Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 05 May 2017

:: National ::

Indore is most clean city in Swachh Survekshan-2017

Indore and Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh have emerged as the cleanest cities in the country as per a massive cleanliness survey commissioned by the Union Urban Development Ministry.The dirtiest city is Gonda in Uttar Pradesh.
The survey, Swachh Survekshan-2017, was carried out by the Quality Council of India across 434 cities and includes the feedback of 18 lakh respondents.
The top 10 cleanest cities are Indore, Bhopal, Visakhapatnam, Surat, Mysuru, Tiruchi, Delhi’s New Delhi Municipal Council area, Navi Mumbai, Tirupati and Vadodara, respectively.
Gujarat has the maximum of 12 cities among the top 50, closely followed by Madhya Pradesh with 11 and Andhra Pradesh with eight.
Tamil Nadu and Telangana account for four each. Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Sikkim and Uttar Pradesh account for one each in this group.

New bionic hand which can grab things

Scientists have developed a new bionic hand that can ‘see’ objects and allow amputees to grasp things ten times faster than currently available prosthetics.
The bionic hand is fitted with a camera that instantaneously takes a picture of the object in front of it, assesses its shape and size and triggers a series of movements in the hand.
Bypassing the usual processes that require the user to see the object, physically stimulate the muscles in the arm and trigger a movement in the prosthetic limb, the bionic hand ‘sees’ and reacts in one fluid movement.
A small number of amputees have already tested the technology developed by researchers at the Newcastle University in the U.K.
Responsiveness has been one of the main barriers to artificial limbs. For many amputees the reference point is their healthy arm or leg so prosthetics seem slow and cumbersome in comparison.
Using neural networks — the basis for artificial intelligence — researchers showed the computer numerous object images and taught it to recognise the ‘grip’ needed for different objects.

India and U.K. To cooperate for return of Indians

India and the United Kingdom will cooperate with each other to ensure the smooth return of Indians overstaying there, said the Union Home Ministry.
Both sides reached the agreement at the first Home Affairs dialogue between the two countries, during which issues of mutual cooperation in investigations, including those against Khalistani activists.
They agreed to formalise arrangements for cooperation on anti-terror operations and cyber offences.

All-party meeting to convince parties that the EVMs are tamper-proof

The Election Commission will hold an all-party meeting on May 12 to convince political parties that the electronic voting machines (EVMs) are tamper-proof.
“The schedule for an ‘open challenge’, inviting experts to try tampering with the EVMs, will be finalised after the meeting,” an EC official said.
In its communication to President Pranab Mukherjee and to the seven national and 48 State parties, the commission sent a status paper on the EVMs and voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) machines.
Apart from the issue of EVM security, the agenda includes making bribery in elections a cognisable offence, disqualification on framing of charges for the offence of bribery in elections and suggestions for VVPAT recount rules.
At the meeting, experts are expected to give presentations on how the voting machines are manufactured and what are the administrative procedures adopted to secure them.
The move comes days after several political parties alleged that the EVMs used in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab had been tampered with. A delegation of 16 parties also petitioned the President seeking his intervention.
Dismissing the allegations, the Commission issued a series of statements to substantiate that the machines were tamper-proof, but to no avail.
Under the current arrangement, the EVMs used in elections are randomised at five levels, till the booth level, after they are supplied to the Commission by the manufacturers.
They also undergo testing at various stages, also in front of the representatives of political parties ahead of the polls and finally sealed, with their signatures on them.
The machine buttons are paired with the name of election candidates, in an alphabetical order, and not as per that of political parties, making it virtually impossible for anyone to ensure that the votes cast through an EVM kept at a particular booth would only go to a particular party candidate.

:: Business and Economy ::

Steel Policy aims to achieve 300 million tonnes of capacity by 2030

The government plans to set up new steel plants on surplus land available with PSUs by forging partnerships with the private sector to help more than double steel production capacity to 300 million tonnes by 2030.
The Cabinet approved the New Steel Policy that aims to achieve 300 million tonnes of capacity by 2030 with an additional investment of Rs. 10 lakh crore. At present, the steel production capacity is 126 million tonnes.
Stating that the land acquisition is an issue under the new law, Steel Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh said the government plans to utilise the surplus land of steel PSUs to set up new plants through joint ventures with private firms.
The proposed joint venture between state-owned SAIL and ArcelorMittal to set up a Rs. 5,000 crore auto-grade steel plant may be finalised this month, the minister said.

Centre will soon frame a policy on integration of various modes of transport

The Centre will soon frame a policy on integration of various modes of transport aimed at smooth transition of cargo, Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari said.
“We will frame a policy for an integrated approach for our transportation network. We will take stakeholders’ views, hold meeting with the Prime Minister’s Office and if necessary, go to the Cabinet,” he said.
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu proposed a single company for multi-modal transportation of cargo. Railways is targeting an increase in freight traffic on routes beyond 400 km.

IMF report says there are various benefits of increase in tax

An annual Rs. 150 per tonne increase in tax on coal from 2017 to 2030 could prevent over 2.7 lakh deaths from air pollution, raise GDP by 1% by 2030, reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 12% and generate net economic benefits of about 1% of GDP, according to IMF.
Outdoor air pollution from fossil and non-fossil sources prematurely killed an estimated 0.53 people per 1,000 of the population in 2010 in India, or about 6.5 lakh in total.
Fossil fuel taxes can provide a significant source of easily-collected revenue, which is especially valuable when revenues from broader taxes on labour, capital, and consumption are insufficient due to a large concentration of economic activity occurring in the informal sector.
The paper also says that, in the event of political reasons not permitting any increase in coal tax, the government should implement subsidies or other incentives to encourage the shift away from coal generation.

Business activity in service sector expanded for third month

Business activity in the services sector expanded for the third consecutive month in April bolstered by growth in new orders, according to a private sector survey.
The Nikkei India Services Purchasing Managers’ Index registered a reading of 50.2 in April, down from 51.5 in March.A reading above 50 implies an expansion while a number below 50 denotes a contraction.
Indian service sector activity continued to expand during April, supported by ongoing growth of new work, and companies hired additional staff over the month.
The new orders, the report said, came mainly from advertising campaigns. However, competitive pressures could have stymied growth in this area, it added.