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Hindu Notes from General Studies-02

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India must sign NPT to gain entry into NSG, says China

News

  • India must sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) to gain entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group, China said, asserting that “patient negotiations” were required for New Delhi’s admission into the group as there is no precedent for the inclusion of non-NPT countries.

Beyond News

  • China has been opposing India’s entry into the 48-member Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) on the ground that India is not a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), though the other P5 members, including the US and Russia backed its case based on New Delhi’s non-proliferation record.
  • China, France, Russia, Britain and the US the permanent members of the UNSC also known as P5 countries have concluded their two meetings in Beijing to discuss issues related to nuclear disarmament, nuclear non-proliferation and peaceful uses of nuclear energy.
  • After India applied for the NSG membership, Pakistan too applied for the same following which China, a close ally of Islamabad, called for a two-step approach which states that NSG members first need to arrive at a set of principles for the admission of non-NPT states into the group and then move forward discussions of specific cases.
  • The NSG is a group of nuclear supplier countries that seeks to contribute to the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons through the implementation of guidelines for nuclear and nuclear-related exports.

India not to extend anti-dumping duty on Chinese paracetamol

News

  • The government will not extend anti-dumping duty on imports of Chinese paracetamol, used in medicines, as the domestic industry has failed to provide evidence that the expiry of the levy would result in dumping.
  • After concluding its probe, the Commerce Ministry’s investigation arm for dumping of goods, DGTR, has said that it does not recommend continuation of the anti-dumping duty on the imports of paracetamol from China.

Govt clears ₹40,000 crore project to construct six submarines

News

  • In a major decision, the Defence Ministry approved indigenous construction of six submarines for the Indian Navy at a cost of over ₹40,000 crore.

Beyond News

  • This was decided at a meeting of the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), the Ministry’s highest decision-making body on procurement.
  • The DAC, also approved acquisition of approximately 5,000 Milan anti-tank guided missiles for the Army.
  • The project to construct the six submarines will be implemented under the strategic partnership model which provides for roping in private firm to build select military platforms in India in partnership with foreign defence manufacturers.
  • It will be the second project to be implemented under the strategic partnership model. The first project to get government’s nod for implementation under the new model was acquisition of 111 utility helicopters for the Navy at a cost of over ₹21,000 crore.
  • The DAC in a landmark decision on Thursday approved indigenous construction of six submarines for the Indian Navy at a cost of over ₹40,000 crore.
  • Construction of six submarines under Project 75 (I) will provide a major boost to the existing submarine design and manufacturing eco-system in India through transfer of design and equipment technology as well as a necessary skill sets.

Hindu Notes from General Studies-03

RBI lifts lending curbs on Bank of India, Bank of Maharashtra and Oriental Bank of Commerce

News

  • The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) removed three State-owned banks from its weak-bank watch list, a move that will lift lending restrictions on them.

Beyond News

  • It has been decided that Bank of India [BoI] and Bank of Maharashtra [BoM] which meet the regulatory norms including Capital Conservation Buffer [CCB] and have Net NPAs [non-performing assets] of less than 6% as per third quarter results, are taken out of the PCA [prompt corrective action] framework subject to certain conditions and continuous monitoring.
  • Hence, it has been decided to remove the restrictions placed on Oriental Bank of Commerce (OBC) under PCA framework, subject to certain conditions and close monitoring.

GDP growth rate for 2017-18 revised upwards to 7.2% from 6.7%

News

  • The government revised the economic growth rate upwards to 7.2% for 2017-18 from the 6.7% estimated earlier.

Beyond News

  • Real GDP or GDP at constant (2011-12) prices for 2017-18 and 2016-17 stand at ₹131.80 lakh crore and ₹122.98 lakh crore, respectively, showing growth of 7.2% during 2017-18 and 8.2% during 2016-17.
  • The First Revised Estimates for 2017-18 have been compiled using industry-wise/institution-wise detailed information instead of using the benchmark-indicator method employed at the time of release of Provisional Estimates on 31st May, 2018.
  • The CSO has also released the Second Revised Estimates of National Income, Consumption Expenditure, Saving and Capital Formation for 2016-17.
  • During 2017-18, the growth rates of primary (comprising agriculture, forestry, fishing and mining and quarrying), secondary (comprising manufacturing, electricity, gas, water supply and other utility services, and construction) and tertiary (services) sectors have been estimated as 5%, 6% and 8.1 per cent as against a growth of 6.8%, 7.5% and 8.4%, respectively, in the previous year.

Fighting the war against pollution

air pollutions

News

  • If India reduces particulate pollution by 25 per cent in five years, residents breathing the most polluted air in New Delhi and parts of Uttar Pradesh could live almost three years longer, a study said.
  • The study ,was conducted by the Air Quality Life Index (AQLI), which translates particulate air pollution into its impact on life expectancy.

Findings

  • The payoffs from the successful implementation of the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) could be substantial with people in the most polluted areas like Delhi living almost three years longer.
  • The AQLI study revealed that if India reduced particulate pollution by 25 per cent, people in Kanpur would also live 2.4 years longer and, in Kolkata for 1.1 years more.
  • The residents living in the 102 cities singled out by the NCAP for having higher pollution levels than the national average would add 1.4 years to their lives.
  • The AQLI is rooted in recent research that quantifies the causal relationship between long-term human exposure to air pollution and life expectancy.

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