Highlights |UPSC Exam Current Affairs 18-12-2019
Current Affairs and News (18-12-2019)- The following article contains all the updated events and news for IAS Preparation. Our daily IAS Current Affairs and News cover the most important topics to give precise information to the reader and IAS Aspirants.
- First Global Refugee Forum (GRF)
- Indian Culture Portal
- National Broadband Mission
- Unique Identification Authority of India(UIDAI) drops Monitoring agency plan
- No State-wise minority classification
- Global Gender Gap Index, 2020(India has ranked 112th among 153)
- Indian economy is losing its growth momentum (Part 1)
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UPSC Exam Current Affairs 18-12-2019 are followed in the part below:
UPSC Exam Current Affairs and News Analysis (18-12-2019)
First Global Refugee Forum (GRF)
Part of: GS Prelims and GS Mains II- International Affairs
In News
- The main Global Refugee Forum (GRF), a two-day social occasion of United Nations part states, started in Geneva, Switzerland, on December seventeenth
- The Forum, together facilitated by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the legislature of Switzerland,
- Plans to discuss and examine the reaction of the world’s nations to the worldwide outcast circumstance.
- The first GRF has been sorted out around six territories of center: weight and duty sharing, training, employments and jobs, vitality and foundation, arrangements, and security limit.
- The quantity of displaced people has ascended to more than 25 million individuals around the world
- The GRF will be held like clockwork at the Ministerial level.
- It is expected to show an open door for UN part states and different partners to declare activity plans and vows towards meeting destinations, for example, facilitating the weight on the host nation, upgrading displaced person independence, growing access to third-nation arrangements, and supporting conditions in nations of inception for return in wellbeing and nobility.
Indian Culture Portal
Part of: GS Prelims and GS-I- Culture
In News
- Culture Minister uncovered a gateway on Indian culture which unites all the social assets of the nation on one stage for example www.indianculture.gov.in
- The Indian Culture Portal is a piece of the National Virtual Library of India venture, financed by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India.
- The gateway has been made and created by the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay.
- Information has been given by associations of the Ministry of Culture, (for example, the National Archives of India, Gandhi Smriti and DarshanSmriti, Archeological Survey of India and Indira Gandhi National Center for the Arts) and curated by Indira Gandhi National Open University.
- The entry right now has subtleties on 90 lakh things, including original copies, documents, explore papers, book recordings and people stories with some of them going back to 4000 years
National Broadband Mission
Part of: GS Prelims and GS-III – Economic Development
In News
- The administration declared another ‘strategic’ at giving broadband access in all towns in the nation by 2022,
- Under the crucial, government intends to lay gradual 30 lakh course km of Optical Fiber Cable, while additionally expanding tower thickness from 0.42 to 1 pinnacle for each thousand of populace by 2024.
- The strategic partner speculation of $100 billion (Rs7 lakh crore), including Rs70,000 crore from Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) in coming years
- The vision of the national broadband crucial to quick track development of advanced correspondences framework, connect the computerized gap, encourage advanced strengthening and incorporation, and give moderate and widespread access of broadband for all
- Also, a Broadband Readiness Index will be created to gauge the accessibility of advanced correspondences framework inside a State/UT.
Unique Identification Authority of India(UIDAI) drops Monitoring agency plan
Part of: GS Prelims and GS-II- Governance
In News
- UIDAI was looking to enlist a web based life office that will utilize ‘social tuning in’ apparatuses to screen and impact discussions on Aadhaar on Facebook and Twitter.
- Notwithstanding, it has educated the Supreme Court – which is hearing a request protesting such a proposition –, that it has chosen to pull back employing Social media checking office
About UIDAI
- UIDAI was made with the goal to give Unique Identification numbers (UID), named as “Aadhaar”, to all occupants of India that is (a) sufficiently powerful to take out copy and phony personalities, and (b) can be confirmed and validated in a simple, practical way.
- UIDAI is a statutory power set up under the arrangements of the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016.
- Preceding its foundation as a statutory power, UIDAI was working as a joined office of the then Planning Commission (presently NITI Aayog)
- Under the Aadhaar Act 2016, UIDAI is answerable for
- Aadhaar enrolment and verification, including activity and the board of all phases of Aadhaar life cycle,
- Building up the approach, methodology and framework for giving Aadhaar numbers to people and
- Perform verification and
- To guarantee the security of personality data and validation records of people.
- It goes under the Electronics and IT service.
No State-wise minority classification
Part of: GS Prelims and GS-II – Polity
In News
- The request requested that the Supreme Court outline rules to “distinguish and characterize” strict minorities in each State, particularly where Hindus are in a minority (in eight states) in order to ensure their way of life and interests.
- Articles 29 (security of the interests of minorities) and Article30 (the privilege of minorities to control instructive establishments) of the Constitution manages exceptional arrangements for minorities.
