UPSC Current Affairs June 26 2016 | Comprehensive News Analysis

Useful News Articles

A. GS1 Related

B. GS2 Related

1. Modi launches Smart City projects in Jaipur, Udaipur via video-conferenceTopic: government schemes/programmes

Category: governance

Location: The Hindu

Key points:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched the ambitious Smart City project in Jaipur and Udaipur, envisaging availability of modern amenities with improved urban infrastructure in the two Rajasthan cities, through video-conferencing from Chhatrapati Shivaji Sports Complex in Pune.

‘Lighthouse city’

Ms. Raje pointed out that Jaipur had been selected as the first “lighthouse city of South Asia”, placing the Pink City in the elite club of other cities such as Hamburg, Barcelona and Adelaide. This initiative, in partnership with CISCO, has created IT-enabled services, Wi-Fi hotspots, installation of video surveillance cameras, interactive kiosks, remote e-governance solutions and parking management systems..

Earlier in the day, Ms. Raje dedicated to the people several projects marking the first anniversary of the Smart Cities Mission. The projects included rooftop solar power plant, restoration of traditional step-wells, restoration and beautification of gardens and real-time information systems for bus shelters.

2. NSG may meet before year-end to discuss entry of non-NPT signatoriesTopic: International Relation

Category: India-world

Location: The Hindu

Key points:

The Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) is likely to meet again before the end of the year to discuss the process of allowing non-Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT) signatories into the 48-nation grouping, providing another chance for India.
India is not a signatory to the NPT and that was the ground used to thwart its bid. However, diplomatic sources on Sunday said that at the suggestion of Mexico, it has now been decided that another meeting of the NSG should be held before the end of the year to consider the criterion for allowing non-NPT signatories, like India, into the group.
A panel for informal consultations on India’s membership has also been set up by the NSG and it will be headed by Argentine Ambassador Rafael Grossi.Mr. Grossi’s appointment came even as a top U.S. official said the NSG session in Seoul had ended with a “path forward” for India’s acceptance as a member.
“We are confident that we have got a path forward by the end of this year. It needs some work. But we are confident that India would be a full member of the [NSG] regime by the end of the year,” an U.S. official told

3.India to get access to almost 99% of U.S. defence technologies: White House officialTopic: India-US relations

Category: International relations

Location: The Hindu

India will be the only country outside Washington’s formal treaty allies that will gain access to almost 99 per cent of latest U.S.’s defence technologies after being recognised as a ‘Major Defence Partner’. “India [now] enjoys access to [defence] technologies that is on a par with our treaty allies. That is a very unique status. India is the only other country that enjoys that status outside our formal treaty allies,” the official told PTI explaining what ‘Major Defence Partner’ status means for India. Early this month, after a meeting between U.S. President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House, the U.S., in a joint statement, recognised India as a ‘Major Defence Partner’

Access to dual-use technologies

Under this recognition India would receive licence-free access to a wide range of dual-use technologies in conjunction with steps that New Delhi has committed to taking to advance its export control objectives.Acknowledging that the impression in New Delhi was that India was not getting access to the kind of technology it needed from the U.S., the official said it was a constant source of discussion.

Category: Environment

Location: The Hindu

Key points:

The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change has repudiated a ‘Draft National Forest Policy’ that it uploaded on its website earlier this month calling it an “inadvertent” error.
The ‘Draft National Forest Policy, 2016’, was uploaded on the Ministry’s website on June 16 along with an office memorandum calling for comments. “The Ministry is in the process of revising the present National Forest Policy, 1988. A draft National Forest Policy in this regard has been prepared and enclosed. All stakeholders are requested to send their comments, if any, by email…by June 30, 2016
The Environment Ministry had tasked the Bhopal-based Indian Institute of Forest Management, an affiliated organisation, with reviewing and revising the existing forest policy. This is the first time that the policy was being re-looked since 1988 as it wanted to update the several changes in forest laws and provide a forward-looking policy that talked about increasing India’s forest cover and tackling the effects of climate change.
The draft policy, made several suggestions including promoting the commercial use of wood, a greater role for industry in forest management and time-bound reviews of the progress being made in effectively managing forests.It however didn’t explicitly mention the role of tribals in forest management and the protection accorded by the Forest Rights Act.

2. India maintaining high growth amid tough global economy: FMTopic: Development

Category: Economy

Location: The Hindu

Key points:

India continues to maintain a high growth rate even in times of difficult global conditions and is sticking with its agenda of reforms push and infrastructure creation, Finance Minister ArunJaitley said.
Addressing the annual general meeting of the Board of Governors of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) on Saturday, Mr. Jaitley said the bank has come up “amid huge expectations” and India is preparing basket of projects worth USD 2—3 billion for AIIB funding.
“The new Bank has come up amid huge expectations in a difficult time for the global economy. The overall recovery of the global economy remains very modest and global growth rate projections have been revised downwards even though the Asia—Pacific region remains the growth engine for the world,” Mr. Jaitley said, according to a Finance Ministry statement issued on Sunday.
Notwithstanding the global headwinds, however, India continues to maintain a high growth rate at 7.6 per cent in 2015—16 compared to 7.2 per cent in the previous year.”He said India has undertaken reforms in FDI and initiated large investments in rural infrastructure, national highways, inland waterways, shipping, power sector and smart cities.
AIIB was officially established last year with an authorised capital of USD 100 billion, in which India and 56 other countries joined as founding members. China is the largest shareholder with 26.06 per cent voting share.India is the second-largest shareholder with 7.5 per cent, followed by Russia with 5.93 per cent and Germany with 4.5 per cent.

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E. Important Editorials: A Quick Glance

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1. P.I.B

a) Alcoholism and Substance Abuse have caused havoc in our country as well as across the world, says PresidentTopic: Drug abuse

Category: social issues

Key Points

The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee presented the National Awards for Outstanding Services in the field of Prevention of Alcoholism and Substance (Drugs) Abuse today (June 26, 2016) in New Delhi on the occasion of International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

Speaking on the occasion, the President congratulated the recipients of the awards for their outstanding contributions in field of prevention of alcoholism and substance abuse. He told the award winners not to remain complacent and to continue with efforts for eradicating the twin menace. The President said the two vices have caused havoc in the social life of our country as well as across the world. He complimented the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment for its initiatives and stressed the need for civil society and NGOs to work closely with the Government in eradicating the menace.

The President also said many studies have established that terrorism, smuggling and drug activities are co-related. Unless these linkages are broken, it will be very difficult to fight all three.

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