Daily Current affairs - July 7th, 2017 for all competitive exams
India has declared itself free from Bird
Flu (highly pathogenic Avian Influenza – H5N1 and H5N8) and notified it to the World
Organisation for Animal Health. The move will help it resume export of poultry
products to the countries which had banned trade in such items early this year.
- The World Organisation for Animal Health
is recognised as a reference body by the World Trade Organization. It has 181 countries as its members. This global body keeps
tab on animal health issues and advises countries on best practices to be
followed during such outbreaks.
- This organisation also supports
countries to help them control animal diseases that cause livestock losses
and pose a risk to public health. Under its norms, ban can
be lifted after 90 days of surveillance.
“JIGYASA” – Student-Scientist
connect programme
Jigyasa, a student-
scientist connect programme has officially been
launched in Delhi.
- Council of Scientific and Industrial
Research (CSIR), has joined hands with Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS)
to implement this programme.
- The focus is on connecting school
students and scientists so as to extend student’s classroom learning with
that of a very well planned research laboratory based learning.
- The “JIGYASA” would inculcate the
culture of inquisitiveness on one hand and scientific temper on the other,
amongst the school students and their teachers.
India’s New, Tough
Anti-Hijacking Law Comes Into Force
India’s new law that ramps up punishment
for hijacking and prescribes death penalty for hijackers who cause loss of life
in an aircraft or on ground has come into force. Parliament cleared the law in
2016 but it hadn’t come into force so far because the government hadn’t framed
the rules.
- The new Anti-Hijacking Act replaces a
1982-vintage law that parliament was felt was far too weak and narrow.
- The new law has expanded the definition
of a hijacking and covers offences against an aircraft or personnel even
when it is on ground. Any attack on an aircraft when it is being prepared
for a flight to 24 hours after it has landed will be considered under laws
that deal with hijack. This is to include the possibility of a silent
attack with biological weapons, the impact of which could be felt even a
day later.
SC gives government six months
to show results of PM’s crop insurance scheme
- Observing that the issue of rising
farmer suicides cannot be dealt with ‘overnight’, the Supreme Court has
said the long-term strategy adopted by the Central government in this
regard needs time for implementation and to show effective results.
- Therefore, the Supreme Court has given
the central government six months time to demonstrate the gains of
Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana on the ground level.
- The scheme aims to reduce the premium
rates to be paid by the farmers so as to enable more farmers avail
insurance cover against crop loss on account of natural calamities.
Garib Nawaz Skill Development
Centres:
The government is planning to establish
Garib Nawaz Skill Development Centres in 100 districts of the country.
- These centres will effectively ensure
employment oriented skill development of youth belonging to Minority
communities.
PETA moves SC to quash T.N.’s amended jallikattu law
Armed with videos of the brutal treatment of bulls in jallikattu events
held across five regions in Tamil Nadu, the People for Ethical Treatment of
Animals (PETA) moved the Supreme Court for quashing the Prevention of Cruelty
to Animals (Tamil Nadu Amendment) Act 2017 and the Tamil Nadu Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals (Conduct of Jallikattu) Rules, 2017, which brought bulls
back into the fold of ‘performing animals’ and opened the gates for the conduct
of the popular bull-taming sport in the name of culture and tradition despite a
2014 ban by the Supreme Court.
- PETA has included an investigation
report containing videos and photographs of five jallikattu events
conducted in February 2017 in Avaniapuram, Palamedu and Alanganallur in
Madurai district; Thirunallur in Pudukottai district and Maravapatti in
Dindigul district.
No-detention policy to go from
2018
The government has decided to do away
with the no-detention policy for students from the next academic session.
- The decision was taken following
representation from most of the States as they said the standard of
education had deteriorated because of the policy.
- Under the Right to Education Act,
2009, no child admitted to a school will be held back in any class or
expelled till the completion of elementary education covering Classes 1 to
8.
- According to this provision “no child
admitted in a school shall be held back in any class”. This translates
into automatic promotions to the next class every year until Class VII.
Instead of exams, schools are supposed to hold Continuous and
Comprehensive Evaluations (CCE) for every child.
Indian, Israeli defence firms join hands
On the sidelines of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Israel, Indian
and Israeli companies entered into agreements to bid jointly for defence
contracts for the Indian military and locally build the systems under “Make in
India”.
- Bharat Forge and Israel Aircraft
Industries (IAI) have signed an MoU to expand the joint venture that the
companies are establishing as part of a February 2017 agreement meant to
develop, build, market and manufacture selected air defence systems and
light weight special purpose munitions.
- The new MoU covers the establishment of
a maintenance centre for selected advanced air defence systems in
Hyderabad in Telangana in India.
France unveils Paris accord plan
France will end sale of petrol and diesel vehicles by 2040 as part of an
ambitious plan to meet its targets under the Paris climate accord.
- France, home to Europe’s second-biggest
car industry, dominates its market for electric vehicles. Sweden’s Volvo
said it planned to phase out production of petrol-only cars from 2019.
Mauritius keeps tax treaty
with India outside purview of MLI
Mauritius has notified 23 of its tax
treaties for modification by OECD’s Multilateral Instrument (MLI) to implement
tax treaty-related measures to prevent Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS).
However, it has kept its double taxation avoidance treaty with India out of the
purview of the global agreement that seeks to prevent companies from avoiding
taxes.
- The move to exclude India is expected to
address the concerns of overriding impact of MLI on the revised tax treaty
between India and Mauritius.
EPFO’s buys via ETFs to cross Rs. 45,000 cr.
The retirement fund body EPFO’s investment in stocks through exchange
traded funds (ETFs) would cross the Rs. 45,000-crore mark by the end of this
fiscal.
- As of April 21 this year, the stock
investment stood at Rs. 21,559 crore. The EPFO invested Rs. 6,577 crore in
2015-16 and Rs. 14,982 crore in 2016-17.
- The ministry was working on
consolidating 44 labour codes into four in order to simplify them.
- The four codes pertain to labour,
industrial relations, social security and welfare and safety and working
conditions.
MRP to be sole price decider from Jan. 1
From January 1, 2018, the price of a packaged good would no longer depend
on where you bought it — be it a local kirana store, a mall, a
five-star hotel or an airport.
- The Consumer Affairs Ministry has
amended the rules that govern packaged commodities to this effect.
- As per the amended Legal Metrology rules
for packaged commodities, which will come into effect from the next
calendar year, the Centre has clarified that the retail sale price shall
be the maximum retail price (MRP) inclusive of all taxes, with the
provision to round off the price to the nearest rupee or 50 paise.
- The new norms also require sellers to
enhance the size of letters and numerals for making declarations about the
packaged goods, such as their “best before date, month and year” to
indicate their shelf life, for making it easier for consumers to read
vital information.
India slips to be 4th largest
investor into UK:
India has slipped by one spot to become
the fourth-largest foreign investor into the UK.
- India shares the fourth spot with Australia and New Zealand, which also set up 127 projects collectively. The US remains on the top, investing in 577 projects in the UK, with China (including Hong Kong) remaining in second place with 160 projects.