- In any case, the Supreme Court expelled a request expressing that the States have been cut language-wise. Be that as it may, religion is past all fringes, particularly political outskirts. Religion must be taken on a skillet India premise
(MAINS FOCUS)
SOCIETY
TOPIC: General Studies 1:
- Job of ladies and ladies’ association, populace and related issues, destitution and formative issues, urbanization, their issues and their cures
Global Gender Gap Index, 2020(India has ranked 112th among 153)
Context:
- India has positioned 112th among 153 nations in the yearly Global Gender Gap Index for 2020,
- The Report was distributed by the World Economic Forum (WEF) as of late.
- Iceland, Norway, and Finland possess the main three spots in the Report.
The Global Gender Gap Index
- The Report benchmarks nations on their advancement towards sex equality in four measurements.
- The measurements are: Economic Participation and Opportunity, Educational Attainment, Health and Survival and Political Empowerment.
- The Report intends to fill in as a compass to follow progress on relative holes among ladies and men on wellbeing, training, economy and governmental issues.
- It gauges ladies’ drawback contrasted with men, and isn’t a proportion of balance of the sexual orientation hole.
- Through this yearly measuring stick, partners inside every nation can set needs pertinent in every particular financial, political and social setting.
Global Gender Gap Index for 2020: Key findings
- All around, the normal (populace weighted) separation finished to sexual orientation equality is at 68.6%, which is an improvement since last version.
- The biggest sexual orientation divergence is in political strengthening.
- Anticipating current patterns into the future, the general worldwide sexual orientation hole will shut in 99.5 years, all things considered.
- There is a sharp weakening in the financial open door hole, particularly in ladies’ under-portrayal in rising jobs, for example, distributed computing, designing and information and man-made brainpower.
India’s Status
- India has slipped four places in the report to 112, behind neighbors China, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh,
- It is expected to because of rising dissimilarity regarding ladies’ wellbeing and interest in the economy.
- The nation positioned 98th in WEF’s first report in 2006. From that point forward, it has fallen because of horrible showing in three out of four markers.
- India is likewise positioned in the last five as far as ladies’ wellbeing and endurance and monetary investment.
- The report indicated that monetary open doors for ladies are incredibly constrained in India (35.4 percent).
- India additionally positioned among nations with extremely low ladies portrayal on organization sheets.
- The report featured strangely low sex proportions during childbirth in India (91 young ladies for each 100 young men).
- On wellbeing and endurance, four enormous nations — Pakistan, India, Vietnam and China — passage severely with a huge number of ladies not getting a similar access to wellbeing as men.
- India is the main nation among the 153 nations contemplated where the monetary sex hole is bigger than the political one.
- On a positive note, India has shut 66% of its general sexual orientation hole.
Way forward
- The Indian government needs to ensure that maternal and ladies’ social insurance is a top need.
- It needs to build endeavors to ability more ladies in innovation based fields.
- Else, the capability of an enormous piece of the populace will stay unrealised.
Conclusion:
- Supporting sex equality is basic to guaranteeing solid, firm and strong social orders the world over.
- Assorted variety shapes a basic component in the worldwide economy as well.
Connecting the dots:
- Do you concur that India gravely needs to concentrate on improving ladies’ entrance to human services?
- What ways would you propose to improve sex equality?
ECONOMY
TOPIC: General Studies 3:
- Indian Economy and issues identifying with arranging, preparation of assets, development, advancement and business.
Indian economy is losing its growth momentum (Part 1)
Context:
- In April, the IMF had that anticipated India will develop at a pace of 7.2 percent in FY20, however ongoing information shows a falling GDP development (4.5 percent).
- The IMF especially talked about the “moderate development in provincial livelihoods, residential interest (as reflected in a sharp drop in offers of cars) and credit from non-banking money related organizations (NBFCs)” as conceivable causes.
- As per the World Inequality Report 2018, the best 10 percent of India’s populace got 54 percent of all pay while the last 50 percent shared just 15 percent.
- Low wages and salary disparity have prompted a fall sought after.
Fundamental equation in macroeconomics:
GDP = C + G + I + (NX)
As such, four drivers decide a nation’s GDP.
These are:
C – the all out use (request) by private people
G – the absolute use (request) by the Government
I – the complete use (request) on speculations made organizations in the nation
NX – the net impact of imports and fares
Current status of Indian Economy:
- Indian economy is confronting both basic (that is, all the more long haul issues identified with the general system of the economy, for example, the adaptability or rigidity of work laws and so on.) and repeating (that is, all the more momentary issues, for example, an awful rainstorm that disturbs generation of nourishment articles and so forth.) challenges.
- Since the causes are both auxiliary and patterned, Experts state, capturing this financial log jam is ending up being so troublesome.
Two balance sheets- TBS:
- The two asset reports are alluded to the Indian banks (particularly open area banks or the administration claimed banks) and the corporate segment, separately.
