IASTODAY DAILY CAPSULES -General Studies-01

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Unchecked warming will raise mortality levels in India: study

News

• A rise in average temperatures across India would increase death rates by 10%, translating into an extra million and a half deaths by the end of the century, says a report by researchers.
• This level of mortality would result if greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise in the way they do today.

40 countries

• The analysis studies trends in mortality with the rise in temperatures in a range of countries and adjusts for future scenarios of more people getting richer and being able to adapt better to warming.
• The researchers collected statistics on causes of death in 40 countries, including India, the United States, China, the European Union, Mexico, Brazil, Chile and Japan.
• These deaths could be the result of exposure to heat strokes or increased cardiovascular risk.
• If greenhouse gas emissions continue unabated, the average temperature in India is expected to increase from 24°Celsius today to 28°C by 2100.
• Days with temperatures above 35°C are expected to triple from the current average of 5.1 to 15.8 by 2050 and 42.8 by 2100.
• Punjab has the highest annual average temperatures in India and the analysis finds that where current temperature trends to continue, 16 States are projected to be hotter than what Punjab is today.
• Odisha is expected to have the highest increase in the number of extremely hot days, rising from 1.6 in 2010 to 48.05 by 2100. Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra are estimated to contribute 64% of the total excess deaths.
• If steps are taken to cut emissions such that they peak by 2040 to prevent temperature rise exceeding 2°C over pre-industrial levels, the excess death rates due to heat could drop to 10 per 1,00,000, a nearly 80% decline from what India is currently heading towards, said researchers.

Hyderabad figures in UNESCO list for rich culinary heritage

News

• Hyderabad, the city of biryanis, kebabs, haleem, kallu, shikampur and chowki dinners, has now been officially designated as a Unesco Creative City of Gastronomy.

Unesco Creative City of Gastronomy

• Hyderabad is among the 66 cities named by the Unesco in the list of new Creative Cities which aims at pushing the Sustainable Development Goals through innovative thinking and action.
• It’s among the 2 cities from India in list of 66 cities, other being Mumbai in Film category.
• The designation of Hyderabad in the creative cities’ list would bring new opportunities and turn the focus on the city’s rich culinary heritage and tradition.
• The Unesco recognition can go a long way in creating more business and employment opportunities to stimulate tourism.

IASTODAY DAILY CAPSULES -General Studies-02

Odisha govt. partners with Nobel laureates Abhijit Banerjee-Esther Duflo’s J-PAL to minimise poverty

News

• The Odisha government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with an organisation co-founded by Nobel laureates Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo to maximise the impact of anti-poverty programmes across a wide range of sectors in the State.

Anti-poverty programmes

• The MoU was signed with the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) South Asia to devise a strategic evidence-based approach to policy-making.
• Odisha has adopted 5T (Teamwork, Technology, Transparency, Time leading to Transformation) as its policy and this partnership aims at bringing transformation in the lives of people through research-based intervention in policy formulation.
• Under the partnership, the organisation will provide Odisha government with technical assistance for scaling up evidence-backed programme to improve development outcomes.
• The partnership also establishes a collaboration between J-PAL South Asia and the state government under which the organisation will work with several departments to conduct policy-relevant randomised evaluations of new anti-poverty and development programmes.

India loses export incentive case filed by U.S. at WTO

News

• India has lost a case filed by the U.S. at the WTO against domestic export incentives as the dispute settlement panel concluded that these schemes are inconsistent with the international trade norms.

