Table of Contents:
A. GS1 Related:
B. GS2 Related:
POLITY
1. Disclose foreign funds, MHA tells political parties
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
1. Netherlands backs India’s bid for permanent seat in UN security council
2. Despite CPEC, our stand on Kashmir unchanged, says China
C. GS3 Related:
ECONOMY
1. NITI Aayog shelves A.P. port project
1. Tax processed foods: FSSAI panel
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
1. ‘Primitive hominids lived alongside modern humans’
MISCELLANEOUS
1. ‘Tallest bridge built can withstand blasts’
D. GS4 Related:
E. Concepts-in-News: Related Concepts to Revise/Learn
F. Bills/Acts/Schemes/Orgs in News
G. Practice Questions for UPSC Prelims Exam
H. Archives
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Useful News Articles for UPSC Current Affairs
A. GS1 Related
Nothing here for Today!!!
1. Disclose foreign funds, MHA tells political parties
What’s in news?
- The Ministry of Home Affairs issued notices to all political parties, including the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, to disclose the foreign funds received by them.
- Notices were sent as per norms prescribed under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), 2010, which bars any political party from receiving donations from any “foreign company”.
Changes made in FCRA
- Last year, government had amended the FCRA through the Finance Bill route
- Amendment allowed foreign origin companies to fund NGOs
- Cleared the way for donations to political parties by changing the definition of “foreign companies”.
- The amendment ensures that “donations made by such (foreign shareholding) companies to entities including political parties will not attract provisions of the FCRA, 2010”.
- Contributions made by Indian companies with foreign holdings up to the prescribed limit as per the extant Foreign Direct Investment policy will not be treated as foreign contribution.
Representation of People’s Act and foreign funds
- The Representation of People’s Act bars parties from receiving foreign funds.
The Foreign Contribution (regulation) Act, 2010
“It is a consolidating act whose scope is to regulate the acceptance and utilisation of foreign contribution or foreign hospitality by certain individuals or associations or companies and to prohibit acceptance and utilisation of foreign contribution or foreign hospitality for any activities detrimental to the national interest and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.”
Category: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
1. Netherlands backs India’s bid for permanent seat in UN security council
What’s in news?
- The Netherlands came out in support of India’s bid for a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), saying the country is a “prime candidate” if the premier global body were to expand.
UN reforms and new innovative ideas
- India and other G4 nations including Brazil, Germany and Japan recently said they were open to innovative ideas and willing to not exercise veto as permanent members of a reformed Security Council until a decision on it has been taken.
G4 nations
- The G4 nations comprising Brazil, Germany, India, and Japan are four countries which support each other’s bids for permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council.
- Unlike the G7, where the common denominator is the economy and long-term political motives, the G4’s primary aim is the permanent member seats on the Security Council.
- Each of these four countries have figured among the elected non-permanent members of the council since the UN’s establishment.
2. Despite CPEC, our stand on Kashmir unchanged, says China
What’s in news?
- China reiterated that its position on the Kashmir issue remained unchanged despite its “promotion” of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as an economic undertaking.
- China’s Ambassador Luo Zhaohui rebutted the assumption that the CPEC infringed India’s sovereignty, as it passed through the Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK). “The CPEC is for promoting economic cooperation and connectivity. It has no connections to or impact on sovereignty issues,” he said.
C. GS3 Related
1. NITI Aayog shelves A.P. port project
What’s in news?
- NITI Aayog finally shelved a proposal to develop a greenfield port at Dugarajapatnam in Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh as it was found to be technologically and financially unviable.
- The decision to close the chapter was triggered by the techno-economic feasibility study conducted by American consultant Aecom for the Visakhapatnam Port Trust (VPT), the major equity partner in the project.
- The development of the greenfield port has been mentioned in the A.P. Bifurcation Act, 2014.
- UPA-II had obtained the Cabinet’s approval for the project along with another port in Sagar (West Bengal).Sagar project is gaining momentum.
Dugarajapatnam Port
- No progress on the Dugarajapatnam port ever since it was finalised .
- It was proposed to be located at Nakkapalli in Visakhapatnam and Ramayapatnam in Prakasam district.
- One of the main reasons for finding Dugarajapatnam unviable is its proximity to Chennai, Krishnapatnam, Kattupalli and Kamarajar (Ennore) ports. The massive dredging required to handle big size vessels is another deterrent.
- A port of a large scale is not viable anywhere as the country is witnessing economic slump and most of the ports are not able to ensure capacity utilisation.
Green field
- It refers to investment in Building new production facilities in a foreign country.
- It refers to investment in a manufacturing, office, or other physical company-related structure or group of structures in an area where no previous facilities exist.
Brownfield
- It refers to investment Used for purchasing or leasing existing production facilities to launch a new production activity.
2. Tax processed foods: FSSAI panel
What’s in news?
- A committee of medical experts and nutritionists has recommended a tax on “highly-processed” foods and sugar-sweetened beverages.
- The body, tasked by the Food Standards and Safety Authority of India (FSSAI), which is a Union Health Ministry body, has also advocated :
- Ban on advertisements promoting foods high in FSS (fat, salt, sugar) during TV shows and channels aimed at children.
- A progress towards a total ban, as being done in a few other countries like Chile is the need of the hour.
- Celebrity endorsements of such foods need to be discouraged.
- Study on urban populations: Low Income Groups (LIG) reportedly consumed more fried snacks and sweets than High Income Groups (HIG) and, the highest consumption of bakery items was in slums
- Detailed labels must:
- All packaged food carry detailed labels specifying the energy value in kcal (kilo calories); the amounts of protein, carbohydrates and fat; and the amount of any other nutrient for which a nutrition or health claim is made.
- If relevant, the label should also specify the amount or type of fatty acids or the amount of cholesterol, saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids in gram (g) and cholesterol in milligram (mg), the panel said
Category: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
1. ‘Primitive hominids lived alongside modern humans’
What’s in news?
New research observations :
- Primitive hominids may have lived in Africa at the same time as humans
- New findings that could change the understanding of human evolution.
- Fossils found deep in South Africa’s Rising Star cave complex in 2013 have been dated by several expert teams with their findings suggesting the hominids, called Homo naledi, may have lived alongside Homo sapiens.
- It had earlier been thought that the hominids were millions of years old.
- Homo naledi is found to be aged between 2,36,000 and 3,35,000-years-old — the beginning of the rise of modern human behavior.
1. ‘Tallest bridge built can withstand blasts’
What’s in news?
- The world’s tallest railway arch bridge over the Chenab river in Jammu, providing rail connectivity to Kashmir, will be capable of handling high intensity blasts and resisting the worst possible natural disaster.
- The 1.3 km long bridge over the Chenab at a height of 359 metres will be 35m taller than the Eiffel Tower in Paris and five times the height of the Qutab Minar in Delhi.
- The bridge will be a crucial link in the 111-km stretch between Katra (Jammu) and Banihal (Kashmir) which is part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla section of the railway project aimed at linking Kashmir through rail with the rest of the country.
Nothing here for Today
PIB Articles Editorials Roundup
| – | – |
Question 1: Among the following who are the Agaria Community?
- A traditional toddy tappers community of Andhra Pradesh
- A traditional fishing community of Maharashtra.
- A traditional silk-weaving community of Karnataka
- A traditional salt-pan workers community of Gujarat
Question 2: In which State is the Buddhist site Tabo Monastery located?
a) Arunachal Pradesh
b) Himachal Pradesh
c) Sikkim
d) Uttrakhand
Question 3: In which one of the following States has India’s largest private
sector sea port has been commissioned recently?
a) Andhra Pradesh
b) Karnataka
c) Kerala
d) Tamil Nadu
Question 4: An increase in the Bank Rate generally indicates that the
a) Market rate of interest is likely to fall
b) Central Bank is no longer making loans to commercial banks
c) Central Bank is following an easy money policy
d) Central Bank is following a tight money policy
Question 5: If Panchayats is dissolved, elections are to be held within
a) 1 month
b) 3 months
c) 6 months
d) 1 year
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