Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 30 September 2015

:: National ::

HRD Ministry will now rank top engineering, management institutes

The days of ranking Indian educational institutions by private agencies might soon become history as the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) came out with an indigenous ranking framework for engineering and management institutes on Tuesday.
The first ranking list which will cover government as well as private institutes would be completed by early April next year.
Mail Today was the first to report that the MHRD had decided to rank educational institutions in the country.
Irani had earlier told Mail Today that a ranking system for Indian institutions of higher learning is significant as it would empower students as well as parents to make a conscious choice-based on the rankings, removed from the hubris surrounding these institutions.
The ranking system has been opened to institutions in the private sector too, though participation has been kept voluntary.
The system itself would put pressure on educational institutions to perform well and provide what they promise in their prospectus, Irani had told Mail Today. While ranking methods have been worked out for engineering and management institutions, those for other domains, including pharmacy, architecture and universities, could be announced in the next one month.
The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) outlines a methodology to rank institutions across the country. The methodology had been prepared by a core committee set up by the ministry to identify the broad parameters for ranking.
The parameters broadly cover 'Teaching, Learning and Resources,' 'Research, Professional Practices and Collaborative Performance (RPC)', 'Graduation Outcomes(GO)', 'Outreach and Inclusivity (OI)', and 'Perception'.

:: India & world ::

Madhesi border blockade sparks anti-India feelings in Nepal

The disruption in cross-border trade between India and Nepal following protests by Madhesis has affected markets and citizens across both sides of the un-demarcated border.
Long convoys of trucks carrying supplies are stuck amid protests in Nepal over the country's newly adopted Constitution that keeps Madhesis, the Indian-origin inhabitants of the Terai plains, ting Nepal into seven provinces, and who claim they've been left out of the power structures. Demonstrators in the region have blocked two main border crossings from India, shutting off vital supply lines.
With hundreds of trucks stranded, supplies of essential commodities like sugar, salt and cooking gas cylinders has been hit.

:: Miscellaneous ::

India's deadliest warship - INS Kochi - set to join fleet today

Naval warship INS Kochi, the stealth guided missile destroyers, will be commissioned by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai on Wednesday.
The warship is designed by the Navy's in-house organisation, Directorate of Naval Design, and it is constructed by Mazagon Dock Ship builders Ltd in Mumbai. It has displacement of 7,500 tons and it is 164 metres in length and 17 metres at the beam.
The ship is propelled by four gas turbines and designed to achieve speeds in excess of 30 knots. The ship has a complement of about 40 officers and 350 sailors.
INS Kochi is packed with an array of state-of-the-art weapons and sensors, with a significant indigenous component. The ship has many lethal weapons to its credit which include the successful fitment of vertically launched missile system for long distance engagement of shore and sea-based targets.
The ship is one of the few warships of the world and the second in the Indian Navy to have Multi-Function Surveillance and Threat Alert Radar to provide target data to Long Range Surface to Air Missile system.

:: Sports ::

West Indies fail to qualify for ICC Champions Trophy 2017

In what can be termed as the lowest ebb in island’s cricket history, the West Indies have failed to qualify for the 2017 Champions Trophy in England as they were not among the top eight ODI teams as per ICC rankings on September 30, 2015, paving the way for Bangladesh’s entry.
It will be the first time since its inception year in 1998 (when Champions Trophy used to be known as Mini World Cup) that assortment of Caribbean nations will not be a part of a premier event.
Bangladesh will return to the Champions Trophy for the first time since 2006 after the eight sides were confirmed for the 2017 tournament, which will be hosted by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) from June 1 to 18.
The eight sides to play in the short and sharp, nation-versus-nation ICC Champions Trophy 2017 are (in rankings order): world champions Australia, defending champions India, 1998 winner South Africa, 2000 champion New Zealand, 2002 co-winner Sri Lanka, hosts England, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
Bangladesh’s last participation in the ICC Champions Trophy was in India, when it featured in the qualifying round. It lost to Sri Lanka (by 37 runs) and the West Indies (by 10 wickets). Its only victory was against Zimbabwe by 101 runs.
Since the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, Bangladesh cricket team has been on a high and has produced very strong performances. It won ODI series against Pakistan, India and South Africa, which has helped it jump from ninth to seventh in the ICC ODI Team Rankings.
The Champions Trophy 2017 will be a 15-match tournament, with teams split into two groups of four, with the top two teams in each group progressing to the semi-finals. The groups and the schedule for the ICC Champions Trophy will be announced in due course.
With the sides for the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 now confirmed, the next important qualification date in the diaries of the 12 teams on the ICC ODI Team Rankings will be September 30, 2017.
That is the date when the top eight ranked sides on the ICC ODI Team Rankings will earn direct qualification for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 to be hosted by the ECB.
The bottom four sides will get a second chance to complete the 10-team line-up in the ICC Cricket World Cup when they will be joined by teams from the ICC World Cricket League Championship and the ICC World Cricket League Division 2 in the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2018.