Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 06 April 2017

:: National ::

China says visit of Dalai Lama severely damaged ties

The row between India and China on the visit of the Dalai Lama to Arunachal Pradesh spiralled, with the Chinese Foreign Ministry asserting that the Tibetan leader’s visit to the State “will escalate the dispute in border areas.”
China also lodged a protest with India’s Ambassador in Beijing Vijay Gokhale.
China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson HuaChunying stressed, in response to a question at her regular briefing, that the Dalai Lama’s visit had “severely damaged” Sino-Indian ties.
“India is keenly aware of the role of the 14th Dalai Lama. Arranging this visit to the disputed areas not only runs counter to India’s commitments on Tibet but will escalate the dispute in border areas,” she observed.
According to her, India had acted “obstinately” by green-lighting the visit, despite repeated Chinese protests.Arunachal Pradesh is at the heart of the Sino-Indian boundary dispute in the eastern sector.
The dispute in this zone is over territory south of the McMahon Line in Arunachal Pradesh, which includes Tawang — which is on the Dalai Lama’s itinerary. The McMahon Line was the result of the 1914 Simla Convention, between British India and Tibet, and was rejected by China.

9 out of every 10 children aged 6-23 do not get an adequate diet in Bihar and Jharkhand

In Bihar and Jharkhand, nine out of every 10 children aged 6-23 do not get an adequate diet. The nutrition and health status of children in these two States has been found to be “critically low” in comparison to the national standard.
According to NFHS-4, 2015-16 data, only 7.5% and 7.2% of children in Bihar and Jharkhand respectively in this age group receive an adequate diet, according to a trend analysis of the NFHS-4 data released by the NGO, Child Rights and You (CRY).
CRY’s findings indicate that inadequate provision of quality antenatal care, and the States’ failure to address the special nutritional requirements of expecting and lactating mothers are negatively affecting child health.
The NFHS-4 data on child-feeding practices and the nutritional status of children further suggest that almost two-thirds of children under the age of 3 years in these two States are not breastfed within the first hour of birth.
The analysis also observed that almost two-thirds of children (63.5% in Bihar and 69.9% in Jharkhand) aged 6-59 months were suffering from acute anaemia.
The prevalence of anaemia among a high percentage of pregnant women in the age-group of 15-49 years (62.6% in Jharkhand and 58.3% in Bihar) further indicates that juvenile anaemia is merely a manifestation of the malnutrition-cycle transmitted through generations, thereby extending the legacy of under-nutrition.
Further, the data on maternal health also revealed that only 9% of pregnant women in Bihar and 15% of pregnant women in Jharkhand consumed iron and folic acid supplements for hundred days or more during pregnancy.
On the positive side, both Bihar and Jharkhand have done well in several child health and nutrition indicators such as institutional delivery, immunisation, and treatment of critical childhood diseases.

Govt wants BC commission to get constitutional status

The Union government introduced a new Bill in the Lok Sabha that seeks to accord constitutional status to the Backward Classes Commission, which now has only statutory powers.
This will bring the body, which looks after the interests of Other Backward Classes, on a par with that of the Scheduled Castes and Tribes Commission, and give powers to Parliament to designate castes as OBCs.
The proposed commission will have a chairperson, vice-chairperson and three other members and will hear the grievances of socially and educationally backward classes, a function discharged so far by the Scheduled Castes commission.
At present, the functions of the commission are limited to examining the requests for inclusion of any class of citizens as a backward class and hear complaints of over-inclusion or under-inclusion of any backward class in the existing quota and advise the Central government.
The Bill will require the support of two-thirds of the members of the House for its passage.The Cabinet gave its nod to the formation of the new commission in a meeting headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

India says it has sovereignty over Gilgit-Baltistan region

Responding to reports of a Pakistani move to declare Gilgit-Baltistan its new province, India asserted its territorial sovereignty over the region.
Responding to questions in the Lok Sabha, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said India would not part with any part of its territory.
Ms. Swaraj recalled that both Houses of Parliament had passed resolutions which reiterated India’s claims over Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir and GilgitBaltistan and the government was bound by it.
Ms. Swaraj said India had been opposed to such a move and had communicated its objection to Pakistan soon after the news became known.
India had remarked on the issue on March 16 after a special committee of the Pakistan government had suggested turning Gilgit-Baltistan into a province.
The position of the government regarding Jammu and Kashmir is well known. The entire State of Jammu and Kashmir acceded to India in 1947. It has been, is and will always be an integral part of India.
A part of Jammu and Kashmir has been under illegal occupation of Pakistan. Any unilateral step by Pakistan to alter the status of that part will have no basis in law and will be completely unacceptable.