Domestic export incentives 

• With this ruling, India will have to re-work these incentive schemes to comply with the WTO ruling. However, it can file appeal against the ruling at the appellate body of the WTO dispute settlement mechanism.
• On March 14 last year, the U.S. had dragged India to the WTO’s dispute settlement mechanism over New Delhi’s export incentive schemes, including Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS); Export Oriented Units (EOUs) and Export Promotion Capital Goods (EPCG) Scheme; and duty free imports scheme.
• The U.S. had alleged that these schemes were harming American companies. The dispute panel in its report has concluded that most of these schemes like EOU, Electronics Hardware Technology Parks Scheme; EPCG, and MEIS are inconsistent with certain provisions of WTO’s Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures.
• The dispute panel recommended that India should withdraw the prohibited subsidies under DFIS within 90 days from adoption of the report.
• It should also withdraw the prohibited subsidies under the EOU/EHTP/BTP schemes, EPCG , and MEIS, within 120 days and SEZ scheme within 180 days.
• The exemptions from customs duties on importation under the EOU/EHTP/BTP (Bio-Technology Parks) schemes are subsidies contingent upon export performance inconsistent with certain articles of the agreement.
• The first step to resolve a trade dispute is engaging for consultation process. If two trading partners having dispute could not resolve at that level, one of them can ask for settlement of dispute panel for hearing. The panel’s report or ruling can be challenged at the appellate body.

Indian Sikh pilgrims won’t need a passport to visit Kartarpur: Pak PM

News

• Pakistan Prime Minister announced that Sikh pilgrims from India would not need a passport to travel to Kartarpur and no fee would be charged from them on the opening day of the corridor on November 9.

Kartarpur Corridor

• The Kartarpur Corridor will connect the Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India’s Punjab with Darbar Sahib at Kartarpur, just 4 km from the International Border, located at Narowal district of Pakistan’s Punjab province.
• India and Pakistan last week signed the agreement on the Corridor that will allow Indian pilgrims to undertake visa-free visit to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, the shrine of the Sikh religion’s founder Guru Nanak Dev in Pakistan.
• The agreement will allow 5,000 Indian pilgrims daily to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib where Guru Nanak spent last 18 years of his life.
• Each visitor would be required to pay $20 as fee, though India has requested Pakistan not to charge the Indian pilgrims.

Green light for 2.31 lakh more PMAY homes

News

• The Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry approved the construction of 2.31 lakh more homes under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (urban), taking the total number of homes sanctioned under the scheme to 93.1 lakh.

Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana

• The total houses sanctioned under the scheme, which has a target of 1.1 crore homes, had crossed 93 lakh.
• Andhra Pradesh had almost reached 100% of its demand for housing with the sanction of about 1.25 lakh more homes.
• Uttar Pradesh had reached 97% of its assessed demand for homes with the sanction of 52,000 houses, he added.
• Of the 93.1 lakh sanctioned houses, 28 lakh dwelling units have been completed and handed over to the beneficiaries, while construction of 55 lakh houses was under way.

Resolutions introduced in U.S. Congress to recognise Sikhs’ contributions in America

News

• Marking 550th birth anniversary of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak, resolutions have been introduced in the US Congress to recognize the contributions and sacrifices made by Sikhs in the United States and the discrimination they have faced in the country and around the world.

Sikhs contributions

• One of the resolution introduced by Senators recognizes the historical, cultural, and religious significance of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak on November 12.
• Expressing respect for all Sikhs, the resolution also notes the discrimination that Sikhs have faced in the US and around the world.
• It is a great day for the Sikhs in the United States that resolutions recognizing the community have bene introduced in the House and the Senate.
• Sikhism is the fifth largest religion in the world with more than 25,000,000 Sikhs worldwide, and over 750,000 Sikh Americans.
• Noting that Sikh Americans distinguish themselves by fostering respect among all people through faith and service; the resolution said that the United States House of Representatives is committed to educating citizens about the world’s religions, the value of religious diversity, tolerance grounded in First Amendment principles, a culture of mutual understanding, and the importance of reducing violence.

Germany, India linked by very close ties, says Merkel

News

• A number of agreements will be signed between India and Germany signifying their broad-based ties and the “very close” relationship between the two countries, German Chancellor said.

Nearly 20 pacts to be signed

• German Chancellor will co-chair the fifth IGC with Prime Minister Modi, following which the two leaders will make press statements and a raft of agreements will be signed between the two sides.
• German Chancellor will be holding talks with Mr. Modi on a host of bilateral issues and nearly 20 agreements are expected to signed between the two countries.

