Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 19 October 2018

::NATIONAL::

Telecom body says aadhar data to be deleted if provided alternate ID proof

Mobile service customers who want to get their Aadhaar details removed from the records of telecom operators would need to provide alternative verification documents, industry body COAI said on October 18.
The Cellular Operators Association of India, as also directed by the Department of Telecom, said that the services will not be disconnected during the change in documentation process.
COAI, whose members include Reliance Jio, BhartiAirtel, Vodafone Idea etc, said Aadhaar remains a valid document for customer verification like other government authorised documents including passport, PAN card, Driving License, Voter ID etc, however, while getting a new connection, no authentication of subscriber details by UIDAI will be done now.
The government on October 18 said there is no threat of discontinuation of mobile numbers issued using Aadhaar, following the Supreme Court ruling that barred use of the national biometric ID by private companies.

Centre releases revised CBSE affiliation bye laws

The Union Minister for Human Resource Development ShriPrakashJavadekar released the new CBSE Affiliation Bye-laws in New Delhi today. While interacting with media at Press conference the Minister informed that the affiliation byelaws of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) have been completely revamped to ensure speed, transparency, hassle-free procedures and ease of doing business with the CBSE.
The HRD Minister had earlier this year, directed the Board to completely revisit its affiliation bye laws to make the system more robust and quality driven. While highlighting the main changes, ShriPrakashJavadekar said that the new byelaws denote a major shift from the highly complex procedures followed earlier, to a simplified system based on preventing duplication of processes.
The minister informed that one of the salient features of the revised bye laws rests on the fact that there is duplication of processes at CBSE and state government level.
For issuing recognition under RTE Act and NOC, the state education administration verifies various certificates to be obtained from local bodies, revenue department, cooperatives department, etc. The CBSE re-verifies them after applications are received.

::ECONOMY::

RBI allows PPIs to issue cards using networks such as Mastercard, Visa, Rupay

The Reserve Bank of India has released the guidelines for interoperability between prepaid payment instruments (PPIs) such as wallets and cards that will effectively allow users of popular payment wallets such as Paytm, Freecharge, Mobikwik, PhonePe and PayZapp, among others, to transfer money from one wallet to another.
In a circular issued on Tuesday, the banking regulator said that wallets could implement interoperability through the Unified Payment Interface (UPI). Further, the RBI also allowed PPIs to issue cards using authorised card networks such as Mastercard, Visa or Rupay.
Industry experts said the guidelines, while boosting the e-wallet segment, would also ensure the safety and accuracy of the transfer of money by individuals from one wallet to another.
The RBI guidelines would definitely ensure that not only the customer’s money remains safe but when the transition happens from one e-wallet app to another, it reflects utmost speed and accuracy for the interoperability to be effective and efficient.
Navin Surya, Chairman Emeritus, Payments Council of India, said that it was a progressive move for non-bank players and would lay the foundation to reach the under-banked and unbanked segment with a powerful payment product.

Indian SMEs Delegation participates in European SMEs Congress

A delegation of 32 Indian SMEs led by Ms.AlkaArora, Joint Secretary, Ministry of MSME,is participating in the 8th European Congress on SMEs at Kotawice, Poland.
Inaugurating the event, Ms.AlkaArora said India is home to more than 60 million MSMEs, which have the ability and capability to access international markets and work as ancillaries to larger international firms. These MSMEs provide livelihood to more than 100 million people and create value for the entire global community.
Ms.Arora said, given the impact of MSMEs in India, it is imperative to integrate them now into the global value chain by establishing possible linkages with International partners.In order to fructify the opportunities for Indian SMEs, theCongress will be anopportunity to make direct business relations between European and Indian SMEs.
Small and Medium Enterprises from around 50 countries are participating in the 3-day event, which will continue till 19th of this month. The main theme of the event is “Business-Self-Government Together for Economy”.

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::INTERNATIONAL::

Centre says India engaged with Trump administration in H1B visa issue

As the U.S. plans major changes in H-1B visas, India on October 18 said it was “closely engaged” with the Trump administration as well as the U.S. Congress on the matter.
The comment by the spokesperson in the Ministry of External Affairs came after Washington said it is planning to “revise” the definition of employment and speciality occupations under the H-1B visas by January, a move which will have an adverse impact on Indian IT companies in the U.S.
“It is a very important topic for us and that is the reason why time and again, at different levels, we have taken up the matter with the US side. Most recently, it was discussed and mentioned during the two-plus-two talks,” MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said. He said India is closely engaged with the Trump administration as well as the U.S. Congress on the matter.
“It is indeed correct that the administration has taken measures to prevent abuse of this programme and there are certain bills which have been introduced,” Mr. Kumar said. “I think what we get to hear are the provisions from those bills, but it is important to note that none of these bills have been passed so far,” he added.

Pope gets a first of a kind invitation to visit North Korea

Pope Francis on Thursday received an invitation to visit North Korea and the pontiff indicated he would consider making what would be a landmark trip to a nation known for severe restrictions on religious practice, according to South Korean officials. South Korean President Moon Jae-in relayed the invitation from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to the pope verbally during a 35-minute meeting in the Vatican.
Any visit would be the first by a Pope to the reclusive state which does not allow priests to be permanently stationed there. There is little information on how many of its citizens are Catholic, or how they practice their faith.
But beyond a handful of state-controlled places of worship - including a Catholic church in the capital of Pyongyang - no open religious activity is allowed and the authorities have repeatedly jailed foreign missionaries.
According to the president's office, Pope Francis expressed his strong support for efforts to bring peace to the Korean peninsula. Moon's office quoted the pope as telling Mr. Moon: “Do not stop, move forward. Do not be afraid.”
The two Koreas have held three summits this year. Kim also held an unprecedented summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in Singapore in June, where the leaders promised to work toward denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.

::SPORTS::

ICC official claims majority of international bookies are Indians

The ICC has been carrying out investigations on deep rooted corruption in Sri Lankan cricket but amid that, its Anti-Corruption Unit official Alex Marshall revealed an alarming fact: most of the bookies indulging in corrupt practices are Indians.
Earlier this week, legendary Sri Lankan SanathJayasuriya became the first high profile player from the island nation to be charged for violating ICC’s anti-corruption code.
Even though Jayasuriya has not been charged with fixing, he has been found guilty of non co-operation with investigating authorities.
Recently ICC’s ACU shared information about active corruptors with England and Sri Lankan cricketers, currently involved in a limited overs series.