New guidelines for accreditation of 30 lakh NGOs handed over to SC

The Centre handed over to the Supreme Court the new guidelines framed for accreditation of nearly 30 lakh NGOs and voluntary organisations (VOs) in the country.
A Bench of Chief Justice J.S. Khehar and Justice D.Y. Chandrachud was informed that the Ministry of Rural Development framed the accreditation guidelines to regulate “manner in which the VOs/NGOs, which are recipient of grants, would maintain their account.”
According to the guidelines, NITI Aayog has been appointed as the nodal agency for the purpose of registration and accreditation of VOs/NGOs seeking funding from the Government of India.
The Aayog has been also tasked with maintaining of database systems to manage and disseminate information relating to NGOs/VOs.
The existing portal at NITI Aayog (NGO-Darpan) shall be strengthened and aligned with accreditation-like functions which should also provide a snapshot of the NGO with regard to its ongoing and past work.

:: International ::

First meeting between Trump and Xi

President Donald Trump’s first meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping could be the beginning of a reorientation of bilateral ties.
North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile into the sea off its east coast. The missile flew about 60 km from its launch site at Sinpo, a port city on the east coast, South Korea said. Sinpo is home to a North submarine base.
The Secretary of State had said last month that military options to neutralise North Korea’s nuclear capability were on the table.
Mr. Trump has repeatedly blamed China for not taking effective measures to rein in Pyongyang. “North Korea is behaving very badly. They have been ‘playing’ the United States for years. China has done little to help,” the President tweeted last month.
China has tightened sanctions on North Korea in recent months but it has not touched the oil supply to it. “China has its own North Korea policy, independent of what the U.S. might want.”
The One-China policy and trade will be the other two issues that could dominate the talks between the two leaders. Mr. Gupta said there would be a number of disquieting undercurrents in America’s Taiwan policy from China’s point of view”.
Trade and economic issues could also lead to what Mr. Trump has described as “difficult” talks with Mr. Xi.
But on this, the U.S. President will be more thoughtful and planned, compared to the urgency he is showing about the North Korean threat.

:: Business and Economy ::

200 rupee note to come soon

The Centre is examining a proposal from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to introduce Rs. 200 denomination currency notes to improve the cash situation.
According to the sources, a smaller denomination note will improve liquidity. In November last year, the Centre announced the demonetisation of Rs. 1,000 and Rs. 500 notes.
While a new Rs. 500 note was introduced with added security features, a new Rs. 1,000 note was not reintroduced. Instead, a new Rs. 2,000 denomination currency note was introduced.
There are two bank note printing presses in the country — Bharatiya Reserve Bank Note Mudran Private Limited — a subsidiary of the RBI, and the government-owned Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India Limited.
According to RBI, smaller denomination notes constituted only 13.6% of the total currency in circulation, in value terms, as at March 2016.
The higher denomination notes — Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 — that were demonetised constituted 86.4% of the currency in circulation.
At end-March 2016, the value of banknotes in circulation was Rs. 16.415 lakh crore — a rise of 14.9% over the previous year. According to RBI, the volume of banknotes increased by 8% against 8.1% in 2014- 15.

India and the U.K. announced a joint Green Growth Equity Fund

India and the U.K. announced a joint Green Growth Equity Fund in which they have committed to anchor invest up to £120 million each.
“The purpose is to help India enhance inclusive growth by boosting investment into green infrastructure on commercial terms,” the draft agreement said.
“The success of the Fund will crowd in private investment that will have a transformational impact on India’s development.” The fund aims to raise about £500 million, and may unlock more in future.
The deal was announced at the bilateral meeting between Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and the U.K. Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond.