Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 01 APRIL 2019
::NATIONAL::
Supreme court rejects Goa’s move for international airport citing
environmental issues
- The health of the environment is key to preserving the right to
life, the Supreme Court has observed in a recent judgment and suspended
the environmental clearance granted for an international airport at Mopa
in Goa.
- Upholding the need to strengthen the ‘environmental rule of law’ for
both intra and inter-generational equity, a Bench of Justices D.Y.
Chandrachud and Hemant Gupta said every branch of governance and
institutions across the country should strive to enforce this rule of
law.
- While the most direct effect of a strong rule of law is protection
of the environment, a firm regime against environmental exploitation
would “strengthen rule of law more broadly, support sustainable economic
and social development, protect public health, contribute to peace and
security by avoiding and defusing conflict, and protect human and
constitutional rights.”
- In this case, the court said how the State of Goa, the Centre and
the concessionaire highlighted the need for the new airport to
accommodate the increasing volume of passenger They had urged the court
to disregard the “flaws” in the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA)
process. They had argued that setting up a new airport was a “matter of
policy.”
Deadline for PAN-Aadhar linkage extended further
- The government on Sunday announced that the deadline for the linking
of Aadhaar with PAN has been extended to September 30, 2019.
- Those looking to file their income tax returns on or after April 1,
2019 will still have to quote their PAN while doing so.
- "It has been reported in some sections of the media that those PANs
which are not linked with Aadhaar number by March 31, 2019 may be
invalidated," the government said in a statement.
- "The matter has been considered by the Central government and now
the cut-off date for intimating the Aadhaar number and linking PAN with
Aadhaar is September 30, 2019 unless specifically exempted."
- The statement added that the Aadhaar number should be quoted while
filing income tax returns from April 1 onwards.
::ECONOMY::
CEA claims growth rate highest post liberalisation
- The average growth rate of 7.5% achieved in the last five years is
the highest for any government since liberalisation, despite global
headwinds, Chief Economic Adviser Krishnamurthy Subramanian said.
- Mr. Subramanian asserted that the growth rate was high
notwithstanding all the controversy surrounding the GDP data. “The
Indian economy has grown at a very high rate, and despite any
controversy that you must have read in the newspapers, let me validate
that in the three months that I’ve spent [as CEA], one of the things
that I’ve realised is that the touch-points of policy in India are
large,” the CEA said.
- “Therefore it is very hard to create a narrative that is different
from the truth,” he added. Mr. Subramanian was speaking at the
Confederation of Indian Industry’s (CII) Southern Region conclave
‘Industry Future Forward’.
- “This growth has been achieved amid headwinds against globalisation
that have actually dampened our exports. In 2015 and continuing later,
the credit culture and credit growth were in quite a bad shape. The
growth has happened in the last five years, despite the credit growth
being much slower and almost grinding to a halt, especially for small
and medium firms,” Mr. Subramanian said.
Plea to ensure prescription of generic drugs
- A petition filed before the Delhi High Court has sought directions
to the Centre and the Medical Council of India (MCI) to ensure that
doctors prescribe generic medicines.
- The petition filed in public interest by advocate AmitSahni contends
that the PradhanMantriBhartiyaJanaushdhiPariyojana (PMBJP) was
introduced in 2008 to lower healthcare costs by providing quality
generic medicines at affordable prices.
- The MCI had on January 21, 2013, issued a circular to deans of all
medical colleges, directors of all hospitals, and presidents of all
State medical councils, calling on doctors to prescribe drugs with
generic names as far as possible.
- The authorities have failed to ensure this despite clear statutory
directions, Mr.Sahni claimed. He said the generic medicines work in the
same way and provide the same clinical benefit as the brand-name
versions and cost 5% to 60% less than the branded counterparts.
- The petitioner sought strict compliance of regulation 1.5 of the
Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics)
Regulations, 2002, which mandates that every physician “prescribe drugs
with generic names legibly and preferably in capital letters”.
- He claimed that the generic medicine stores were not available in
and around government hospitals or other major private hospitals. To
benefit the poor, he has asked for directions to set up generic medicine
centres under the PMBJP near all super-speciality hospitals across
India.
::INTERNATIONAL::
Arab leaders condemn US recognition of Golan heights
- Arab leaders, long divided by regional rivalries, condemned on
Sunday a U.S. decision to recognise Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan
Heights and said West Asia’s stability depended on creating an
Palestinian state.
- Arab leaders, gathering at summit in Tunis, have been under popular
pressure to reject Washington’s action, while they also grapple with
regional differences, including a bitter Gulf Arab dispute, splits over
Iran’s regional influence, the war in Yemen and unrest in Algeria and
Sudan.
- Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz told Arab monarchs,
Presidents and Prime Ministers at the meeting that his country
”absolutely rejects” any measures affecting Syria’s sovereignty over the
Golan Heights.
- The Saudi King’s condemnation echoed those of Arab officials before
Sunday's summit of the Arab League, which usually ends with a final
declaration agreed by the 22 member states.
- Tunisian President BejiCaidEssebsi said Arab leaders also needed to
ensure the international community understood the importance of the
Palestinian cause to Arab nations.
- Regional and international stability should come through “a just and
comprehensive settlement that includes the rights of the Palestinian
people and leads to the establishment of a Palestinian state with
Jerusalem as its capital,” Mr.Essebsi said.
::SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY::
ISRO successfully launches EMISAT satellite
- The Indian Space Research Organization, ISRO, launched India’s
latest satellite EMISAT and 28 other smaller satellites of international
customers this morning with textbook precision. The national space
agency’s workhorse launch vehicle PSLV-C45, carrying the payloads on
board, lifted off from its spaceport, SatishDhawan Space Centre,
Sriharikotta at 09:27 am. In a little over 17 minutes, the primary
payload EMISAT has been ed by the rocket at an altitude of 754 km, as
planned.
- In the next one-and-a-half hours, after two rounds of engine
“restart” to reduce the orbital height to 505 kilometers, the customer
satellites were released into space. After reaching the planned orbital
height, all 28 customer payloads were ed in space within five minutes.
- Later, the remnant fourth stage of the rocket was allowed to fly
further for 66 minutes by undergoing two more rounds of engine restarts.
It helped to bring the engine to a height of 507 kilometers in a
circular path.
- It is set to serve as an experimental platform in space, as it is
fitted with research instruments from the ISRO, Indian Institute of
Space Science and Technology and another Indian organization called
Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation.
::SPORTS::
Federer wins Miami open title
- In tennis, Roger Federer lifted his fourth ATP Miami Open title with
an emphatic 6-1, 6-4 win over defending champion John Isner last night.
The 37-year-old world number five took the first set in 24 minutes.
- In his 50th Masters final, the Swiss fourth seed produced some
typically sublime ground strokes and wrapped up the match in an hour and
three minutes.
- It is Swiss player's 28th Masters title and the 101st overall for a
player who has won 20 Grand Slam singles titles.
