Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 10 DECEMBER 2019
::NATIONAL::
VP stresses on including gender studies in educational institutions
- Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu has advocated for including gender
studies in the educational institutions so that children learn to respect
and become sensitive towards people of all genders from an early age. He was
speaking after inaugurating the FICCI ARISE Conference 2019 on School
Education in New Delhi last evening.
- Mr Naidu called for value-based education and said that education is not
just for employment but also for empowerment and enlightenment of
individuals and the society. He also called for reforming teaching and
training systems to improve learning outcomes.
- Expressing concern over void in the market due to lack of skills
required for jobs, he said, entrepreneurship education and training hold the
key to empower young people to be the job creators of the future and not
just job seekers.
- Mr Naidu also said, there is a need to ensure that girl children,
orphans, child-laborers, street children and victims of disasters must be
brought into fold of formal education system.
Loksabha clears citizenship amendment bill 2019
- LokSabha has passed the Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2019 after a
marathon discussion and division last night. In all, 311 members voted in
favour of the bill and 80 members opposed it.
- The bill, among other things, seeks to grant citizenship to Hindus,
Jains, Parsis, Buddhists and Christians who migrated to India till the end
of 2014 from countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, due to
reasons like persecutions.
- However, the bill exempts certain tribal areas included in the Sixth
Schedule and those falling under the Inner Line Permit Regime in the North
Eastern States. It amends the Citizenship Act 1955, the Passport Act 1920
and the Foreigners Act 1946 for implementation of its provisions.
- Replying to the discussion, Home Minister Amit Shah said, the bill does
not violate any provisions of the Constitution including Article 14 that
places all people equally before law.
- He said, Article 14 does not rule out any amendment to the Citizens Act.
Mr Shah reiterated that religious persecutions in Pakistan, Bangladesh and
Afghanistan, who have expressly declared Islam as their State Religion,
necessitated the bill.
- He pointed out to the declining minority population in the three
neighbouring countries. He said, the bill is not discriminatory against
Muslims. He added, Manipur will be brought under the Inner Line Permit
Regime for the Bill.
- Prime Minister NarendraModi has expressed delight over the passage of
the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in the LokSabha. In a tweet last night, he
said, the LokSabha has passed the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 after a
rich and extensive debate.
::ECONOMY::
Centre demands reciprocal access for Indian companies abroad
- Commerce and industry minister PiyushGoyal said the government will stop
other countries from participating in local contracts unless Indian firms
are given a similar opportunity.
- “Unless we get reciprocal access to those markets, the government has
decided that we will stop giving them an opportunity to participate in
contracts in India. That is a part of the policy of the NarendraModi
government,” Goyal said at an event organised by Exim Bank on Monday.
- “Today, it is in our policy that if our companies are not allowed to do
business or opportunities emerging in any country, I can assure you that we
will not allow them to participate here.”
- This policy had been introduced two years ago and is “fair by all global
standards”, he said.Goyal said this had been a “major stumbling block” in
the RCEP negotiations.
- The minister asked Exim Bank to study such conditions and give feedback
so that the government can “stand up for your right to do business in those
countries”.
- If an Indian oil, coal or power company floats a contract, more often
than not, the government allows international bidders to come in. He also
said that India and its citizens want the rules of the game to change and
corrupt practices to be eliminated.
India asks more countries to join ISA
- India has called upon more countries to join the International Solar
Alliance (ISA) initiated by it to reduce the dependence on fossil fuels to
meet the rising energy demand.
- Speaking at a Ministerial Plenary yesterday on Solar and the Small
Island Developing States - Making the Sun Shine Brighter, on the sidelines
of COP-25 climate conference which is underway in Madrid, Environment
Minister PrakashJavadekar said, four years ago in Paris, when Prime Minister
NarendraModi and French President Francois Hollande launched the
International Solar Alliance (ISA), it was a new beginning.
- Mr.Javadekar expressed happiness that over 83 countries joined the ISA
in just four years. Listing out the aggressive manner in which India has
expanded its renewable energy mix, the Minister pointed out that five years
ago, India had just 3 Giga Watt (of solar energy).
- Today, it has 33 GW of solar energy and it is huge. He said, India is
going to achieve 100 GW of solar energy by 2022 i.e. in the next three years
it will add 67 GW more of solar energy.
::INTERNATIONAL::
Pakistan and ADB signs agreements worth $1.3billion
- Pakistan on Monday signed an agreement with the Asian Development Bank
for a loan worth USD 1.3 billion to support the cash-strapped country's
public finances and shore up its slowing economy.
- On Friday, the bank said it has approved a USD 300 million policy-based
loan that will help Pakistan to address financial sustainability,
governance, and energy infrastructure policy constraints in country's energy
sector.
- Under the deal, the ADB will provide the loan to help stabilize the
foreign exchange reserves of the country.
- Pakistan is facing a serious economic crisis with short supplies of
foreign currency reserves and stagnating growth in recent years.
- Under the agreement, USD 1 billion has been extended to Pakistan to
improve its current account deficit and strengthen its revenue base.
- The financing will support the first of three sub-programmes totalling
USD 1 billion under Pakistan's Energy Sector Reforms and Financial
Sustainability Programme, the bank said.
- Apart from the ADB loan, the Pakistan government has borrowed USD 10.40
billion from friendly countries like China and the UAE to stabilise the
foreign exchange reserves and repayment of old loans.
::SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY::
India proposes project to protect satellites from space debris
- The Centre has proposed Rs 33.3 crore for ISRO's 'Project Netra' for
securing Indian satellites from space debris and other dangers, according to
documents related to supplementary demand for grants.
- Finance Minister NirmalaSitharaman had moved a resolution for the grants
for which the LokSabha granted approval last week.
- In Sep, India launched the early warning system Netra (Network for Space
Objects, Tracking, and Analysis) to secure its satellites and other assets
in space at an estimated to cost Rs 400 crore.
- India has 15 communication satellites active in the geostationary orbit,
13 remote-sensing satellites active in low-earth orbit (2,000 km radius) and
eight navigation satellites in medium-earth orbit. Apart from these, there
are a number of smaller satellites present in the space.
- According to a report, about 17,000 man-made objects are monitored in
space of which 7 per cent are active objects. After a time, these objects
become inactive and collide with each other while revolving in space.
- Every year, there are many incidents of objects colliding in space. As a
result, small pieces of debris rotate at extremely fast speeds. Dead
satellites and other debris present in space exist in the Earth's orbit for
many years and these debris can damage any active satellite.
::SPORTS::
India beats New Zealand in women’s hockey tournament
- Indian junior women's hockey team secured a 4-1 win over New Zealand in
its third match of the 3-Nations Tournament including India, Australia and
New Zealand at Canberra in Australia today.
- Sharmila Devi did two goals at 12th and 43rd minutes of game. Beauty
Dungdung at 27th and Lalrindiki 48th minutes scored the goals for India in
their impressive victory.
