National Current Affairs – UPSC/IAS Exams- 14th December 2019

by Mentors4ias · December 14, 2019

Indian Economy Present Statistics

Topic: Economy

In News: Economic data released by the government suggest that India may be stepping even closer to stagflation.

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The Index of Industrial Production (IIP) contracted 3.8% in October, as against a healthy growth rate of 8.4% witnessed during the same month last year.
Industrial output, it is worth noting, had shrunk by 4.3% in September. At the same time, retail inflation jumped to a 40-month high of 5.5% in November fuelled mainly by a sharp jump in food prices.
Retail inflation is now in the upper band of the inflation range targeted by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) but might drop as fresh food supplies hit the market. Low growth combined with high price inflation is sure to cause further headaches for policymakers.
Economic growth has declined for six consecutive quarters now, making it one of the longest downturns in recent history. With inflation raising its ugly head now, the RBI, which held rates stable in its recent policy meet, is unlikely to cut rates aggressively in the next few months at least.
So it is entirely up to the government now to find ways to boost growth. Given the seriousness of the slowdown, the government cannot delay reforms.
For a long time, the government maintained that the country’s growth rate was held back by the tight monetary policy stance adopted by the RBI under its previous governors.
But with the benchmark interest rate being cut five times so far this year, the government can no longer shift blame on to the RBI.
The favourite defence of the government right now is that the slowdown in growth is merely a cyclical one that will end sooner than later. But regardless of the nature of the current slowdown, it cannot be denied that the Centre has fallen short on its promise of bringing about major structural reforms to the economy.
Except for the recent cut in corporate tax rates, the government has not come up with any other significant reform in response to the slowdown.
Further, the presence of low growth along with high inflation also raises questions about the root cause of the slowdown, which has been attributed to a drastic fall in consumer demand.
But aggressive rate cuts by the RBI that have extended over most of the year cannot stop the continuous slide in growth rate; it may well be that supply-side is also in deep trouble.
The answer to the current slowdown lies in economic reforms that can first lift the potential growth rate of the economy. Otherwise, further rate cuts by the RBI will only add to the government’s troubles by stoking inflation in the wider economy.

Stagflation:

· Stagflation refers to persistent high inflation coupled with high unemployment and stagnant demand /growth in economy. Stagflation is considered to be a problematic condition for governments to handle. This is because; it presents a situation when despite of low demand the prices keep going up. When an economy is in recession, the governments try to revive the economy by cutting interest rates or increasing government spending to put boost the demand, which leads to inflation. However, these inflationary measures cannot be applied in stagflation because inflation is already very high and such measures would further result in prices spiralling out of control.

Source: Hindu

Accessible India Campaign

Topic: Government Polices

In News: The deadline for the government’s Accessible India campaign that aims at making public spaces friendly for persons with disabilities has been extended due to slow progress. Revised deadlines have been extended to March 2020.

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The original deadlines under the Accessible India campaign were July 2016 for conducting an accessibility audit of 25-50 of the most important government buildings in 50 cities and making them completely accessible and March 2018.

About the Scheme:

Accessible India Campaign (AIC) is the nationwide flagship campaign of the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
The aim of the Campaign is to make a barrier free and conducive environment for Divyangjans all over the country. The campaign has the vision to build an inclusive society in which equal opportunities are provided for the growth and development of Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) so that they can lead productive, safe and dignified lives.
For creating universal accessibility for Persons with Disabilities, the campaign has been divided into three verticals: Built Environment; Transport and Information & Communication Technology (ICT) ecosystem.

Accessible India Campaign is in line with the Article 9 of UNCRPD(UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities) to which India is a signatory since 2007.

Source: PIB

Trakea Bar Coding System

Topic: Science and Technology

In News: Haryana Police has adopted a unique barcoding software — Trakea — to ensure that thousands of forensic reports that form the backbone of the criminal investigation system and subsequent trials in the courts of law, are not tampered with.

