Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 06 December 2018

::NATIONAL::

Aadhar holders to be given option to opt out

The government is in the last stages of finalising a proposal to amend the Aadhaar Act to give all citizens an option to withdraw their Aadhaar number, including biometrics and the data.
This follows the Supreme Court judgment in September that upheld the validity of Aadhaar, however, with certain riders.
A Constitution Bench had struck down Section 57 of the Act that allows private entities to use the unique number for verification. The Bench also declared that seeking to link it with bank accounts and SIM cards was unconstitutional.
“The initial proposal was prepared by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI). It submitted that once a child turns 18, he/she will be given six months to decide if he/she wants to withdraw,” a senior official said.
Over 37.50 crore PANs have been issued till March 12, 2018. Of these, the number of PANs issued to individuals stood at more than 36.54 crore, of which about 16.84 crore PANs have been linked with Aadhaar.

::ECONOMY::

RBI governor says bank is ready to stand as lender of last resort in case of liquidity crunch

Reserve Bank of India Deputy Governor Viral Acharya assured that the central bank was ready to stand as the lender of last resort in the context of liquidity needs of the non-banking finance sector.
At the same time, Mr.Acharya said the present situation did not warrant any drastic steps given the health of the Indian economy.The Deputy Governor’s comments come in the wake of sector facing a crisis of confidence.
As the Governor explained in detail, we are at a level of aggregate credit growth which is in excess of nominal GDP (gross domestic product)growth with a fairly robust distribution across various sectors,” he added.
The Reserve Bank said it had been watching the market developments on the issue since end August and was in ‘regular touch’ with Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to access the fallout of mutual fund redemption and the resulting rollover risks for NBFCs and housing finance companies.
NBFCs started facing liquidity crunch since August after Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (IL&FS) started defaulting on loans. The rates at which NBFC borrowed funds rose sharply following this.

India becomes third highest contributor to carbon emissions

Global carbon emissions are set to hit an all-time high of 37.1 billion tonnes of CO2 in 2018, according to researchers at the University of East Anglia (UEA) and the Global Carbon Project.
India, the third-highest contributor, is projected to see emissions rise by 6.3% from 2017. The 2.7% projected global rise in 2018 has been driven by appreciable growth in coal use for the second year in a row, and sustained growth in oil and gas use, according to the study that was published simultaneously Wednesday in several leading scientific journals.
This week, representatives from more than 190 countries have begun discussions at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP 24) in Katowice, Poland, on ways to equitably cut carbon emissions.
CO2 emissions have now risen for a second year, the study’s authors say, after three years of little to no growth from 2014 to 2016. The rise in 2017 was 1.6%.
The 10 biggest emitters in 2018 are China, U.S., India, Russia, Japan, Germany, Iran, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, and Canada. The EU as a region of countries ranks third. China’s emissions accounted for 27% of the global total, having grown an estimated 4.7% in 2018 and reaching a new all-time high.
Emissions in the U.S., which has withdrawn from its commitment to the Paris Agreement, account for 15% of the global total, and look set to have grown about 2.5% in 2018 after several years of decline.
Though coal use contributed to the rise in 2018 from last year, it still remains below its historical high in 2013 but may exceed that if current growth continues, the study’s authors.

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::INTERNATIONAL::

India & Peru sign cooperation on customs matters

An Agreement between the Government of the Republic of India and the Government of the Republic of Peru on Co-operation and Mutual Assistance in Customs Matters was signed today in Mumbai, on the side-lines of the 80th Session of the Policy Commission Meeting of the World Customs Organisations (WCO) .
The three day 80th Session of the Policy Commission Meeting of the WCO is being organised by the Central Board of Customs and Indirect Taxes (CBIC), Government of India in Mumbai, India, from 3rd to 5th December 2018.
The Agreement was signed by Mr. S. Ramesh, Chairman, CBIC on behalf of the Government of India and Mr. Rafael Garcia, as the National Superintendent of Customs on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Peru.
The Agreement will also help in the availability of relevant information for the prevention and investigation of Customs offences. The Agreement is expected to facilitate trade and ensure efficient clearance of goods traded between the two countries.

Iran president gives defiant speech on U.S sanctions

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani struck a defiant stance against U.S. sanctions on Tuesday, renewing his threat to cut off international oil sales from the Gulf.
Since the 1980s, Iran has said repeatedly that it would blockade the Gulf in response to international pressure but has never carried out the threat.
Washington has reimposed sanctions, including an oil embargo, since withdrawing from a landmark 2015 nuclear deal in May. It has vowed to reduce Iran’s oil sales to zero, but has granted temporary waivers to eight countries.
Mr.Rouhani last threatened to close the Gulf in July when he warned that the U.S. “should not play with the lion’s tail”. He downplayed the economic impact of sanctions, accusing the media of exaggerating the country’s problems.
“No hyperinflation, no massive unemployment will threaten us. People should stop saying such things in the papers,” he told the crowd.
The latest inflation report from Iran’s central bank says food prices rose 56% year-on-year in October. Mr.Rouhani acknowledged that there were “some problems”, but said these would be addressed in the new budget plan to be presented on December 16.

::SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY::

Baby born in uterus of a dead donor

In a medical first, a mother who received a uterus transplant from a dead donor gave birth to a healthy baby, researchers reported on Wednesday.
The breakthrough operation, performed in September 2016 in Sao Paulo, Brazil, shows that such transplants are feasible and could help thousands of women unable to have children due to uterine problems, according to a study published.
Until recently, the only options available to women with so-called uterine infertility were adoption or the services of a surrogate mother.The first successful childbirth following uterine transplant from a living donor took place in 2014 in Sweden, and there have been 10 others since then.
But there are far more women in need of transplants than there are potential live donors, so doctors wanted to find out if the procedure could work using the uterus of a woman who had died.Ten attempts were made — in the U.S., the Czech Republic, and Turkey — before the success reported.
“The number of people willing and committed to donate organs upon their own death are far larger than those of live donors, offering a much wider potential donor population,” an expert doctor said.

::SPORTS::

Former Indian opener GautamGambhir retires from all forms of cricket

Indian batsman GautamGambhir has announced his retirement from cricket on Tuesday (December 4). The Ranji Trophy game between Delhi and Andhra starting Thursday at the Feroz Shah Kotla will be his last game.
Gambhir, 37, has played 58 Tests, 147 ODIs and 37 T20Is for India scoring more than 10000 runs combined. He made his debut in 2003 and last played for India in a Test against England in Rajkot in 2016. He retires with nine Test centuries and 11 ODI centuries to his name.
He played key roles in India's title victories in the 2007 World T20 and the 2011 World Cup, top-scoring for India with 75 and 97 in the respective finals.