IASTODAY DAILY CAPSULES -General Studies-03

• India’s October unemployment rate rises to 8.5%, highest in over 3 years – CMIE

  News

  

  • India’s unemployment rate in October rose to 8.5%, the highest since August 2016, and up from 7.2% in September, according to data released by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), reflecting the impact of a slowdown in the economy.
  • India’s infrastructure output fell 5.2% in September from a year earlier, the worst performance in years, government data showed, while the industrial output shrank at its fastest rate in more than six years in August.

  NDRF launches ‘Clean Cooum Campaign’ to restore polluted waterway

  News

  • ‘Clean Cooum Campaign’ spearheaded by 4th Battalion, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) the campaign to clean the river in various locations for a stretch of 13 km would be taken up by NDRF along with government agencies, including the Greater Chennai Corporation and private organisations and colleges.

  Clean Cooum Campaign

  • About 1,500 volunteers would be involved in cleaning the river in locations. The NDRF will carry out the cleaning exercise twice a month for three to four months to contribute towards a cleaner river.
  • The Cooum river was once a pristine river with 49 species of fishes in 1950 that was later reduced to 21 species. But now, there are no fishes in the river due to toxic pollutants.
  • The Cooum and Adyar rivers were covered under the National River Conservation Programme and funds were provided to agencies earlier.

As pollution levels raise, EPCA declares public health emergency in Delhi-NCR

News

• A Supreme Court mandated panel declared a public health emergency in the Delhi-NCR region and banned construction activity till November 5.

Public health emergency

• As the pollution levels in the region entered the “severe plus” category, the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority also banned the bursting of crackers during the winter season.
• Under these circumstances construction activities, hot mix plants and stone crushers in Delhi, Faridabad, Gurugram, Ghaziabad, Noida and Greater Noida will remain closed till morning of November 5.
• The blanket of haze over Delhi thickened with the national capital’s pollution levels increasing overnight.
• According to official data, the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) was 582 for Delhi-NCR. It had shot up to 504.
• An AQI between 0-50 is considered ‘good’, 51-100 ‘satisfactory’, 101-200 ‘moderate’, 201-300 ‘poor’, 301-400 ‘very poor’ and 401-500 ‘severe’ Above 500 falls in the ‘severe-plus emergency’ category.
• Earlier, the EPCA had banned construction activities only for the period between 6 p.m. and 10 a.m. till November 2. Now, no construction can take place even in daytime.
• EPCA directed that all coal and other fuel-based industries, which have not shifted to natural gas or agro-residue, will remain shut in Faridabad, Gurugram, Ghaziabad, Noida, Bahadurgarh, Bhiwadi, Greater Noida, Sonepat, Panipat till the morning of November 5.
• In Delhi, industries, which have not yet shifted to piped natural gas, will not operate during the period.

Rain leaves a trail of destruction along Kerala coast

News

• Incessant and unusually heavy rain triggered by cyclone Maha has left a trail of woes and destruction along the coastal areas stretching from the southern end of Chellanam to Nayaramablam in the north.

Cyclone Maha

• No casualties were reported, there have been widespread flooding of homes, destruction of fishing boats, and shifting of people to safer places.
• Chellanam and Vypeen have been seriously affected, and nearly 100 people have taken shelter at camps opened by the district administration.
• A 20-member team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is camping at a local school to respond to emergencies.

Core sector output falls 5.2% in September

News

• Output of eight core infrastructure industries contracted by 5.2% in September, indicating the severity of the economic slowdown.

Economic slowdown

• As many as seven of eight core industries saw a contraction in output in September. Coal production fell steeply by 20.5%, crude oil by 5.4%, and natural gas by 4.9%. Output of refinery products (-6.7%), cement (-2.1%), steel (-0.3%), and electricity (-3.7%) too declined.
• The only segment to post growth in September was fertilizers, where production increased by 5.4%.
• Earlier this month, the RBI cut its GDP growth forecast for the current fiscal to 6.1% from the previous estimate of 6.9 % after the first-quarter economic growth slipped to over six-year low of 5 %.

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