Events of National & International Importance
PM flags off first train from Mendhipathar in Meghalaya to Guwahati;
stresses upon development of North Eastern states-
1. Development of
infrastructure is a major issue for overall development of the country.
2. The Prime
Minister was speaking at the flagging off ceremony of the first train from
Mendipathar in Meghalaya to Guwahati.
3. Mr Modi also
laid foundation stone for new rail line from Bhairabi to Salrang in Mizoram.
4. The Prime
Minister said that government has decided to privatize railway stations to earn
revenue.
5. The government
has allowed 100 percent FDI in railways for better infrastructure.
6. He also
announced that four Railways Universities will be set up in the country for
specialized railway courses.
7. Proper
connectivity with neighbouring countries would provide a better job
opportunities for the youths of North-East.
Economic Development
RBI eases gold import norms
1. The Reserve Bank has eased the restrictions on
gold imports by scrapping the 80:20 scheme.
2. Under which it was mandatory to export at least
20 per cent of the imported metal.
3. The move is expected to bring down the price of
the precious metal.
4. The 80:20 schemes were put in place in August
last year to curb high gold inflows that were widening the current account
deficit.
5. As per the latest trade data, gold imports jumped
280 per cent to 4.17 billion US dollars in October.
6. The in-bound shipments touched 95 tonnes in
September this year as against 12 tonnes a year ago.
Neeti Aayog to replace Planning Commission
1. After almost four months, the government has
finally zeroed in on a shape and structure for the new body which will replace
the five-decade old Planning Commission.
2. According to a senior official, the new body will
be called Neeti Aayog (Policy Commission).
3. It will be headed by a vice-chairman, not deputy
chairman as was the case in the Commission.
4. The name of first vice-chairman is expected to be
announced soon.
5. Officials said the new body will comprise the
office of Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), Unique Identification
Authority of India (UIDAI), the inter-state councils and Programme Evaluation.
6. Each of the four departments will be headed by a
secretary-level officer.
Public Policy & Governance
MGNREGA may be the worst hit due to budget cuts
1. The MGNREGA rural job programme and other social welfare
schemess will take a significant hit due to the 15% budgetcut that the ministry of finance is believed to
have proposed recently.
2. A cut of Rs.3, 000 crore in the current MGNREGA
budget is expected to affect about 5,000 daily-wage earners.
3. The finance ministry announced the budget cut in
order to meet the fiscal deficit of 4.5% of the fiscal year of 2013-1014.
4. Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar's has already
demanded more funds for implementing MGNREGA in his state.
5. The activists urged the government not to
compromise the needs of the social sector in order to meet the targets of its
new commitments.
6. The bone of contention is the revised budget
estimates of the current fiscal year.
7. Over a hundred social organizations are
converging in Delhi next month to drum up support for their demand to stop
budget cuts.
Environment & Ecology
Critically
endangered Forest Owlet spotted in Western Ghats
1.
Researchers
have found the critically endangered ‘Forest Owlet’ in the northern part of the
Western Ghats, 100 km from Mumbai.
2.
The International Union for
Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List has named this bird as the one facing a
high risk of extinction.
3.
Till now, Forest Owlet was
known endemic to Satpuda mountain ranges in central India. Its discovery in the
Western Ghats has brought new hope about its survival.
4.
For nearly 113 years, Forest
Owlet was considered to be extinct, until researchers rediscovered it in 1997
in Toranmal Reserve Forest near Shahada in the Satpuda ranges in Nandurbar
District, Maharashtra.
5.
Later studies established its
presence across Satpuda ranges from Piplod in Gujarat and Toranmal to Yawal and
Melghat in Maharashtra and Kalibhit in Madhya Pradesh.
Rights issue & Social Justice
Caste survey: One in four Indians admit to
practising
1.
Sixty-four years after caste
untouchability was abolished by the Constitution.
2.
More than a fourth of Indians
say they continue to practise it in some form in their homes.
3.
Those who admit to practising
untouchability belong to virtually every religious and caste group, including
Muslims, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
4.
Going by respondents’
admissions, untouchability is the most widespread among Brahmins, followed by
OBCs.
5.
Among religious communities, it
is the most widespread among Hindus, Sikhs and Jains, shows the survey .
6.
Conducted in over 42,000
households across India by the National Council of Applied Economic Research
(NCAER) and the University of Maryland, US.
1.
NCAER, established in 1956, is
India’s oldest and largest independent, non-profit economic policy research
institute.
2.
The results are part of the
India Human Development Survey (IHDS-2) — the largest pan-Indian non-government
household survey — carried out in 2011-12 for economic and social variables
across multiple categories.
3.
The full results of the survey
will be available in 2015.
Editorial
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