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Trakea is aimed at ensuring security and a tamperproof tracking system for forensic reports. It streamlines the functioning of Forensic Science Laboratories.
Essentially, it is a forensic evidence management system that helps in automation of the entire procedure, right from the stage when forensic experts collect vital samples from the scene of crime to conducting analysis of the samples, followed by tracking casewise forensic reports electronically through barcodes.
Even the selection of forensic teams is done randomly through this software.
The system includes features of two-stage barcoding to maintain the secrecy of the samples, sent along with a strong, unbroken biometrically authenticated chain of custody trial, coupled with features to eliminate chances of pick-and-choose by automated case allocation to the scientists, followed by report-generation and real-time tracking of the status of cases through automated e-mail and SMS notifications.
Due to the unique barcoding, only the authorised investigating officers and forensic science experts shall be able to track the crime exhibits and scientific examination reports, reducing the chances of tampering/leakage of the report at any stage.
Also, there will be no case details mentioned on the crime exhibits/samples/parcels except the unique bar code, that can only be read through the biometric system.
Using this software, the judiciary too will be able to track the forensic examination report during the trial, significantly cutting down on delays.

Source: Hindu

Indian Ocean Dialogue and Delhi Dialogue

Topic: International Affairs

In News: External Affairs Ministry will host the 6th Indian Ocean Dialogue and Delhi Dialogue XI at the Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra in New Delhi.

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This is for the first time that these two dialogues, which are key elements of Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), and India-ASEAN calendars will be held consecutively and on similar Indo-Pacific themes.
The theme for Indian Ocean Dialogue is “Indo-Pacific: Re-imagining the Indian Ocean through an Expanded Geography”.
The theme for this year’s Delhi Dialogue is “Advancing Partnership in Indo-Pacific”, and is being organized with the assistance of the Research and Information System for Developing Countries.

About Indian Ocean Dialogue:

The Indian Ocean Dialogue (IOD) is a flagship initiative of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA).
The Indian Ocean Rim region, like the Asia-Pacific to the east, is among the world’s most vital in terms of global commerce, energy, environmental and geopolitical stability.
Half of the world’s container ships, and two-thirds of the world’s oil shipments pass through the Indian Ocean Rim region, which is home to 2.7 billion people.
The Indo-Pacific concept recognizes the truly interconnectedness of the Indian Ocean and Asia-Pacific regions, which presents opportunities for communities in IORA Member States. The IOD will feature high level discussions on IORA’s role within the Indo-Pacific.

Source: Hindu

Greta Thunberg

Topic: Important Personalities in News

In News: The Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg, who became voice of a generation facing climate change emergency was named as Time magazine’s 2019 Person of the Year.

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Thunberg is a Swedish environmental activist on climate change whose campaigning movement, which became known as “Fridays for Future,” prompted millions of people in about 150 countries “to act on behalf of the planet.
She had been nominated for a Nobel peace prize, recognised for her mobilisation of students in her ‘Fridays for Future’ weekly school strikes.

Source: Hindu

Rare Earth Elements

Topic: Science and Technology

In News: The US Army plans to fund the construction of a Rare Earths processing facility to secure the domestic supply of minerals that are used to make military weapons and electronics.

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The move is due to the concerns that Beijing could use its strong position as a rare earth supplier to its advantage in the trade war.
According to estimates, 80% of the rear earth minerals imported by Washington between 2014 and 2017 were from China.
The US Geological Survey estimates that China controls around 90% of the world’s rare earths.
Rare earth minerals are used in a range of applications, including cell phones, computers, batteries and motors used in electric vehicles.
Some of the minerals in this category are used in the manufacture of weapons and electronics in the defence sector.

About Rare Earth Elements:

The rare earths minerals (REM) are a set of seventeen metallic elements. These include the fifteen lanthanides on the periodic table in addition to scandium and yttrium that show similar physical and chemical properties to the lanthanides.
The REMs have unique catalytic, metallurgical, nuclear, electrical, magnetic and luminescent properties. While named ‘rare earth’, they are in fact not that rare and are relatively abundant in the Earth’s crust.
Its usage range from daily use (e.g., lighter flints, glass polishing mediums, car alternators) to high-end technology (lasers, magnets, batteries, fibre-optic telecommunication cables).
Even futuristic technologies need these REMs (For example high-temperature superconductivity, safe storage and transport of hydrogen for a post-hydrocarbon economy, environmental global warming and energy efficiency issues).
Due to their unique magnetic, luminescent, and electrochemical properties, they help in technologies perform with reduced weight, reduced emissions, and energy consumption; therefore give them greater efficiency, performance, miniaturization, speed, durability, and thermal stability.

Model Mains Question: What are rare earth elements? Comment on its strategic importance.

Source: Hindu