The Indian Space and Research Organisation (ISRO) has developed a satellite-based chip systems to alert road users at unmanned level crossings about
approaching trains and also help in tracking train movement on a real-time
basis.
- Road
users will be warned by hooters once a train approaches an unmanned level
crossing as railways are installing ISRO-developed integrated circuit (IC)
chips on locomotives of trains.
- About
500 metres before the level crossings, the hooter will be activated
through the integrated circuit (IC) chip, warning road users as well as
the train driver near the crossing.
Scorpenes to gain in endurance
The Navy is planning to instal Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) modules on
all six Scorpene submarines to extend their endurance. This will be done when
the submarines go for normal refit which is six years after their induction.
- Air-independent
propulsion (AIP) is any technology which allows a non-nuclear
submarine to operate without the need to access atmospheric oxygen (by
surfacing or using a snorkel).
- It
can augment or replace the diesel-electric propulsion system of
non-nuclear vessels.
- It
is based on the combustion of stored oxygen and ethanol to augment
battery-powered propulsion.
FSSAI issues draft regulations for organic food products
Food regulator FSSAI has come out with a
draft regulation for organic food products, seeking to ensure that these food
items are actually organic.
- The
draft has been prepared in view of rising demand for organic food
products, being considered as healthy, in the country.
- Organic
foods will have to comply with the provisions under the National Programme
for Organic Production (NPOP) administered by the government or the
Participatory Guarantee System for India (PGS-India) run by the Agriculture Ministry or any
other standards notified by the food authority.
Lupin chief Gupta Passes away
Lupin Ltd. founder and
chairman Desh Bandhu Gupta passed away.
- Dr. Gupta founded Lupin in 1968. Lupin is the fourth-largest generics pharmaceutical player by market capitalisation in the world.