- The asset reports of Indian banks were troubled by a high extent of non-performing advances and the accounting report of corporate were stopped up in light of the fact that they had over-obtained and were not able compensation.
Economic boom 2005-09:
- The beginnings of India’s TBS is credited to the monetary blast that occurred somewhere in the range of 2005 and 2009.
- This was a period when monetary possibilities were blushing and the economy was developing at close to twofold digit development rates.
- Organizations obtained vigorously in the expectation of making benefits later on.
- The banks, particularly the administration possessed ones, as well, disregarded prudential standards and loaned a ton of cash to organizations with the expectation this would help support financial development.
- As it occurred, monetary possibilities fallen forcefully after the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) and organizations found that their ventures were never again reasonable.
- The final product was that the organizations were left with colossal credits they couldn’t repay in time and the banks were left with immense advances that had gone to NPA.
- This implied neither the Indian organizations were in position to put nor were the Indian banks in a situation to loan.
Economic growth 2010-12:
- Economy keep on becoming quicker somewhere in the range of 2010 and 2012 9% to 10% in the succeeding years (2010 and 2011).
- Somewhere in the range of 2009 and 2013, organizations were in no situation to contribute. So the “I” (absolute consumption (request) on ventures made organizations in the nation )segment got frail.
- During this period There was a hit to India’s fares in view of a decrease in worldwide interest. So “NX” segment additionally debilitated.
- Be that as it may, not at all like in the created world, where such organizations would have been pronounced bankrupt and sold, in India, both the organizations and the banks endure.
- Why? Since a large portion of the battling banks were possessed by the legislature thus there was no hazard related with them since it was constantly accepted that the administration would rescue them.
- Most organizations endure in light of the fact that banks accepted a consider that giving these organizations additional time will enable the organizations to reimburse and numerous banks loaned new credits to such organizations so these organizations remained above water.
- Another motivation behind why India kept on developing quick in the prompt repercussions of the GFC. That had to do with the vigorous interest from the other two segments – C the absolute consumption (request) by private people and G–the all out use (request) by the Government . Specifically, private customer request — which is very powerless nowadays
Economy going from 2014 to 2018
- Despite the fact that the TBS issue stayed unsolved – at the end of the day, the bank NPAs kept on climbing and portion of obligation ridden organizations unfit to pay premium installments kept on rising – yet, because of sharp fall in unrefined petroleum costs, Indians encountered a pay support.
- During 2015 and 2016, universal unrefined petroleum costs tumbled to 33% of what they were in 2014. This basically implied Indians could spend more and the “C” part of the condition supported the GDP. Specialists guarantee this gave a 1 to 1.5 rate direct lift toward the GDP.
- 2017 and 2018 saw an uptick in world interest and a genuine deterioration of the rupee, came about non-oil send out development rose from – 8.6 percent in 2015-16 to 8.9 percent in 2017-18″.the “NX” segment helped knock up the GDP development.
- Expanded government spending expanded the “G” segment
- India’s development was supported by a loaning binge gave by non-banking monetary organizations (NBFCs) like IL&FS and DHFL.
- NBFCs assumed control over the main job of loaning to the economy since banks were all the while battling with NPAs and were generally reluctant to loan legitimately to organizations. T
- he credit gave by NBFCs fuelled both private utilization (C) and business venture (I), and through this course fuelled GDP development.
Connecting the dots:
- Do you think govt shouldn’t rescue Public area banks during trouble?
- Do you think NPA issues of the Banks can be settled ?
(TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE)
Model questions: (You can now post your answers in comment section)
Q.1) Consider the following statements about the First Global Refugee Forum
- The Forum is jointly hosted by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the government of Switzerland.
- It aims to debate and discuss the response of the world’s countries to the global refugee situation
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
- 1 only
- 2 only
- Both 1 and 2
- Neither 1 nor 2
Q.2) Consider the following statements about Indian Culture Portal
- It is a part of the National Virtual Library of India project, funded by the Ministry of Culture
- It is being created and developed by NITI Aayog in collaboration with Indira Gandhi National Open University.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
- 1 only
- 2 only
- Both 1 and 2
- Neither 1 nor 2
Q.3) Consider the following statements about Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF)
- Money for this fund would be raised through a prescribed percentage of the revenue earned by the telecom licensees.
- The Indian Telegraph (Amendment) Act, 2003 gives statutory status to the fund which is to be utilized exclusively for meeting the Universal Service Obligation.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
- Only 1
- Only 2
- Both 1 and 2
- Neither 1 nor 2
Q.4) Global Gender Gap Index is released by which body/organisation?
- World Bank
- International Council of Women
- United Nations Development Programme
- World Economic Forum
Q.5) Consider the following statements about Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI)
- It is a statutory body established under the provisions of the Aadhar Act, 2016
- It functions under the overall guidance of Ministry of Home Affairs
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
- Only 1
- Only 2
- Both 1 and 2
- Neither 1 nor 2