Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 01 November 2018

::NATIONAL::

President addresses nation to go corrupt free in Vigilance awareness week function

The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, graced and addressed the Vigilance Awareness Week 2018 function organised by the Central Vigilance Commission in New Delhi today (October 31, 2018). The theme of this year’s Vigilance Awareness Week is ‘Eradicate Corruption – Build a New India’.
Speaking on the occasion, the President said eradicating corruption is the foremost condition for creating a new India. He emphasised that the confidence of our people that decisions and actions are being undertaken with transparency, accountability and fairness must continuously be enhanced.
Technology and the Internet can be of great use in this regard. He noted that the GEM online platform has been introduced to improve transparency and prevent corruption in the public procurement process.
From extending banking facilities to previously unbanked sections of our people to implementing the GST regime, various endeavours have been made to boost the formal economy. And adoption of digital systems has also helped contain corruption. In this manner, loopholes for misuse of public money are being addressed.
The President said that there is a serious effort to curb and punish economic offences, and to give habitual offenders a sense of fear of the law. Legislative measures have been taken – for instance the Amendment to the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, the enforcement of the Benami Property Act as well as the promulgation of the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) & Imposition of Tax Act 2015.

Supreme court directs nation to go green during the festive season

The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed States other than Delhi to use their existing stocks of crackers for Deepavali next week.
However, the Bench of Justices A.K. Sikri and Ashok Bhushan directed that only green crackers can be manufactured henceforth across the country. That means once the existing stocks are used up, no new polluting crackers can be made.
The court has allowed Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and the adjoining southern States, which celebrate Deepavali in the morning, to burst crackers for two hours. The decision to finalise the time slots has been left to the State authorities.
As far as Delhi-NCR is concerned, the court did not relax its rigour both in terms of the time-slot for bursting crackers and the mandatory manufacture and sale of green crackers. The Bench refused to modify its October 23 order despite repeated requests from the firecracker manufacturing association, which pleaded it be allowed to produce and sell non-green crackers this year in NCR.

::ECONOMY::

India’s EODB ranking improves

India jumped 23 ranks in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Index 2018 to 77. In the 2017 report, the country was ranked 100.The Index ranks 190 countries based on 10 indicators across the life-cycle of a business, from “starting a business” to “resolving insolvency.”
“India’s strong reform agenda to improve the business climate for small and medium enterprises is bearing fruit. It is also reflected in the government’s strong commitment to broaden the business reforms agenda at the State and now even at the district level,” Junaid Ahmad, World Bank country director in India, said.
Finance Minister ArunJaitley pointed out that since the World Bank sets May 1 as the deadline for measurement, there are several initiatives taken by the government that will only reflect in next year’s rankings including the effects of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code and the full effect of the Goods and Services Tax.
He said that despite the sharp improvement India has made in several categories in the Index, there were others such as registering a property, starting a business, taxation, insolvency, and enforcing a contract where a lot of work still needs to be done.

Centre acknowledges RBI’s autonomy

The Ministry of Finance has acknowledged that the autonomy of the Reserve Bank of India is an ‘essential and accepted governance requirement,’ in a statement issued on Wednesday. Significantly, it neither confirmed nor denied that it had issued directives to the central bank under section 7 of the RBI Act.
“Governments in India have nurtured and respected this. Both the Government and the Central Bank, in their functioning, have to be guided by public interest and the requirements of the Indian economy. For the purpose, extensive consultations on several issues take place between the Government and the RBI from time to time,” the statement added.
While speculation abounded on Wednesday about whether the Centre had invoked section 7 of the RBI Act, which would give the government the ability to direct the central bank’s actions, the Finance Ministry remained silent on the issue. The Economic Affairs Secretary too declined comment.
Section 7 of the RBI Act reads. “Subject to any such directions, the general superintendence and direction of the affairs and business of the Bank shall be entrusted to a Central Board of Directors which may exercise all powers and do all acts and things which may be exercised or done by the Bank.”

Click Here for Study Material for SSC CGL Exam

SSC CGL (Tier-1) Exam Crash Course

::INTERNATIONAL::

Political crisis remains unresolved in Srilanka

Sri Lanka’s political deadlock entered its sixth day on Wednesday, with the sacked Prime Minister RanilWickremesinghe and former President MahindaRajapaksa, appointed in his place, vying for legitimacy.
Mr.Rajapaksa, holding additional charge as Finance Minister in the new Cabinet, said: “We have to stabilise the exchange rate and protect foreign reserves.”
Speaker KaruJayasuriya, who has acknowledged that Mr.Wickremesinghe is entitled to his rights until someone else proves majority in Parliament, met President MaithripalaSirisena on Wednesday evening, with a request to convene the House.
Sri Lanka has been witnessing political upheaval since President Sirisena on Friday pulled his faction out of the government, and immediately swore in Mr.Rajapaksa as the Prime Minister.

::SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY::

Vehicle Location Tracking Devices and Emergency Buttons Mandatory for public transport from January

The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways vide notification dated 25.10.18, has mandated that all new public service vehicles except auto rickshaws and e-Rickshaws, registered on and after 1st January 2019, will have to be equipped with Vehicle Location Tracking ( VLT )with emergency buttons.
The VLT device manufacturers would assist in providing the back end services for monitoring. This regulation is being brought in to ensure safety of passengers especially women.
In case of older public service vehicles –those registered upto 31"December,2018, the respective State/ UT Governments will notify the date by which these vehicles have to install VehicleLocationTrackingDeviceand Panic Buttons. The Ministry has sent an advisory to the states in this regard.
The Ministry has also notified the operational procedure for implementation of VLT cum Emergency buttons. TheStateor UT’s are required to ensureexecution of this order andcheck fitment and functional status of the VLT device in the public service vehicles at the time of checking of the vehicles for fitnesscertification.
The public service vehicle owners have to ensure that the VLT devices installed in their vehicles are in working condition and regularly send required data to the corresponding backend system through cellular connectivity.

::SPORTS::

Djokovic returns to world number one spot

Rafael Nadal pulled out of the Paris Masters on Wednesday guaranteeing Novak Djokovic’s return to the World No. 1 spot.
Meanwhile, Djokovic, who arrived here knowing that he would regain the top spot if he bettered the Spaniard’s performance at the indoor event he has won four times, began with a 7-5, 6-1 win against Joao Sousa in the second round.
The Wimbledon and US Open champion becomes the first player to start the season outside the top 20 and end up top of the ATP rankings since Marat Safin in 2000.