Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 18 February 2019

Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 18 FEBRUARY 2019

::NATIONAL::

Former PM says nation slipping to job-loss growth

The “jobless growth” has slipped into “job-loss growth”, which, together with rural indebtedness and urban chaos, has made the growing number of aspirational youths restless, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Sunday, as he hit out at the government for failing to uplift the economy to its potential.
In his convocation address at the Delhi School of Management, Dr. Singh said the “grave agrarian crisis, the declining employment opportunities, the pervasive environmental degradation, and above all the divisive forces at work” were some of the challenges facing the nation.
“Suicides of farmers and frequent farmer agitations reflect the structural imbalances in our economy which call for serious in-depth analysis and political will to address them,” he asserted.
The attempts at creating additional job opportunities in the industrial sector have failed as industrial growth was not picking up fast enough, he alleged.
In a scathing attack on the government, Dr. Singh said the small and unorganised sectors which were vibrant and contributing to generation of wealth and employment opportunities have grievously suffered in the wake of the “disastrous” demonetisation and “slipshod” introduction and implementation of the GST.

::ECONOMY::

Agricultural atlas says current policies against rainfed agriculture

Three out of five farmers in India grow their crops using rainwater, instead of irrigation. However, per hectare government investment on their lands may be 20 times lower, procurement of their crops is a fraction of major irrigated land crops, and many of the flagship agriculture schemes are not tailored to benefit them.
A new rainfed agriculture atlas released this week not only maps the agro biodiversity and socio-economic conditions prevailing in such areas, but also attempts to document the policy biases that are making farming unviable for many in these areas.
There has been “negligence” toward rainfed areas, which is leading to lower incomes for farmers in these regions, admitted Ashok Dalwai, CEO of the National Rainfed Area Authority. He also heads the government’s Committee on Doubling of Farmers’ Income.
Speaking on the sidelines of a conference on revitalising agriculture in rainfed areas, he said farmers in such areas are receiving 40% less of their income from agriculture in comparison to those in irrigated areas.
Flagship government schemes, such as seed and fertiliser subsidies and soil health cards, are designed for irrigated areas and simply extended to rainfed farmers without taking their needs into consideration, said Dr. Das.
Dr. Dalwai agreed that a more balanced approach was needed to give rainfed farmers the same research and technology focus and production support that their counterparts in irrigation areas have received over the last few decades.

Centre to incentivise power plants to curb pollution

India has proposed incentives worth ₹885 billion ($12.4 billion) to encourage power plants to install equipment to curb emissions and to develop infrastructure for electric vehicles (EVs), a government statement said.
The bulk of the money, ₹835 billion, would be aimed at curbing sulphur emissions from power plants, with the rest devoted to development of EV infrastructure in 70 cities over five years ending 2025.
The proposal by the Power Ministry to its finance commission is in addition to an existing proposal that envisages installation costs for emission-cutting equipment to be passed on to consumers.
India has already extended a December 2017 deadline for utilities to meet emissions standards by up to six years as power producers struggle to comply with stringent rules set out by the Environment Ministry in 2015 to cut emissions that cause lung diseases, acid rain and smog.
Thermal power companies account for 80% of all industrial emissions of particulate matter, sulphur and nitrous oxides in India.

Click Here for Study Material for SSC CGL Exam

SSC CGL (Tier-1) Exam Crash Course

::INTERNATIONAL::

Afghanistan complaints against Pak liason with Taliban at UNSC

Afghanistan has lodged a strong complaint with the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) against Pakistan for its engagement with the Taliban.
In a letter written to the UNSC, Afghanistan's Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Nazifullah Salarzai said, Pakistan's invitation to the Taliban amounted to a violation of Afghanistan's national sovereignty.
The letter said, as there is no co-ordination with the Afghan government, it poses a serious threat to the country's security.
In a tweet, Afghan Foreign Ministry spokesperson Sibghatullah Ahmadi said, Pakistan's move not only undermines the ongoing peace efforts but also falls in violation of UNSC Resolution 1988.
India's official policy on the Afghan peace process has been that it should be Afghan-owned, Afghan-led and Afghan-controlled.

::SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY::

Scientists recommend increased efficiency in food production for future

About 37% of the area of the entire world is agricultural land, a third of which (about 11%) is used for crops. And as the population of the world rises to 9.7 billion people in 30 years, the land available for crops will reduce.
Thus, there is an immediate need to try and improve the efficiency of food production. Experts predict that agricultural yield must increase by 50% between now and 2050. How to do this is the question facing agricultural scientists across the world.
One way of achieving it has been shown in the model plant tobacco where the scientists could “engineer photosynthesis” by increasing the expression of three genes involved in processing light. This increases the tobacco yield by 20%.
Another way that some other scientists are trying is to reduce what is called photorespiration in plants. Here the energy and oxygen produced in the ‘light reaction’ of photosynthesis is drained by the plant to make “wasteful” products in the ‘dark reaction’, and not just carbohydrates and other food material, particularly when the plant’s leaves close in order to reduce water loss by evaporation
Seaweeds are rich sources of vitamins A and C, and minerals such as Ca, Mg, Zn, Se and Fe. They also have a high level of vegetable proteins and omega 3 and 6 fatty acids. Best of all, they are vegetarian, indeed vegan, and do not have any fishy smell, thus good and acceptable.
Scientists points out that among the seaweeds found in plenty, Ulva, Pyropia, Porphyra and Kappaphycus are edible and that it will be good to cultivate them in large scale, as is done in countries like Japan.
Thus India should embark on Mariculture as vigorously as Agriculture, given its 7,500 km-long coastal line. Further, it does not require pesticides, fertilizers and water for irrigation, which is an added advantage.