Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 05 October 2016

:: National ::

In another roller-coaster hearing, the Supreme Court put on hold its order to constitute the Cauvery Management Board and finally settled for the Centre’s suggestion to appoint a “technical team” to visit the Cauvery basin.
The technical team led by G.S. Jha, Chairman, Central Water Commission, will visit the river basin along with nominees of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Kerala to submit a report in the Supreme Court by October 17.
The court will hear the matter on October 18.
Tamil Nadu accused the Centre of “playing into the hands of the Karnataka government” to deny the people of Tamil Nadu their share of Cauvery water.

GSAT-18, India's heaviest satellite to date at 3,404 kg, is scheduled to be launched from the European spacepad of Kourou in French Guiana.
It. is expected to add a few new transponders for Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
The 48 transponders on the new satellite , including 12 in the Ku-band, should ease ISRO’s shortfall in meeting the growing demand from its numerous users.
GSAT-18 will be lifted to its space orbit on a European Ariane-5 rocket, ISRO said.
ISRO last launched a communication satellite in November last year. That spacecraft, GSAT-15, did not add new numbers but has replaced the ageing INSAT-3A and a partially crippled INSAT-4B in the 93 degrees East slot.
GSAT-18 was approved in May 2015 with a budget of Rs. 1,022 crore, which includes the fee to launch provider Arianespace. It will supplement the INSAT-4CR, sent to orbit in 2007, at the same slot of 74 degrees East longitude.
In the coming days, when it is in its final slot GSAT18 is expected to support the services of users in telecommunication, broadcasting, VSAT services and digital satellite news gathering areas.

The European Parliament has backed India’s surgical strike on terrorist training camps in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
In a signed article in EP Today , the Vice-President of European Parliament, Ryszard Czarnecki, said India’s cross-border action against terrorists should be “commended and supported by the international community.”
Praising the Indian Army for its professional approach to a situation that was becoming graver by the day, Mr. Czarnecki said the message was loud and clear that India would no longer allow Pakistan to fuel cross-border terrorism.”

The government has made Aadhaar mandatory for availing cooking gas (LPG) subsidies but has given two months grace period for citizens to get the unique identification number.
The government currently gives 12 cylinders of 14.2-kg each at subsidised rates per household in a year.
The subsidy on every cylinder is transferred in advance directly into bank accounts of individuals, who then buy the cooking fuel at market rates.
For those not yet having Aadhaar, it gave time till November 30, 2016 to make application for enrolment for the unique identification number. Oil marketing companies have been asked to facilitate enrolments.
Till the time Aadhaar is assigned, LPG subsidy would be transferred based on bank photo passbook and Aadhaar enrolment ID slip or voter ID card or ration card or kisan photo passbook or passport or driver licence.
The Ministry said use of Aadhaar as identifier for delivery of services /benefits/ subsidies simplified the government delivery processes, brought in transparency and efficiency, and enabled beneficiaries to get their entitlements directly.

In a historic vote held at the plenary session of the EU Parliament in Strasbourg, a majority of the members voted in favour of ratifying the Paris Agreement.
The vote paved the way for the entry into force of the Agreement in November this year, with 610 out of 678 Parliament members voting in favour of the ratification.
As per the rules of the Agreement, adopted in Paris last year, the cumulative emissions of the ratifying parties must cross the minimum required threshold of 55 per cent of global emissions for it to enter into force.
Accounting for approximately 12 per cent of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions globally, the EU-28 nations will add to the 52 per cent of global emissions that the 62 ratifying parties have covered already.
Only seven EU nations — France, Germany, Malta, Slovakia, Hungary, Austria and Portugal — have ratified the Paris Agreement at the national level.
However, after the EU submits its instrument of ratification, the member nations will work on following the requisite procedures back at home.

The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) decided at its first policy review to reduce the benchmark repurchase rate by 25 basis points to 6.25 per cent.
The Reserve Bank of India’s key policy interest rate has now been cut to its lowest level since 2011. Retail inflation dropped to a five-month low of 5.05 per cent in August.
The neutral rate is the difference between the risk free rate and inflation — a key determinant of the policy rate.
Market participants expect interest rates to ease further in the next policy review in December.

The final black money disclosures tally may grow by an estimated Rs.10,000 crore, as part of the declarations made under the recently-concluded Income Declaration Scheme (IDS).
Income Tax department is expected to submit final verification of the records by next week to the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT).
Black money amounting to Rs.65,250 crore was declared through the one-time declaration window as part of 64,275 declarations and the figures were announced by Finance Minister.
While the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) had made it clear that no information relating to region-wide break-up of declarations would be shared as per confidentiality clauses riding IDS.